The Tea Houses of Lake Louise

Wanting to get a jump on the day, as high temperatures were expected, I left camp early to drive up to Lake Louise. (I had been staying in the village of the same name, now I was going to the lake itself.) Tourists were already swarming when I arrived, but the sun was still low – and behind me as I looked to the lake – so I took a lot of pictures. I had mapped out my course the previous day. I was looking forward to a long day of hiking. I took the trail around the north side of the lake. Within a half-mile, the crowds had thinned out and only we hikers were left. The trail ascended up to Plain of the Six Glaciers – the glaciers that feed the lake – and I followed it. I wasn’t sure if I saw all six glaciers, because some of them may have been hidden under rocks and gravel, but I did see Victoria Glacier, the principle glacier. I was surprised at the number of people at tea house at the base of the glaciers. There were more people out and about than I thought! After a brief stop at the tea house, I climbed above the tree line to the end of the valley and then I scampered up a rock pile to a chilly waterfall.

I followed the same trail part of the way back to the lake – until it veered to the north towards Big Beehive Mountain and Lake Agnes. Big Beehive got its name from its appearance – it looks like a big beehive – not from an abundance of black and yellow stinging insects on the hill. I huffed and puffed up the backside of the Beehive and was rewarded with a stunning view of Lake Louise, Lake Agnes, and the entire valley. I visited the charming Lake Agnes tea house on my descent to Lake Louise. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted these pictures later in the day. Doh!

I was very tired by the end of the hike. In all, it was only about 11 miles, but it took me six hours! I had planned a 13-miler the next day. I stumbled down the hill from Lake Agnes and back to the car. I went back into the village and my lavish Banff tendencies must have crept in for a moment when I paid $6 for a single scoop of ice cream. I stopped at the Visitor Center to learn more about the hike I had planned the next day. I had heard a rumor – which proved to be true – that hikers were only allowed to walk the 13 mile trail from Lake Morraine to Lake Louise in groups of 6 or more, because there were a lot of bears in the area. The reasoning was that 6 people make a lot of noise that would keep the bears away. There was a very informal process by which people (usually singles or couples) interested in hiking through these restricted areas were posting their names and telephone numbers and the dates, times, and hikes they were interested in on a bulletin board outside the visitor center in hopes of getting a group of 6 or more together. I considered pursuing that option, but decided that surely there were hikes in the area the required less hassle.

I had a mocha and typed 1.5 days of blogs at a café in the village. I took care of a couple of administrative issues (car wash, shower, ice for the cooler) and returned to camp for dinner. As I heated my chicken fettuccini pasta packet, I fondly recalled the Bison tenderloin from the night before.