Morraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks

For our last day in the Lake Louise area we arrive early in a car park by Morraine Lake, knowing that as it is a sunny summer holiday weekend it will be very busy here later. The sun is behind the high peaks; the lake is in shadow and floating logs congregate and are stuck where the stream leaves the lake.

Moraine Lake

The mountains that run alongside the lake and valley form 10 peaks. A view of the lake and these peaks used to adorn the back of the $20 bill. Each of the peaks is between 3000-4000m high.

We take a path which climbs up from the lake, with views through the trees back down to the lake and across to the peaks.

(Some of the) Ten Peaks

Moraine Lake

Once we have climbed for a while, the path meanders pleasantly along a sunny terrace, then breaks out into an open meadow decorated with alpine flowers.

Path

Brigitte in the Meadow

Anemones

We stop for a while to admire a marmot sunbathing on a rock. He is not bothered about us being there and looks directly at the camera and turns his best profile to us.

Marmot

On the other side of the meadow the path traverses a steep scree bank and then crosses a drift of snow. The further up the valley we go the more of the ten peaks we can see.

Scree

Snow

(some more of the) Ten Peaks

We reach an alpine lake, which is still partly frozen. Beyond here the path continues to negotiate a pass which is still covered in snow, but we are stopping here for our picnic lunch. We sit on rocks looking out over Eiffel Lake and a chipmunk comes to investigate and becomes very bold as he looks for our crumbs. and shares our crumbs.

Eiffel Lake

Chipmunk

After lunch we retrace out steps back down the valley to the lake where we find plenty of tourists enjoying the sunshine and the view.

Canoes on Morraine Lake

It is our last evening in the Lake Louise hostel and we treat ourselves to a meal and a bottle of wine in the café there. Looking at the picture we realise we are both dressed in pink, drinking pink wine in a pink café – nice!

Dinner and Pink Wine

Peyto Lake and Bow Lake

Today we are going to do a couple of walks by some lakes, a short drive north from Lake Louise village along the Icefields Parkway. This is the road that connects Lake Louise and Jasper and is meant to be the most scenic drive in the world. I can’t vouch for the absolute veracity of that claim, but I have never seen views like it from a road. Enormous snow-capped mountains are lined up on either side of the road and in addition there are occasional turquoise lakes. Up ahead the cars have slowed down and some pull onto the shoulder. Brigette tells me that this is probably because there is a bear. Sure enough she is right and I see my first bear – and it’s a grizzly right by the side of the road.

Grizzly

We pull into a car park and join the tourists on the short trail to a lookout over Peyto Lake. A couple of National Parks rangers are here talking to tourist about being ‘bear aware’.and people are telling them about the grizzly by the side of the road. They know about him and say he hangs around these parts.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake

Taking the trail a bit higher up the side of the valley soon leaves the tourists behind and we come to a rocky outcrop where we sit and watch a marmot sunbathing on a rock, while a chipmunk darts around near our feet looking for crumbs.

Brigitte at Peyto Lake

Marmot

We drive on and stop at a less-visited lake – Bow Lake. Looking beyond the head of the lake we can see the waterfall we are heading for, where the Bow River starts from the melt water of the glacier above.

Bow Lake and Glacier

We walk along the side of the lake and then follow the river upstream as it weaves across wide gravel flats and we climb up steps alongside a narrow gorge.

Following the River Upstream

Gorge

Beyond the gorge we are guided by small cairns across a wide grey gravel landscape, backed by huge looming cliffs. As we approach the falls it is impossible to judge the scale of the cliffs because there is nothing to gauge them against, but we can no longer see the glacier which sits above and when we reach the bottom of the falls we have to lean back to look up at the top.

Gravel Landscape

Cairn and Waterfall

Waterfall

Lake Louise

The bus journey from Revelstoke to Lake Louise follows Highway 1 into the Rockies through a pass where the mountains are so steep and high that I can't see the tops from the bus window. The road runs alongside the trans- Canada railway line, which disappears into tunnels from time to time. I find out later that in order for the trains to manage the gradient they spiral around inside the mountains and sometimes the front of one train can be seen emerging from a tunnel, while the end has not yet entered.

Train Spiralling up Hill

As we leave British Columbia and arrive in Alberta, we also travel into another time zone and move our watches 1 hour forward. I am moving closer to home, geographically and in time. Lake Louise is in Banff National Park. There is a small village and here is the hostel where I meet up with Brigette and we spend the afternoon catching up with what each of us has been doing since we last saw each other 10 days or so ago. We are both pleased to have each other's company and we plan some hikes we will do in the local area - hurrah! In the evening after dinner we sit around a camp fire in the grounds of the hostel and toast marshmallows. The Canadian way is to make a kind of sandwich of them with biscuit and chocolate - difficult to eat delicately, but sticky and yummy.

Camp Fire

Marshmallow Sandwich

I am very happy. We are hiking today around Lake Louise; the sun is shining and the mountain tops are clear of cloud. We stop at the outdoor shop in the village to buy ‘bear spray’, even though for this walk we are very unlikely to encounter a bear. The trail is well-walked will be busy with people and the bears are generally lower down in the valley where it is warmer and there is more food. Still, it gives us confidence, together with the bell that Brigette has attached to her rucksack.

The full car park is close to the lake side. The setting is extraordinary, with a milky blue lake surrounded by towering, snow-capped peaks. People are out on the water in Canadian canoes and crowds of people gather on the promenade to take pictures. Behind all this and looking out across the scene is a monstrously enormous hotel.

Tourists at Lake Louise

Lake Louise Hotel

We join the crowds taking the path along the side of the lake, but then soon peel off to take one which climbs steadily up the side of the hill. The crowds are instantly left behind and we are in the company of a relatively smaller number of walkers. There are views back down to the lake and the hotel, across to the mountains and into the valley until we reach a small tarn called Mirror Lake. From above the surrounding trees and clouds above are clearly reflected in the circular face of the lake.

View of Lake Louise

Mirror Tarn

We climb to a peak called Little Beehive and rest there taking in the valley view, watched by a chipmunk hopeful for some crumbs.

Valley View

Chipmunk

We continue to our next stop, which is the Tea House at Lake Agnes. A crowd of walkers is gathered here enjoying the view and taking refreshment at the Tea House.

Tea House at lake Agnes

Lake Agnes

The path then takes us back down towards the far side of the lake and along the side of the valley filled with the rubble and gravel debris from a glacier. As we climb higher the path crosses the snow line.

Mountains and the Rubble from a Glacier

Brigitte on the Snow

Our destination is a second Tea House in the style of a Swiss chalet and we sit on the balcony and are probably kidding ourselves to think that we have earned a big chunk of chocolate cake. In front of the Tea House the view is of the top of the glacier and the surrounding mountains.

Tea House

Tea and Chocolate Cake

Me and Brigitte

Lake Louise and Hotel

A good day - I am happy to have walked in the national park; filled my lungs with mountain air; my tummy with chocolate cake and my heart with my new friend.

Revelstoke

The Greyhound bus is completely full today. It is the start of a long weekend and everyone is on the move. July 1^st is Canada Day and Wikipedia helps me out with some background information about this national public holiday. Canada Day is the national day of Canada, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, when three British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada (the southern portion of modern-day Ontario and Quebec) joined together into a single country called Canada. Britain kept limited rights of political control until 1982.

I am travelling east heading closer to the Rockies and I stop for a few days in the small town of Revelstoke. It is a pleasant little town on the banks of the Columbia Rive, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It has many restored historic buildings and individual shops which give the town a pleasant atmosphere.

Downtown Revelstoke

Revelstoke Court House

There is music in the street each night and in the bars. On my first evening I join the people sitting around the bandstand to watch and listen to a local rock band - they are really good. Small children run around and dance in the space in front of the stage. On my second evening I go to a bar and drink local beer while listening to a single musician is playing guitar and harmonica. Another night I watch a very entertaining ska/gypsy/circus/burlesque band. The music in town is diverse and high quality.

Rock Band in the Street

Burlesque Trumpeter

The town's history is inextricably linked with the trans-Candian railway, which runs along the side of the town. Huge long goods trains rumble slowly along the tracks, seemingly all day and all night. Sitting by a level crossing in the town I watch a train go by and count 154 goods wagons!

Canadian Pacific Railway

In the local town museum I find out about the link between the building of the railway and Devon! In 1885 the trans-Canadian railway was almost complete, but finance was needed. The President of the railway company travelled to Europe to raise funds. He met with Edward Baring – Lord Revelstoke of Membland (near my home in Devon) who then raised 13 million pounds in shares for the railway. The town was renamed Revelstoke in his honour.

Sunday 1 July is Canada Day. There is no set format across the country as to how this is celebrated. Local communities do their own thing. In Revelstoke there is a parade a community event in the park. I get to see my first Mounties in their iconic red uniform, as they lead the parade through the town.

Mounties Marching on Canada Day

Many people are dressed in red and white and even dogs wear red and white neckerchiefs. The parade goes through the main streets of the town and to a park. Here there are some short speeches from local dignitaries about the special day, the special country and the special town. A woman with a beautiful voice sings the Canadian National Anthem both in French and English into a microphone, while the Canadian Flag is raised and most of the crowd seems to struggle to join in with the words.

Raising the Canadian Flag

In the park local community groups have stalls; there is a huge Canada cake and games and races. I sit on a wall listening to a band from Nova Scotia playing celtic music and sea shanties and chat to two local women, Jan and Linda. They are very friendly and understanding that I am somewhat restricted by bus transport, kindly offer to take me sightseeing outside of the town. We drive up to the nearby hydro-electric dam and admire the lake above it.

Me, Jan and Linda

We visit the site of an historic ski jump where amateur ski jumper Nels Nelson made a new world record in 1928 by jumping 202 feet. Then we drive up Mount Revelstoke and into the national park, where we get fantastic views across the town and down the river.

Revelstoke Town from Mount Revelstoke

Columbia River from Mount Revelstoke

The road to the summit is usually open by the start of July, but this year snow still blocks the road 5km below the summit. Jan tells me that in the winter the snow can be 100’ deep here and the fir trees will be completely covered in snow!

Snow on the Road

After our lovely sightseeing tour, Jan invites me back to her house for a meal. She and Linda busy themselves in the kitchen making salad and hamburgers, and although I do offer to help, all I can do is sit with a glass of wine and some nibbles. The meal is delicious and pudding is a home-made lemon meringue pie. We discuss favourite puddings and I give them the Banoffi Pie recipe, which is a new one for them.

Dinner with Jan and Linda

After dinner we drive back into town to catch the end of this evening’s music in the square. What a great way to spend my first Canada Day – in the company and hospitality of two lovely Canadians. I hope I have the opportunity to return the favour at some point in the future.

The next day I join a local guide and a group of people for some kayaking on the Columbia River. The water level is extremely high, making the river over twice as broad as it would normally be and there is almost no discernible flow. The surface is smooth and glassy, so that it mountains which are swathed in low cloud and the kayakers themselves, are reflected sharply. The guide has made the wooden kayaks himself and the boats are light and beautiful. We paddle across the river and visit a waterfall, which comes straight from the glacier from the mountain. In the middle of the lake we play around with the echo which bounces back at us from a cliff at the shore, so crisp and clear that it sounds as if someone is mimicking our calls. This is a great way to get out into the beautiful natural environment and a good antidote to the frustrations of the lack of hiking.

Kayaking on the Columbia River

(these pics are small as they came off the kayaking website)

In the morning as I am wandering downtown to get a cup of coffee, I bump into Jan. She joins me and we sit and chat for an hour in a pleasant café. So now I almost feel like a local, as I have a friend to go for coffee with.