Banff National Park, Alberta
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Lake Agnes Teahouse Loop Banff National Park, Alberta |
July 22, 2018
Five others have consented to curtail their activities at a Calgary bridge tournament in order to try my planned hike in the mountains today. Having departed the city in three vehicles including a big RV, getting together will be somewhat problematical, especially because most of the parking lots in these parks are full.
When we drive in at the Chateau Lake Louise, the staff waves us right out the
other side and back down the hill. Finally, Dave and I get the drift.
We do a U-turn and go back through the lot, and are waved out once again.
On the third try, however, a space has freed up in the slot that happens to be the
farthest of all from the hotel. We'll take it.
Walking to the Chateau, which still is out of sight
Lake Louise
Being the first to arrive, we promptly search the complex for something to eat,
but to no avail. Even Dave is not interested in a twenty-dollar
breakfast.
The planned route is up there
My Barbara and I did this same loop twenty years ago; but I have no digital
photographs of that outing, and I've not been back since then. This is
the only scheduled repeat-hike on my northern bucket-list tour.
I wonder what kayak rentals cost here
The Chief will pose with your little ones — for a price
The others finally do arrive, having had no more trouble parking than we did.
The planned route is up there
The trailhead is at the northeast corner of the lake.
Getting started
Dave and Teri
Mary and Paul
Fairview Mountain on the right, I believe
Mirror Lake, with The Beehive looming behind it
The top of that thing is where we are supposed to end up eventually, but I haven't the heart to share the news right now.
View to the south
Onward and upward
I see a waterfall ahead
The Lake Agnes outlet creek
Work to do
At the top of the stairs is the first destination.
Lake Agnes
A table is procured on the teahouse porch, and everyone is ready for a snack.
Brenda, Dave, Teri, Mary, Paul
Somehow they got me into this shot
The nifty one-piece benches are hewn from solid logs
The trail around the lake awaits us
Lakeside garden
Teri and Brenda take the lead
Easy going here
The real work starts over there
Bunchberry
Western Pasqueflower
I just 'met' Paul and Brenda yesterday
Actually, we have been sporadic opponents at the bridge table for thirty years, yet never had actually been introduced.
This end of the lake is more interesting
Mount St. Piran
Lake Agnes
Starting uphill
Those two guys below probably took a shortcut-that-wasn't
Farewell to the teahouse
Slow going on the switchbacks
Teri is doing well despite a recent double knee-replacement
Last view of Lake Agnes
Atop the ridge, a spur route leads over to the top of The Beehive.
I don't know about the others, but it's a must-do for me. Because
Mary was in the lead and now is nowhere to be seen, I presume that she went over
that way. After waiting for the gang to catch up and see what is happening,
I head toward the lookout myself.
Lake Louise comes into view
That stuff is 1,700 feet below
I even can see my car over there at the far end of the lot
It's a quarter-mile scramble over to the Beehive Gazebo where, as expected, Mary is reclining on a bench.
A Clark's Nutcracker plucked peanuts from my hand here last time
From here are the best views of the world-renowned resort.
Room rates start at $700+ per night
I am pleased when Teri shows up. Eventually, the others appear as well.
Everybody made it. This is good.
Our reverie cannot last, however; for a steep 1,700-foot descent awaits us.
Starting back
That other trail surely doesn't get much use
Some of the Six Glaciers come into view
Paul is truckin'
Somewhere in here a few tears well up as I recall my former hike down this trail twenty years ago.
Déjà vu
It was right about here that I shot my all-time favorite photograph of the woman
that I would invite to become my life-partner just a day later.
The following image now heads my Best of Hiking menu:
My Barbara in 1998
This downhill route has been quite rough, especially on Teri. I hope that she is still speaking to me at the end.
At another trail junction is the option to take a shortcut back to Mirror Lake, which is rejected. Subsequently, another junction offers the choice of remaining on the Highline Trail toward the Plain of the Six Glaciers, which would require an additional kilometer of walking. Mary and Brenda opt to do that, and promptly take off.
This is as close as we will get today
Dave and Paul also forge ahead, leaving me with Teri. This works out well, because while her tender knees negotiate the crummy route, I have time to photograph the local Garden of Eden.
Wild Chives
Mountain Death Camas
Clematis
Paintbrush
Teri is truckin'
Busy as as bee
Ditto
Wandering Daisy
Western Columbine
Mountain Ash
Cow Parsnip
Green guys like Hooker's Thistles
Ragwort
Red-seed Dandelion
It doesn't look so far down now
Fireweed
The Wax Flowers are shy
Arnica
More Paintbrush
Wow! That was a lot of flowers, but now the garden has all but disappeared.
Back on the main trail, the going should be easier now
"See? I'm eating. Get the idea, dummy?"
Sorry, Charlie, but the rules are firm. You'll have to find your own lunch.
Dave at Louise Creek
Aha! We're down to lake-level.
But what's this up above? A climber seemingly is on a solo mission.
That guy doesn't like 'level'
Nearing the lake
Four of us are together again. We cannot be sure where Brenda and Mary are; but it seems that had they been behind, they probably would have overtaken us by now. For all we know, they might be back at the hotel already, sipping umbrella drinks.
Nearly all of the boats are at this end of the lake
It's time to frolic — and they do!
What do they see?
This is new:
A man is hanging in space, photographing a woman climber ⇔
A mile and a half to go
Only a mile now
One slogan on Alberta license plates is 'Wild rose country'. Near trail's end I finally spot the namesake flower:
Nootka Rose
As I approach the Chateau, Mary and Brenda call out, claiming to have been there for quite some time. No umbrella drinks, though.
The quintessential view
The woman in pink makes it in, and our odyssey is complete
Teri even volunteers that she would hike with me again! Go figure.
Farewell to the Chateau Lake Louise
§: Well, I didn't actually make it up into the Plain of the Six
Glaciers as was originally planned; but that is fine. Everyone had a great
time, and nothing bad happened. I declare the mission an unqualified
success.
This loop hike has it all. Go there. Those with sufficient energy will find a second teahouse awaiting them farther up the trail. Another Beehive also is accessible near the Lake Agnes Teahouse.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Company | |
| Flowers |  |
A borrowed map
