Monday we were supposed to hike Cavel Meadows, which is a high cirque directly across from the glaciers of Mt. Edith Cavel (Angel glacier and cylistrick in photo below). But, when we got there, the trail was closed due to snowy conditions. So, we hiked the short lower trail that was open.
On the way back on that trail, I heard a cooing sound coming from a rock. Turns out the rock was a Ptarmigan (with his girlfriend pictured below).
We finished that hike just in time for the rain to start. So, we bailed on outdoor stuff for a while. In the evening, it cleared, so we hiked Patricia Lake trail near Jasper because it was supposed to be good for large mammals. We didn't see any. But, on the way back, a black bear cub popped out on the road!
On Tuesday, we left Jasper and headed south for Lake Louise. We saw mountain goats on the road.
And Tangle Falls....
We stopped at Wilcox Pass to hike to the top of the pass, which is across from the Columbia Icefield.
Near the top of the pass amidst stiff, icy winds and snow flurries sat a family of bighorn mountain sheep.
In the last leg of driving we were approaching Bow Lake. We saw a few vehicles along the side of the road taking photos and pointing. We pulled off and saw what the commotion was all about. About 150 meters away was a mamma grizzly bear and two cubs following behind.
Today, we woke up early to hike around Lake Louise. It was beautiful and still in the morning. Finally, the sun has come out!
We were the first hikers to arrive at Lake Agnes this morning. A glacial lake set in a cirque about 3.5 km above Lake Louise. As we headed down, the throngs of tourists were headed up. We dashed out of town and are now in Banff.
3 comments:
Gorgeous pictures! Lake Louise and Banff are spectacular.
What? No bear photos?
What a beautiful place...
thanks, chris!
Panda - no bear photos. We only have a rinky-dink digital camera with us, and they were too far off to capture without a nice, big lens.
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