Lake Louise

Lake Louise

We beat the crowds to Lake Louise and decided to join Park Ranger Nadine on a 2 hour walk along the lake (at the cost of $15/person). This was the ‘royal tour’ since so much about the lake and mountains has to do with royalty: Mount Victoria (for the Queen) the highest peak behind the lake, Lake Louise (for her 4^th daughter, Louise), and Winter, the king of the mountains, holding sway for 8 months of the year. Lake Louise was originally called the Lake of the Little Fishes and then renamed Lake Louise (but for the daughter of the head of the Royal Scientific society, not the Queen's daughter). We also learned that when the railroad first was built, they advertised this as little Switzerland, encouraging mountaineering. And after an initial death on the mountain, they brought in Swiss Mountaineers to guide folks. There was not a single death during the 34 years that they guided the public. This area is one of the best in North America for the tracking of glaciers, since it has been constantly observed since 1895 with photographic evidence. The glacier here has receded since 1840, but has been relatively stable for the last 10 years. We also learned that mountain goats live on the rocks to escape predators, primarily eating the grasses and dried flowers. In the winter, they move to wind-blown slopes to eat, where there isn't a lot of snow. The goat has a cleaved hoof with a soft center that they can use to grip the rocks. Along the shore the flowers were also in abundance, and she identified quite a few different species. The tour ended at the far shore and then we returned to an abundance of people and a parking nightmare. We were happy to leave and find a quiet picnic area down the road for lunch.

Moraine Lake and Valley of the Ten Peaks

In the afternoon, we went to Moraine Lake, just a few kilometers away. Parking was again a problem, but we got lucky. The best view of the Lake was from the rock pile at the outlet side of the lake. From here you can see the expanse of the Valley of the Ten Peaks with Moraine Lake stretching out before us. You can get this same view from the back of the Canadian $20 bill. I walked the shoreline while Mary stayed near the lodge. The population thinned out quickly as I walked. There is a huge ice field that fills a crevice in the mountain opposite the lake, quite a unique sight. The trail ends at the inlet to the lake and the emerald color of the lake stands out from here. By the time I completed this hike it was beer time, so we headed back to camp.

Temple Mountain from our Campground