Mount Babel Alberta, Canada

Mount Babel is a 10,173 feet (3,101m) mountain peak in the Ten Peaks in Alberta, Canada. As per Peakery data, it ranks as the 140th highest mountain in Alberta and the 258th highest mountain in Canada. The adjacent peaks are Mount Fay, Mount Little, Mount Bowlen, Tower of Babel, Quadra Mountain, and Bident Mountain. Mt. Babel is one of the most popular mountains in the Valley of Ten Peaks that beautifully surrounds Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. The smaller and less known Consolation Lakes lie just behind Mt Babel. 

The stunning lakes can only be reached by climbing across the rockslides that have tumbled down from towering Mt Babel. These images shows the gorgeous beauty of autumn colors of the golden yellow larches on the rocky slopes of Mt Babel and some of them are very big rocks that lie just at the edge of the first Consolation Lake. The dramatic Mount Babel rises vertically some 1000 metres above the Consolation Valley, and the mountain was the scene of one of the most dramatic rescues in the history of the National Park Warden Service. The rout to Mount Babel is really an impressive rock route, because it cannot be called a classic (having only been climbed twice) but it definitely offers a thrilling day's climbing. It could be an astonishing effort for the time when it was first climbed. The majority of the route is now free, with a limited points of aid that keep the grade reasonably sensible. 

Therefore the approach trail (Consolation Lake Trail) to the Tower of Babel is a commonly used trail among the tourists who are delivered in mass by bus to the Lake Moraine Lodge. The one of pictures shown below is actually stitched together from 15 separate images as it is not possible to get this enormous mountain at such close range into a single shot even with a very wide angle lens. The image is taken by standing on a small island in the wide outlet channel from the lake. The gorgeous Mt. Babel can be reached depends upon your fitness level, as you’ve to walked from one rock to another to cross to the island. For the time being, if you look closely you may see tiny companion sniffy stuck on top of a sharp and steep sided boulder middle foreground just at the water's edge. Mount Babel was first climbed by A Hart, Edward Oliver Wheeler, L. Wilson and H. Worsfold in 1910. 

Ten other mountain peaks nearby to Mount Babel 

1.            Mount Fay (3234 m)                         1.1 km

2.            Mount Little (3134 m)                        1.8 km

3.            Mount Bowlen (3206 m)                   1.8 km

4.            Tower of Babel (2221 m)                   2.1 km

5.            Quadra Mountain (3174 m)             2.2 km

6.            Mount Perren (3051 m)                     3.2 km

7.            Mount Allen (Canada) (3310 m)     4.3 km

8.            Mount Tuzo (3248 m)                         4.5 km

9.            Chimney Peak (3002 m)                    4.8 km

10.         Mt Deltaform (3424 m)                       5.4 km

Source: Charismatic Planet 

The Rock Formations of “Flatirons” Colorado

At Boulder, Colorado, there’re rock formations called “Flatirons” consisting five large numbered Flatirons ranging from North to South as well as east slope of Green Mountain.  The Flatirons were recognized as the "Chautauqua Slabs" circa 1900 and "The Crags" circa 1906. “The Flatirons often refers to these five alone. Moreover various additional named Flatirons are on the southern part of Green Mountain, Bear Peak, and amongst the surrounding foothills. It would be really hard to locate another location in the country where such a widespread variety, from scrambling to hard "Head Point" routes exist so close to a major metro area. Geologists believe the age of these rocks formation as 290 to 296 million years; they were lifted and tilted into their present orientation between 35 and 80 million years ago, during the Laramide Orogeny. 

There are two hypotheses regarding the origin of the current name, one based on resemblance to old-fashioned irons, the other based on resemblance to the Flatiron Building completed in 1902. The Flatirons comprise of conglomeratic sandstone of the Fountain Formation, which were subsequently exposed by erosion. Further manifestations of the Fountain Formation can be located in several places along the Colorado Front Range, including Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Roxborough State Park in Douglas County, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre close to Morrison. 

If it is your first time climbing in the Flatirons then you must try to take a guidebook and a map, or better yet, go with a local. Also, a headlamp can come in handy as well on the journey home, but that's a story for another day! There’re a few things that needs some attention, such as there is plenty of poison ivy in places for the sensitive. Also, there’re mountain lions & black bear that are well-known to wander these parts. Watch your kids, if you're climbing with little ones. The Flatirons on Green Mountain are popular destination among hikers and rock climbers with rock grades ranging from easy (5.0) till world class (5.14b).  The Flatirons on Green Mountain are ubiquitous symbols of the Boulder and abounds with photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures. This symbol is normally used in advertisements and marketing materials and often referred to Tech industry as the “Silicon Flatirons”.  

The Lava Tree State Park Hawaii United States

The Lava Trees in Lava Tree State Park were created in a 1790 lava flow, which entered the area and buried the 'Ōhi'a Trees up to 11 feet deep in molten lava. The Lava Tree State Park sits within the Nanawale Forest Reserve in the lower Puna district near the town of Pāhoa. Although lava trees can be found in several locations on the Big Island this particular park have a number of exceptional examples as well as being very accessible.

When the hot lava from a volcanic eruption enters in a forest, often it is observed that the lava does not overthrow the bigger trees, but flows around them. Normally the moisture in the tree make cools the lava in contact with the trunk and a hard exterior shell is molded. So as the lava drains away, only the solidified “lava trees” are left standing. The intense heat burns away the wood inside and a hollow cast in the shape of the original tree is left behind. In particular cases, the tree can keep on standing and stays for years as a black charred skeleton, and in sporadic cases, specific trees even survive and continue to grow after the eruption. The finest example of lava trees are originate on the island of Hawaii, in southeast of Pāhoa in the Puna District.

Here, the whole forest of ohi’a trees was swamped in molten lava up to 11 feet deep, when the Kilauea volcano erupted in 1790. The higher trees that were surrounded by the molten lava cooled the lava that coated them, though the heat of the lava began the tree to burn to ash. Therefore since then a close fissure opened in the ground letting the molten lava to drain away back into the earth. Nonetheless the lava surrounding the trees had already cooled and in progress to harden and remained above ground as monuments to the trees that once stood in the same spot. The forest of lava trees causing from eruption of a one kilometer line of vents east of Pu‘u Kahaualea. The bulbous top of each lava tree marks the high stand of the lava flow as it spread through the trees. As the fissure eruption diminished, the flow constant to spread laterally; its shallow subsided, leaving pillars of lava that had chilled against tree trunks.

Then spattering is from fissure out of view to the left. Note blob of spatter following to the top of the stripped ‘ohi‘a tree. Nowadays, the Lava Tree State Park contains of 17.1 acres of native plants, trees and several lava trees. Several of the lava trees are well covered in moss, though others have fallen to the ground, revealing their interior hollow structure. Specific of the casts are so impeccable that you can still realize the imprint of the bark in the lava rock itself.

The Lava Tree State Park is in the lower Puna district, and to get to the park you need to take Highway 130 towards the town of Pāhoa, then pass the first intersection that takes you into Pāhoa and at the next intersection make a left onto Pāhoa-Kapoho Road. Follow this road for just three miles until you see the park on your left. The park has a paved parking lot and restrooms nearby from the parking lot. Moreover there is no drinking water available in the park. The trail around the park is paved but is jagged and broken in places due to tree roots. The trail is not navigable through its full length by wheelchair. The Lava Tree State Park is at around 500 feet above sea level. The climate conditions are wet though warm. Shorts and rubber slippers or shoes are suitable. You might want to have light rain gear in the car in cast it decides to rain. The park is open 24 hours a day, year round. There is no cost to visit the park.