Day 9, July 27: Lake Louise/Banff

Day 9, July 27: Lake Louise/Banff

I awoke to the sound of rain on my tent this morning. I had set the alarm for 7 a.m. to get a nice start on my planned hike, but because of the rain, I turned off the alarm and turned over in my sleeping bag, deciding to get a little more sleep. Before I went back to sleep, I checked the temperature – it was 39 degrees. Not as cold as I was afraid it’d get, but cold enough. But either I’m getting hardened a little or my sleeping bag and smaller tent are doing their jobs, because I felt snug and cozy, and the sound of the rain lulled me back to sleep.

When I did get up, the sun was coming through the clouds and the day was promising. I fixed my lunch, packed my daypack, and headed to the trailhead. The trailhead for the hike I was taking – The Plain of Six Glaciers – is at Lake Louise. This is a very busy tourist area, and the beginning of the hike shares the trail with the Lake Louise hike, and it was crowded and paved for a while. But before long, I was on a rougher trail, and it headed up the mountain at a fairly steep grade.

Figuring distances is something of a guessing game – I’ve never been real good at converting kilometers to miles, and that’s a practice I needed to do. I finally figured out that I knew 5K is just over 3 miles, so I went from there. The hike today was a total of about 10 miles.  The scenery on the hike was spectacular, as it has been here in the Canadian Rockies all along, and in Glacier in the States. I stopped about four miles in at the Tea House – a restaurant set high on the mountain top. No electricity there – they run on propane for their cooking. The supplies are dropped by helicopter at the start of the season, and then anything else that’s needed is hauled up by hikers or horses. And I had great cell reception there. Go figure.

Then I hiked on to the lookout point for the Six Glaciers. The last part of the hike was unmaintained and consisted of the hiker basically picking his or her way through rocks. But it’s worth the trouble – as you stand there, you’re almost eye level with one of the glaciers across the ravine. One thing I’ve realized: it is always evident when a Glacier is shrinking in size. It leaves a barren landscape – almost looks like a moonscape – of rock and dirt. Streams run through it from the existing glacier, but it is a quit inhospitable environment. It’s sad to see these big open spots, but the ice that’s left is amazing. To be this close to a glacier is quite the experience. And here, in the Canadian Rockies, it seems a person is often able to be close to a glacier. I’ll have to check sometime and see how many glaciers are in these mountains. It must be hundreds.

The hike today was a different kind of experience for me, internally and externally. I don’t know why, but I lacked the enthusiasm I usually have at the beginning of a hike, and I felt sore and tired from the start. I don’t know if the long trail ride yesterday took a toll or if the cumulative miles I’m racking up hiking are pushing my body to its limits. My feet hurt – they feel raw and stiff. I really need a foot massage, so when I get home, Emilie, you have to pay me back for all the times I’ve rubbed your stinky feet. I also felt lonely this morning more than usual. Perhaps that also affected me during the hike today. There just wasn’t much spring in my step.

I’m realizing this month-long adventure is difficult in some ways I didn’t anticipate. Missing my family and friends is more intense at times than I thought it would be. There are times I wonder why I’m doing this, and I sometimes think I should cut it shorter than planned. But I don’t think I’m going to do that. This feels like an important journey for some reason, and it’s taking me to some places I need to go, emotionally and physically. So I’ll stick it out. I have a feeling I’m just beginning to find out things about myself I hadn’t known. And I do want to thank all my friends who are keeping in regular contact – through texting, or Facebook, or comments here on the blog. It seems I hear something from someone at just the right time. I’m really blessed to have the people in my life who love me and want to be with me.

After the hike, I was able to connect with people I didn’t know. I showered (hot water AND unlimited time!) and decided to grab a snack somewhere. I haven’t eaten out much at all, but I was craving a Diet Coke so I had to go to a restaurant. The Caesar salad on the menu sounded so good, and I decided to treat myself. I love camp food, but fresh greens are wonderful when I haven’t had any for a while. I met a lovely couple there, Dave and Joan, who are traveling from Michigan I believe. We visited for a while about where they’ve been and where I’ve been, and how we both miss some of our loved ones back home – they their new grandbaby and me my kiddos. I ended up giving Joan the address for the blog, so if you check in here Joan, hello!

It’s wonderful how friendly people are when you travel like this. From the clerks in stores, to the waiters and waitresses, to fellow travelers, people are so friendly, welcoming, and helpful. My new neighbors tonight here at the campground are from about three hours away here in Canada, and he’s insisted on helping me get my fire going (everything is damp) and splitting some kindling for me. I will be going over to their campsite in a little bit to peruse his map to the states – he’s sure he can help me get where I’m going. Two GPSs and Google Maps have nothing on his navigating skills.

So I leave Canada tomorrow, and head back to the states, some family, and a real bed. Ah, the life of luxury awaits!