Banff Day 2

Our first stop today was the Banff Gondola. We woke up to clouds and a sprinkling of rain. I doubted this expensive adventure would be worth my time, but by the time we got up to the top of Sulphur Mountain, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. 

The views were breathtaking. 

Our one hike for the day was Bow River Falls. This was more of a stroll, but as with everything here, just beautiful - especially with the sun shining. 

After lunch we drove to Tunnel Mountain to see the hoodoos, odd rock statues, formed by erosion. These have nothing on the hoodoos found in Bryce Canyon, but we are here for it all. 

If we have learned anything, the weather changes on a dime. Accurate weather forecasting does not happen here. It was sprinkling again and the sun was trying to shine when we made it to this stop.

Due to the rain, we opted to skip our scheduled rafting trip down the Bow River, so we headed back to Canmore for dessert instead. The thousand calories I consumed at lunch was not enough. We picked up the traditional Beaver Tail and I’m pissed that it took me five days to agree to give it a try. 

I mean who wouldn’t like fried dough brushed with butter and sugar? I’m going back and I might even bring some on the plane. 

The sun came back out, so we took the long way home following the boardwalk in Canmore through the marsh. Canmore is quaint and perfect. I love it because everybody else loves Banff more.

We are in early tonight for laundry, Vol baseball, and the Mavs game. Another great day in beautiful Alberta. 

The Lakes

Today we were up at 0530 to catch the shuttle to Lake Louise, the crown jewel of Banff National Park.

I was adamant that we would spend the morning hiking; we also spent the morning on the verge of death. We hiked 3.5 miles straight up a mountain - we gained 2000 feet in elevation in about five minutes. Part of this trail was packed snow - easy to climb and not slick. And this early in the morning, the crowds were non-existent.

We stopped a couple of times to take in the view of Lake Louise from above. It was breathtaking! The higher we got the more turquoise the water looked. 

We stopped for water and pics at Mirror Lake with a view of Big Beehive. 

The trek up Lake Agnes Trail eventually ended at a beautiful waterfall fed by Lake Agnes which was fed by glaciers in the moutains. We stopped at the teahouse for apple crumble and hot drinks because the snow was falling, the temp was hovering at 35 degrees, and the wind was blowing 40 mph. It was cold! 

I had hoped that we would then take the trail to Seven Glaciers Point, but warnings were posted for possible avalanches and the trail could not be seen due to heavy snow. Even I recognized my limits. Wes said a prayer of thanksgiving because four more miles uphill was not on his morning agenda. So we (I) decided to take the Little Beehive trail instead. Wes almost divorced me at the switchback that took us another mile straight uphill, but some kind stranger convinced him to trek on. A hundred feet and around the corner, snow was thicker and the path slicker, but the wind wasn’t as strong. I felt we, even with no experience with mountains or snow, could do this. We kept on keeping on. Until we saw Lake Louise at the very top of the mountain. 

So worth it! 

And then we walked four miles down the mountain to grab lunch. Fortified with food after a full calorie depletion, we took the shuttle to Lake Morraine, the step-sister of Banff National Forest lakes. 

But she was still a Cinderella in my eyes. We took the hour long, easy out and back trail alongside the lake. 

Ten miles are logged for today - almost all uphill because even the downhill was uphill. Our feet are sore. Our calves are tight. We will sleep like babies tonight.