14 September 2016, Wednesday

Subzero Celsius again! We have pancakes for breakfast and then take turns warming our hands on the hot frying pan as it cools. By 9:05 we are driving up Moraine Lake Road. There are still empty spots in the parking lot when we arrive. The lake is a jewel blue color. One of our hiking friends from Lake O’Hara told us we must “climb the rock pile” at the lake to take photos. We understand (or think we understand) what she meant when we get there. There is a high hill of glacial boulders piled at the end of the lake. We clamber across logs, slippery with frost, to the base of the rocks and begin picking our way upwards. As we climb, I notice there are many people up top, most of whom do not look capable of rock climbing on all fours. When I near the top I see that there is a stone wall around the summit. I hoist myself over and find a smooth path leading down. I guess we got there the hard way, but it was more fun!  I am relieved that the descent will be easier.

Now that we accomplished that mission we look for the trailhead to Sentinel Pass. There is a sign at the beginning of the trail stating that, by law, hikers must proceed in groups of at least 4 people due to grizzly sightings in the area. O and I wait for other hikers to come along. Soon a group of three young Koreans arrives. They have seen the warning as well, and we all agree to hike together. O and I warn them of our usual slow pace. We set off along the switchbacks at record pace (for us,) but we do manage to keep up.

We finally ascend to a forest of golden larches. The golden trees, blue skies and snow-capped mountains make for an incredible view. The five of us spend lots of time taking photos before we continue towards the pass. As we climb we can see the steep arete ahead of us with the trail zig-zagging up its face. It reminds me of our hike to Ptarmigan Tunnel last year, but this time the slope is not ice and snow covered. At this point one of our Korean friends turns back. She has to catch a shuttle. The other two are now far ahead.

O and I take our time on the narrow trail. We can see tiny figures of other hikers on the ridge line. We finally arrive at the top and peer over into the next valley. Amazing! But also cold and windy.

After enjoying the view we start down. Down is actually harder than up due to sections of slippery glacial gravel. Our Korean friends catch up as we descend. They had eaten their lunch up on the arete. The young woman exclaims it is the most beautiful sight she has ever seen. The couple soon leaves us behind as they hurry down the trail.

O and I find a rock shaded by golden larches for our lunch break. I have decided we are hiking through Shangri La. After lunch we resume our downward trek. We are not very concerned about grizzlies as groups of hikers pass frequently going both up and down. We are off the mountain by 4 pm.

Back at camp we check out the Lake Louise showers. They are pleasantly hot. The afternoon temperature has risen to about 15 degrees C, and it is quite pleasant, especially compared to this morning. We eat dinner and decide to tackle Parker Ridge, overlooking the Saskatchewan Glacier tomorrow. It is a bit of a drive to get there, but the hike is rated both easy and spectacular. Sounds good to us!