Day 41 to 43 – July 11th to 14

Sorry for the delays. WIFI is not as available.

Thursday the 11th

We got an early start this morning and left Jasper, AB, for the Icefields Parkway, (Rt 93 South) toward Lake Louise. The parkway reaches 282 kilometers to Lake Louise, about 2-1/2 hours as a straight shot along the route of the Continental Divide. Of course we couldn’t do that. We stopped at the Athabasca Falls which is fed by runoff from the glacier of the same name. Unlike most rivers flowing from the Continental Divide, the Athabasca River flows north, not east or west, ultimately joining with other rivers to reach the Arctic Ocean at Inuvik in the Northwest Territories almost 2,000 miles away.

The water is milky white, a suspension resulting from rock being ground to fine powder under a glaciers immense weight. This powder, sometimes called glacier flour, infuses huge quantities of water from glacier melt off. While there, we met up with a tour group composed of Old Order Mennonites. Not some thing we’ve seen often.

Our next stop was Sunwapta Falls, which roars through a deep gorge that has been cut over tens of thousands of years. This water was clearer having less glacier flour.

The Columbia Icefield, about half-way down the Parkway, is a collection of glaciers to the east of Mt. Columbia. Several glaciers are on prominent display, including the glacier from Mt. Athabasca. The glaciers have been receding for many years. We parked several hundred yards closer than its farthest known progress as of 1908, and then hiked for a kilometer in past multiple markers that show its retreat up through today. One marker denoting it’s reach as of 1982 is almost 400 yards from the present glacier’s edge.

The environment below a glacier is stark, rocky and quite raw. The wind off glaciers is called “katabatic” wind and is very strong and very cold. All those millions of tons of ice cool the air above it quickly, and because cold air is denser than warmer air, the air streams down and off the glacier at a great rate. Though the ambient temperature outside the park was around 55*F, the wind off the ice was close to freezing. So folks who were hiking wearing jackets appeared happy to move briskly. Those with shorts were not so happy and just plain ran. We found the hike interesting and severely beautiful. Of course we were dressed still in our riding gear and long John’s and extra socks.

We ultimately stopped at a dozen or more turnouts to see the sights. Waterfalls are a constant temptation and we indulged early and often regardless of size.

By afternoon we passed out of Jasper Nat’l Park into Banff Nat’l Park. We felt we were close to being done for the day and arrived at our hotel in Lake Louise Village to rest up. Unfortunately my brother and sister-in-law, Jeff and Rose, could not make it as we had hoped. Something unexpected came up so they had to cancel. They are wonderful company and we will miss our time together very much.

Friday the 12th

At 6:30 this morning we caught a shuttle to the Lake Louise Ski Area to take a gondola to near the top of the mountain to see what we could see. (This came highly recommended.) It was awesome! Connie had snagged our tickets in advance so we made our way to the lift, which took us up beautiful scenery and a mother grizzly and her cubs. Up and down the line, everyone was excitedly calling out to each other and taking pictures of the trio. It should be noted that the stars of the show acted as though they couldn’t care less. They were busy chowing down on some vegetation, the cubs were wrestling and playing like youngsters do. It was a bit unreal as well: we humans, members of the dominant species on earth, were thrilled and happy to see these apex predators of the Canadian Rockies, but only because we were viewing from a safe height. The matter would be somewhat changed if we’re were on even ground. Interesting.

We unloaded up top and were treated to more awesomeness as Lake Louise and its surrounding mountains were laid out before us. The highest peak is Mt. Temple at the center of a row of majestic peaks and glaciers. We walked a bit then had something to eat on the outdoor terrace of the mountainside restaurant. A bit pricey, but a worthwhile extravagance. While up there we saw the same grizzly and cubs down slope a ways, on the other side of an electric fence. Bears are taken seriously here. On the way down we were lucky enough to see another mother grizzly with two cubs. Amazing!

We got back to our room at the Mountaineer Lodge in town by mid-afternoon and rested for a couple of hours. Then after our sumptuous repast of bagged salad and assorted sides we got on the bike and headed to Lake Moraine for a walk along the shore trail. We arrived around 7:00 pm after the crowds had dispersed.

That’s a real issue in Banff Park. Because it’s so popular, there can be substantial crowds during the day and parking can be an issue. Using the shuttles or arriving very early or late helps. For us, riding on a bike makes parking much easier, though we try to avoid peak times.

Lake Moraine is a glacially fed lake located in the Valley of Ten Peaks. The lake is cupped by this ring of mountains and it is so beautiful. There are a couple of small glaciers up high, and a lot of evidence of ice and rock avalanches. We spent nearly three hours walking and gawking and taking pictures until sunset (10 pm) moved us to ride back. We think Lake Moraine is more beautiful than its famous cousin, Lake Louise. Just saying.

Saturday the 13th

We got ourselves launched early again and rode to Lake Louise. Though we were on our way by 6:30 (before coffee, I might add) and we were about 900th in line to get into the parking lot. There were bike spots laid out so it worked quite well. We brought coffee and a nosh from our hotel and quickly ate, which both improved our frame of mind and opened our eyes fully. The canoe rental shop had just opened and there were a couple of boats making their way to the far end of the lake. The water was very still allowing the mountains’ reflection to show clear. It was beautiful! We hiked a bit on the east side and treated ourselves to about a hundred more shots. We just don’t tire of snow covered peaks.

That’s how we spent our day until the afternoon. By then we were a bit worn out and decided to rest up before our long ride tomorrow. There are so many other places we would have loved to see here in Banff, like Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Thompson Canyon. Those will have to be stops on our next trip here.

Now, we hope this uploads. Here’s to mountain WiFi.

Morning safety check