When you sleep in your car, it's easy to pack and go :-) So I head into Banff National Park (my 4th mountain park), find coffee in Lake Louise, and scoot out to Moraine Lake which is one of the Park's signature attractions. In fact, a view of the lake from a pile of rocks known as the Rock Pile (catchy name) (first pic) appears on the back of the Canadian twenty dollar note. That approximate view also appears in the second pic. The lake is beautiful and has been visited by thousands of people each year practically since it was "discovered" (by Europeans) in 1890 something. The lake is a spectacular turquoise color, once again caused by the inflow of glacial rock flour. One more pic of the lake with me shivering in the foreground. The parking lot was packed with cars and tour buses in spite of the fact that is was cold and raining. I enjoyed the lake and wouldn't have missed it but equally attractive is the fact that this end of the lake is also the trailhead to the Consolation Lakes trail (6 kilometers). The trail passes over a rock slide at the foot of the Tower of Babel (next pic after me at the lake is the rock slide) which requires some concentration to pick my way through. Awesome!! Next pic is the Tower of Babel. The trail runs alongside Babel Creek which is a beautiful rocky creek flowing fast with meltwater. (Pic) Just before you reach the lower lake, the trail opens into a meadow with boulders strewn about and something that looks suspiciously like a wetland. (see pic) It was all I could do not to map the thing, take notes on vegetation and hydrology, and dig some soils tests. But it's a vacation so I don't have to and, besides, the parks people likely discourage that sort of freeform environmental investigation. At trail's end lies Lower Consolation Lake and a massive glacial debris field between the lake and Mount Babel. (Pic) A few stalwart souls are climbing about halfway up the debris field. Not to be outdone, I decide to climb to the top. About half way up a guy passes me going down and I give him my camera so that he can take my pic when he gets a little lower (next pic). Then I have to climb down to him to retrieve the camera and clamber back up. No pic of me at the top since there was no one to take it. I gotta say that I scared myself a little and also that climbing down is soooo much harder than climbing up. Gravity kept trying to help me get down really fast. When I reached the bottom, a family had just arrived at the lake. A young guy in the family had a prosthetic leg. He had made it through the rock slide and all the way to the lake and as I was heading back down the trail, he was, unbelievably, heading up into the debris field (pic). That guy is a hero to me. From Moraine Lake I drive into Banff and check into the Alpine Hostel which is the coolest hostel so far - located a short distance outside town on the road to Lookout Mountain in a chalet style building. Still time to make it to the Upper Hot Springs for a dip in the 102 degree mineral waters. (pics) I"m sure it's just my imagination, but I feel mentally and physically restored after a long soak.
Lake Louise is one of things that sticks most in my mind from when we sent. So pretty! Looks like you are having so much fun, miss you! - Vic
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