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Back in February Sarah and I had taken a break up at the Château Lake Louise hotel. We had a great weekend but our attempt at the Plain of six Glaciers hike had to be cut short due to Sarah suffering with a mild dose of altitude sickness. In April I decided to return and do the hike myself, only to find the trail closed due to avalanches, I made a different hike and had another good day in the mountains but drove home thinking I would have to return again.
So it was that my final hike of 2012 came to be the Plain of six glaciers route beginning from from the Château lake louise. I rose early and drove out to lake louise village in darkness, I stopped and had a lovely bacon and egg breakfast before continuing to the car park at lake louise. As I arrived I got a text from Sarah saying "I don't think you should go, it's -18 in Calgary" I glanced down at the dashboard where my temperature reading was -26 so I replied "t-shirt weather that, I'll see you later" .
The sun was coming up as I quickly got ready and started away from the car park where I was unsurprisingly alone.
As I passed the head of the lake I could really feel the cold biting into my face and quickly switched from my hat to my balaclava, the sun was beginning to illuminate the mountains along my route, but here by the lake there was only shade.
I stuck to the lake shore trail rather than the lake just because it is very easy going as it is compacted for the horse drawn sleigh that takes tourists on the 4km round trip to the end of the lake. Even with a large flask and snowshoes adding to my load I strode out at a good pace and soon felt warm.
the frozen waterfall at the 2km mark looks spectacular though without the sunshine is lacking in the usual blue of the ice around here, later in the year this is used for ice climbing.
as I round the end of the lake and look back toward the hotel I find it hard to believe that there is liquid water here, it is incredibly cold, colder than the -26 felt back in the car park and any exposed skin is nipped to remind me of it.....it is fantastic.
tucked into a crevice across the lake is another stunning ice fall, this one even has the appearance of 'spray' around the base courtesy of the snow collected there, it gives the impression that it was flash frozen
from here I enter a forested area for a short time and I can really feel the difference in temperature whilst in the trees, unfortunately it didn't last long and I was back into the exposed sections again, but still on a good trail so no need for those snow shoes yet.
up ahead I catch my first glimpse of Mt Lefroy emerging from the low cloud to a bright welcome from the low winter sun. The sun doesn't reach this valley at this time of the year and I can really tell every time I stop to take a few shots and take off my gloves.
The ascent is very gentle along here but the well worn trail has reduced to a few footprints as you reach the points where others have turned back. Whilst taking this shot I heard a huge boom and saw an avalanche pour down the back (sunny side) of Mt Lefroy .....I suddenly felt less comfortable, though I did check the reports this morning which were reassuring.
just a short walk from the ledge in the photo above any sign of a trail has disappeared and I'm plunging to waist deep in the snow.....time for the snow shoes I think, while putting on my snow shoes another 2 avalanches fall both in my valley but distant. My concern is that I am walking across the 'burial grounds' where the avalanches come to rest (so that's where the trail went) After taking stock I decide to carry on but stay close enough to the wall of rock beside me to use it for cover should the need arise.
I pass the burial grounds at a good pace and ascend the next steep rise that warms me up nicely. At this point I am really enjoying the day, wonderful scenery, my first real snow shoeing of the season and a little hint of danger via the avalanche potential. Looking back toward lake louise the ski resort is bathed in sunlight and I can't help but wish I had a bit of that too.
the cloud is still loitering around Mt Lefroy and another grey cloud is moving in above the glaciers in the distance. I see a hint of a trail again and better still I see a trail marker poking out of the snow up ahead.
The ice flows along here are spectacular and though lacking the usual colour (because there is no sunlight here) they remain mesmerising
as I pass the trail marker and ascend a little more the snow cloud moves in over Mt Lefroy but I find the trail again with just a dusting of snow over it. This makes me relax a little as it would suggest I'm out of the avalanche area for now.
a series of switchbacks then climb quickly up the side of the slope turning back toward the lake and then away again, back at the lake there is no sign of the snow cloud I'm facing.
A few more switchbacks and I am watching the snow block out the sun but strangely it is only snowing over at that side of the valley. Unfortunately there is now a breeze with the storm and the temperature is off the charts
finally I turn inward toward the trees again and get a little cover from that wind as I make the final plod through the wonderful snow toward the victorian tea house tucked into the forest.
Though closed for the season the tea house has a welcoming upper deck where I'll have lunch and plan the next stage of the hike. I hope to make a 2km extension to the hike by heading along a glacial moraine to a viewpoint further ahead but the weather and repeated avalanches are putting me off the idea.
I decide to wait out the snow shower on the wooden floor of the tea house, I soon have a number of 'friends' sharing lunch with me as well as going through my bags as soon as my back is turned.
I love to see the whiskey jacks in winter, they are so bold. They take food and fly to the trees and tuck it into tight spots in branches before coming back for more
It is unbelievably cold up here, even under the cover of the tea house. My gloves froze onto the shape they were when I took them off to eat as did my balaclava and I waited as long as I could before deciding the additional stretch would have to wait for another day. The snow wasn't clearing away from that direction and the cold was bordering on unbearable.
Looking to the scene form the viewpoint I could make out a couple of glaciers but they sure weren't worth an additional 4 k in these conditions.
After a flask of tea and a very small amount of beef sandwich that the whiskey jacks didn't get, I set off again down the trail back toward the lake
I kept looking back expecting the old blue sky trick but the clouds hung in there, I think there just wasn't enough sun to burn them away today.
I can see the lovely glow of warm sunshine above me but there is no change to the temperatures down in the valley. The ice falls still leave me saying 'wow' out loud and have made this hike a real stunner even without the final glacier views.
Who could fail to see the beauty in this stunning scene, I think this would be a good hike for Sarah in the summer time and certainly worth a revisit in better conditions.
back at lake louise the sleigh is running beside the lake and people are skiing, snow shoeing, and skating, it is a beautiful winter wonderland and there is plenty to see as I make the last 2k along the lake shore
as I round the head of the lake to go to the car park the snow finally catches up with me and the 'last look back' is white in all directions.
This was a beautiful final hike of the year, a year which has seen me exploring the Canadian Rockies for the first time, it's lakes, mountains, glaciers, rivers and diverse animal life have left me transfixed at times. I had an incredibly lucky escape when I fell down a mountain and an exciting meeting with a grizzly and her cub on an autumn trail. It has been a wonderful experience, I'm not sure how I'll top it next year....but I'll give it a go.