Though, in our case, we didn't actually reach Lake Louise until 4pm - we were too busy finding other fun to do around it instead.
We headed out at 9:30 to get to the Lake Louise Gondola (which is at the ski area near, but not on, Lake Louise) and some of the best bear-viewing acreage in the area. The ski slope is closed in the summer, and it is kept as habitat for bears - humans can only glide over it, drooling for a chance to see one of those macro-mammals.
As I mentioned, we were in the park, so the first fifteen minutes we spent just waiting for Valerie and Ben to buy the pass they hadn't on the way in. We passed the Columbian ground squirrels, grazing and popping out of their dens, down to the ski lift/gondola.
The ride up the 1200 or so feet was smooth and stunning. We could make out Lake Louise, nestled in the ridges of the mountain range opposite. The hillside rose with spruce and shrubs along what we guessed were blue ski routes. We swung in the open air, only slightly chilled by the slight breeze of a 14-minute ride up a mountain.
A group that passed us said they had seen a grizzly "up and to the left." I bet you know where my eyes were straining for the entire trip up.
As we reached the top and began quizzing the attendant about the bear. "Yeah, she's up on that slope somewhere. She likes to wander around up there." She, of course, had strolled over the ridge as we were traveling up to see her, so grizzly fail #1.
There was a walkway to the interpretive center, but that was the only trail that was open because of the "bear activity." We reached the center just in time to hear the majority of the "pyramid of life" talk that a ski instructor-cum-park employee exuberantly shared with us.
Having a diverse plant life begets diversity in the herbivores, which leads to supporting multiple predators. However, the Lake Louise example of human interference came with the idea of preventing wildfires. Fires are needed habitually to clean the forest and increase diversity. The lodgepole pines in the are had become the prominent species, choking out the sun-loving and quick growing aspen, that thrives after a forest fire. The aspen had photosynthesis in its bark, so species that don't hiberate need it for their sustenance during the winter. The caribou required it, and once it was gone, they moved down into the Banff Valley so it would satisfy their hunger.
What's the issue with having all your caribou in one place in one park? Something might go wrong. And in 2009, it did, with the entire herd of about four dozen caribou buried underneath an avalanche. There are ideas to eventually re-introduce them, but first, think of the people that are controlling fires for us to restore their habitat for eventually re-introduction.
We had a buffet lunch, sitting next to a couple from El Paso and asking for their highlight reel. Once we left the cafeteria (and its hordes of tourists), we drove to the entrance to Moraine Lake.
A giant "Road Closed" sign blocked our way. A park employee was holding traffic outside as those that were leaving (and opening up parking spots) came out in ones and twos. After five minutes, we were released into the parking lot to find a spot.
Valerie, Ben, Deanne, and I rented canoes, partnering up and setting off.
We made it all the way across the lake to one of the feeder streams (which was a picturesque little babbling cascade).
Mom and Dad sat on a bench and read while we did this - I think we've started to wear them down.
Moraine Lake had served its purpose (blue, can canoe on it), so we left it behind for a late afternoon drive to Lake Louise and its famous inn.
Which originally was a small chalet, and has grown into a massive hotel, which is Swiss-inspired. The mountaineers that came to build trails and lead guests were all from Switzerland. Sadly, the bell boys had to run around in short pants and suspenders,
It was a hazier day, but the views down the pond were still stunning.
Dad had downloaded a few geocaches, so we got a chance to explore those riddles. One was estimating the volume of rock in a giant skree pile. The clue itself involved multiplying a height and radius to get the volume of a cone. This then led to roughly ten minutes of us attempting to derive the formula for volume of a cone.
We failed, but there was some writing on rocks with other rocks as chalk by the end of it. We thankfully transitioned back into recent reads before the end of the hike.
It was 5pm, and we had some driving ahead of us. Instead of the faster highway, we were taking the Bow Valley Parkway, which paralleled the speedier route, but had better opportunities for wildlife viewing.
We got to an overlook about 3/4 of the way to Banff, after not spotting any along the road, and started peering at a valley below with our binoculars. Dad saw some movement along one of the lakeshores - a moose! Or... birds resting along a craggy stump.
With our lack of large mammals, except ourselves, we drove into Banff to find a place for dinner. While we didn't successfully spot any wild animals, Valerie managed to spot a pair of college friends from Alabama that she hadn't seen in a few years. Small world... small, human world.
We ate and drank at Saltlik Steakhouse until dark (which is pretty late in these parts). As we were getting the check, we realized that we hadn't actually figured out what the plan for tomorrow was.
Ice fields? Hike? We are probably headed back to Lake Louise and a steep hike to a teahouse, but stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment