From Beehives to Glaciers - Lake Louise

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Last night took our 'freezing-in-our-tent' experience to new and icy levels. We should have guessed, I expect, by Lake Louise's impressive elevation - 1540 m above sea level. In fact, it claims to be the highest permanent settlement in Canada. So, our night was a long haul of lying awake trying not to transform into frozen carcasses, serenaded by the ever-present tooting of trains (we seem to be closer to the train line than ever at this campground) and the sounds of a raucous school group who decided to be our neighbours after we'd already pitched our tent and it was too late to turn and flee :-).

We concluded the best thing for our groggy state was some sight-seeing, so we set off nice and early to see the Lake herself in all her glory. Not early enough, though, as busload upon busload of photo-snapping tourists had already descended to the lake front in droves, taking their obligatory 'I did Lake Louise' snapshots. It didn't take long for us to figure out, though, that the vast majority of these people did not venture more than 5 minutes from their drop-off point, so all we had to do was walk a mere 200 m and we'd leave them all behind us. So, off we went for a hike up to Lake Agnes, via Mirror Lake, leaving the crowds and monstrous hotel far below.

We had planned on turning back once we reached Lake Agnes but when we got there, we were on such a roll, and so inspired by the beauty all around us, we decided to continue. So, we thought, why not climb the Big Beehive? This intriguing name belonged to a beehive-shaped mountain pillar, towering above Lake Agnes, ascending ever upwards towards the heavens. It was along the start of this trail that we encountered our first pika - a cute, furry, egg-shaped creature that emits high-pitched, squeaky sounds as it hops amongst the boulders. The true Pikachu. They are also very good at avoiding photographs :-).

Then began a gruelling, steep ascent, made all the harder by the thin mountain air we had not yet adjusted to. Up we went, huffing and puffing, but how it was worth it in the end. It was at the top we finally understood all the fuss about Lake Louise - what a view! From this height, the lake aquired a surreal, radiant, turquoise hue, unlike anything we'd ever seen before. How could it look so different from above? The scenery was exhilirating - here we were, standing amongst the mountain tops, with 360 degree vistas of snowy peaks and clear blue sky, the lake cradled like a precious jewel below.

Despite being somewhat hungry at this point (foolishly, we hadn't packed a lunch and were sustaining ourselves instead by extracting minute quantities of sugar from a pack of strawberry-flavoured gum), we impulsively decided to avoid backtracking and instead extended our journey to take in the Plain of Six Glaciers, a further 5 km away, and then return via the length of the lake. To reach the Plain of Six Glaciers, we had to balance along a rather hair-raising ridge of moraine rubble in howling gusts of wind but, once there, the scenery was spectacular.

By the time we returned, we'd somehow managed to hike a total of 16 km, and were exhausted but invigorated. I couldn't help but think that the package tourists, huddled outside the Fairmont, were missing the whole point.

On our way back to our campsite, we had a quick look at the area's second most famous lake, Moraine Lake. It seemed much less commerical and more wild than its sister, Lake Louise, and next time, it would be a good place to explore in more detail. But for now, our exercise in nocturnal hypothermia beckons.

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Photos

Me in the Plain of Six Glaciers
Lake Louise cradled in the distance

Lake Louise
Standing on the shore in front of the Fairmont

Lake Louise from Above
Looking down from the Big Beehive

Peaks and Glaciers
In the Plain of Six Glaciers

Towering Peaks
Watching over the Plain of Six Glaciers