Twenty years ago, we hiked to the Tea House above Lake
Louise, rafted the white water of Kicking Horse River. The death of a close
friend shortening our Alberta vacation, we have always wanted to return to the
Canadian Rockies.
Crystal clear weather afforded us spectacular views of
the mountains in 2002. This time we weren’t so lucky. Our aggressive itinerary
required adjustment with rainy weather in the forecast and a missed connection
in Denver. A cold and wet drizzle
welcomed us to the mountains when we stopped at a Safeway store in Canmore to
pick up breakfast and lunch supplies before heading into Banff National Park
With mountains obscured by low hanging clouds, we reflected on how fortunate we
have been with good weather for our trips over the years. One just does not win
them all.
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| Alberta Under Clear Skies, 2002 |
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| From Calgary to Edmonton |
We planned our first night at the 1920s era Deer Lodge, a
short walk from Lake Louise. Before dinner we walked down to the lake in the
cold drizzle for a photo op before dinner at the lodge.
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| Chilly and Wet Evening at Lake Louise |
Up early before the sun ready for a chilly and wet day,
we drove back down the Bow River Parkway to hike along Johnston Creek, a very
popular spot. At 7 AM, we were the
fourth car in the large parking lot; the lot was full when we left at 10 AM.
We had hiked at least part of the way to the Lower Falls
in 2002 but we had completely forgotten that we had. This time we hiked all the way to the Upper
Falls. The weather began to clear as the
morning progressed with patches of blue sky coming and going.
We returned to Lake Louise for another photo op before
continuing up the Ice Fields Parkway. We
encountered brief showers from time to time but otherwise enjoyed the
spectacular views aquamarine lakes below snowcapped mountains.
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| Castle Rock |
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| Bow River Morant's Curve |
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| Deer Lodge Lake Louise |
We stopped to prepare our lunch in the Peyto Lake parking
lot closest to the main viewpoint. This lot was for busses and disabled folks
only but we parked behind another car in a bus slot. Soon other cars did the
same. After a quick look at the lake, we ate our lunch in the car as a shower
passed by.
We took our time traveling up the Ice Fields Parkway
stopping along the way from time to time to enjoy the views. Waterfowl Lake is
especially beautiful. We watched as a shower headed our way from the North end
of the lake.
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| Waterfowl Lake |
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| Shower Approaching Over Waterfowl Lake |
After a short hike down to the narrow Mistaya Canyon, we
joined a very long line of cars stopped for road construction somewhere miles
ahead – we never knew where. Anyway, we
missed the Weeping Wall altogether and bypassed the Ice Fields and other
viewing spots reaching Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge about 6 PM.
Our cabin opened on wildflowers and woods. After dinner
at the lodge, we fell asleep before a fire in cabin’s fireplace burned itself
out. We woke to a clear blue sky above
the mountain cliffs on the other side of the highway.
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| Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge |
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| Tangle Creek Falls |
We had scheduled a
snowcoach ride from the visitor’s centre out to the Athabasca Glacier below the
Columbia Ice Fields on a Snow Cat before we left home. The glacier surface was
mushy; it loses about
30 cm each day.
Before the end of the century, it will exist only in photos.
We took in Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls before a
nice dinner in Jasper. Following a
second restful night at the lodge, we drove the 286 miles to Edmonton to return
our rental car. Along the way, we
stopped at Maligne Canyon. The early morning sun shining directly into the
canyon made capturing the beautiful and narrow canyon challenging.
Our Friendship Force hosts were waiting for us car at rental
when we arrived.
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| Athabasca Glacier |
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| Athabasca Glacier |
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| Snowcoaches |
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| Sky Bridge |
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| Quartzite Boulder Field |
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| Athabasca River |
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| Maligne Canyon |
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| Maligne Canyon |
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| Maligne Valley |
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