New Rain Pants, Lake Louise, Plain of Six Glaciers, and Mount St. Piran

The sun was shining at our hotel just 50 miles from Lake Louise when we awoke on the fifth day of our Canadian Rockies trip. The whipping winds at Harvey pass had dismantled our rain pants at the seams.  Initially, we tried duct tape but we ultimately had to go with new ones.  After purchasing these in downtown Banff (nighmarishly congested downtown area), we set out for the Lake Louise area.

We were welcomed by heavy rain and low dark clouds. Covering up ourselves and our packs we set out. The rain and clouds seemed to lift upon our arrival, and within 30 minutes, the sun was shining and we were shedding layers.

Ascending the gentle grade above lake Louise, Mount Aberdeen in the background. 

The hike from Lake Louise is a steady but not too steep climb; a pleasant break compared to prior days, but no pushover.

Clouds lifting from Mount Aberdeen

Wildlife sighting

Lori and a very large raven, making the final ascent. The sharp line in the background across the canyon is created by the movement of former glacier. 

About 4 miles from the trail head was a teahouse.  This is a hike in, hike out scenario. The guidebook "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies" had obnoxious purist things to say about the teahouse. I say, don't waste your time on "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies". I love the wilderness, probably abnormally so. But, as much as I love wilderness, I feel that anytime you want to build a building where I can hike in and have hot whole leaf tea and homemade blackberry pie five miles from anything you can go ahead and do so. The teahouse was wonderful and provided much needed rest, carbohydrates and caffeine. Rock on Canada, rock on. 

View back toward lake Louise, from the Plain of Six Glaciers trail.

Victoria Glacier, in the foreground. Mount Victoria on the right, with glacial ice hanging from the eastern face of the Great Divide, at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers Hike.

We heard a thunder like rumble on two occasions which turned out to be from small avalanches. The rain we had experienced earlier in our trip all fell as snow up higher. The air within 1/2 mile of glaciers is markedly colder than the surrounding environment.

Mount Victoria, the crest of which is along the Great Divide

Abbot Pass. 

Note the mountaineer lodge in the saddle, which is on the great divide. I think this where real baddasses go. I can't imagine how anyone would get up there. It's hard to appreciate the scope, but the pass is over 2  miles away, the cracks in the ice are huge. Rivers and lakes exist underneath, and snow obscures unstable ice and ravines big enough to swallow you whole.  if the fall doesn't kill, you drown in the occult river below or just freeze to death.  The edges are difficult to perceive because of the concentration of rocks which tend to collect at the margins of shrinking glaciers. there was an area that it seemed water was flowing right from a rocky hillside. As it turns out, the water was flowing from beneath a rock coated glacier.  Glaciers reminded me of volcanoes and lava fields. Surprisingly, glaciers are more dangerous and more scary than volcanoes and active lava fields. 

Lake Louise, From Highline to Plain of Six Glaciers Trail

There are multiple trails in this popular area, allowing for alternative loops. We took a higher route back and included a trip up above the northern aspect of the hike. This was our first view of Lake Louise from above.

Fairview Mountain, Bow Valley

Views from the ascent on Mount Saint Piran

We felt pretty exhausted at this point with too many miles on our legs.  The late afternoon shadows grew long. An overweight man smoking a cigarette questioned our sanity as we passed a natural turn around point about a mile below this vista. The break in the weather motivated us to press on. With rain and snow forecast every day and amazing views all around, we were compelled to go as far as possible. We hiked until the trail was covered in ice, and then turned back just below the Mount Saint Piran Summit. We did not reach a single summit due to weather.

Fairview Mountain, Aberdeen Mountain, Aberdeen Glacier

The fresh snow, while frustrating, makes for amazing scenery. 

Lake Louise, my camera was not big enough to get the whole scene

Us, above Lake Louise, midway through the hike, on the plain of six glaciers