Site #32 at Two Jack Lakeside
For this last week of the trip, we took things at a fairly slow pace compared to some of our other stops. We had more time here than in other parks, and being the last stop on the journey, I think we both unconsciously wanted to savor the time as best we could. On our first full day in the park, we slept in, made a campfire, and watched the loons for a few hours before heading over to the neighboring Johnson Lake. Here we walked around the perimeter trail and watched yet another family of loons, this one with a small chick. Matt did a little fly fishing in the rain, and then we headed into town for groceries. Back at camp, we watched the sunset break through the rain clouds over dinner.
Breakfast view from our campsite
Fishing at Johnson Lake
Sun breaking through the rain clouds over Two Jack Lake
The next day we decided to try something a bit more adventurous (although we still slept in again, which was glorious). We drove up to Lake Louise, which is one of the more popular areas in Banff. This lake and most of the others in Banff are glacial lakes, formed from melt water from the glaciers and carrying lots of sediment that gives the water a signature milky turquoise color. There were a lot of people out enjoying the day and canoeing on the lake when we arrived. We decided to escape some of the crowds and hike up to Lake Agnes, about 1,200 feet higher than Lake Louise. A friend recommended the little tea house that sits next to Lake Agnes, so we decided to make the trek up and check it out. The trail was steep, but very lush and mossy.
A good day for a paddle on Lake Louise
The mossy trail up to the Lake Ages Tea House
Views of the Rockies from the top of the hike
Before we knew it, we'd arrived at the tea house. Although it was crowded, we found a table on the balcony quickly and ordered tea and fresh-baked cookies. Our waitress told us that everything that they served had to be hauled up the trail each day by the employees, and that there was no electricity or running water. To make the tea, they boil water from Lake Agnes with wood-burning stoves.
As we sat and enjoyed our snack, a low cloud swept over the lake and started to mist the hikers on the balcony. Pretty soon, the whole balcony cleared out, and we almost had the view to ourselves. The mist also conveniently made a pretty rainbow right off the front porch and over the valley below.
Balcony of Lake Agnes Tea House
Rainbow over the Fairmont Chateau at the edge of Lake Louise
Delicious chocolate chip cookies and chai
To descend back down the mountain, we decided to take a different, longer trail down instead of re-tracing our steps. We are glad that we did. The trail was completely empty of hikers except for us, and wound through mossy forests, along the edge of a cliff with stunning views of Lake Louise, and back into terraced alpine meadows. We also had many gorgeous views of several high peaks and their glaciers. At one point as we rounded a corner, we looked up at one of the largest glaciers several miles in the distance. Just at that exact moment, a huge chunk of it broke off and crumbled several hundred feet onto the rocks below it. Seconds later we heard a thunderous booming, as the sound of the crashing ice reaches us. We were both pretty amazed at our timing and the mini avalanche we had just witnessed. We wondered if we were the only ones to see it.
Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau in the distance
The trail ahead
Colorful wildflowers
Well-lit mushrooms on the forest floor
Mossy undergrowth
Glacial water flowing into Lake Louise
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