Goofing Off & Having Fun (Yes, More Rockies!)

We had fun in the Rockies. No doubt about it, we had fun. It’s fun going beyond the crowds to see stuff that not many people (relatively speaking) make the effort to see.

The view from the Lake Agnes Teahouse (8.17.09)

There seems to be a barrier, 1 km or 1 mile from the parking lot, where the crowds of tourists thin out and only the serious or determined or seriously determined care to tread. One km or one mile, depending on what country you’re in and the standard it uses to measure distance. (We, of course, were also tourists, but I don’t know how to separate the resort and gift shop and boutique restaurant crowd from the trail and true nature and trail mix crowd.)

Not to imply that there are only a few serious or determined folks on the trails in the Rockies. They are pretty crowded. One guide book said of one trail that one shouldn’t expect solitude. That could apply to all the trails in all the guide books.

The Lake Agnes Teahouse. After a 3.6 km (2.25 mile), 1300’ gain “moderate” hike up the hill on the north (right, from the Chateau) side of Lake Louise. This was no walk in the park, yet I was surprise how many children were there. We left most of these folks behind, however, when we ventured to the end of Lake Agnes and up the switchbacks to the Big Beehive, 1.6 km beyond the teahouse & only 350’ higher, but that was all at once, in a hike rated “strenuous.” We would concur.

We took a little comfort in knowing that we would never truly be alone (should anything happen), except, probably, for when we followed the rabbit trail past Stanley Falls (altho we did see another couple lounging on the boulders in the river about a km past the “end” of the designated trail), but we enjoyed the hikes much more when we were the first on the trails (the yet to be blogged about Five Lakes trail in Banff and Stanley Glacier trail in Kootenay). There is something to be said to having the wilderness to yourself.

Tranquil (for the moment) Lake #3 on the oober-popular Valley of the Five Lakes trail in Jasper National Park (8.11.09). Ours was the first car in the parking lot; they were waiting for our space when we left.

The massive Guardwall near Stanley Glacier in the moonscape moraine valley (8.19.09)

Speaking of which, it was fun getting up with the sun (once – let’s not make this a habit!) to watch it paint its warm light on the hills. Again, we were not truly alone that glorious morning; the photography crowd had already beat us there, but we experienced a truly magical, breath-taking event that crisp dawn, and it remains the highlight of the trip for me.

Pyramid Mountain reflected in Pyramid Lake, 7:27 a.m. (8.7.09)

The irony of that morning is not lost on me. The highlight of our trip was totally accessible by car on paved roadways. But yet, few made the effort to experience the dawn’s early light, so perhaps the 1 km or 1 mile barrier also includes a time barrier at, say, 10:00. (The parking lots typically filled suddenly at 11:00.)

(But seriously, how early does one have to get up to see a blasted moose???)

It’s fun going a little bit beyond our conceived limits, whether it be a challenging section of trail or going just a few steps past our endurance (and then a few more, and then a few more), and the rewards for such are not stingy.

I believe that’s Mt. Andromeda above the Lake Louise delta, from the Big Beehive (8.17.09)

But it was also fun, just being myself, travelling through God’s creation with my best friend, my hiking buddy, and the love of my life.

Below is a 2-page spread. There are more pictures of me goofing of than of Rich goofing off. When I was a kid, I loved hamming it up for the camera. Still do. My mom used to say that I ruin every picture I was in. Obviously, I didn’t let that go to my head!

Clockwise, from upper left: Hamming it up on the Athabasca Glacier (8.10.09); Rich… the glacier’s the other way! (8.13.09); Banff Nat’l Park, Protecting People and Bears (8.15.09); I’m not feeding the chipmunk! Really, I’m not!!! Taunting, maybe, but NOT feeding!! (Moraine Lake, 8.18.09); Yeah, we did go to a couple of gift shops… I’m wearing a moose hat, looking thru moose binoculars & holding a moose, which, btw, came home w/ us; Rich is enjoying his fabulous French Press coffee at the Lake Agnes Teahouse (8.17.09); I lost my  head at Stanley Falls (8.9.09); Rich is hogging our wine after the 2 Teahouse, 1 Beehive hike. Hey! One of those is mine! (8.17.09)

Clockwise from upper left: Rich is balancing between two provinces, Alberta on the left, BC on the right, at the Continental Divide (8.16.09); Rich told me to look like I was having fun on the absolute slog up the Bald Hills (Maligne Lake) fire road. Do I look like I’m having fun??? (8.12.09); Rich pressing the above mentioned fabulous French Press coffee at the Lake Agnes Teahouse (8.17.09); I’m balancing between 2 rocks, obviously before I lost my head, Stanley Falls (8.9.09); Rich wanted me to take this picture. Really, he did! (8.16.09); I’m “thinking” at Marble Canyon (8.16.09); Yo-yo, homebody! He’s actually helping me label some lakes so I know which lake is which, Valley of the Five Lakes (8.11.09); Rich truly goofing off (yes, it does happen!) at the Athabasca Glacier (the day we should have gone on the Glacier Buggy, 8.13.09)

We had fun.