Eager to beat the rain, we got moving Thursday morning and set out for a day spent near the majestic emerald waters of Lake Louise in Banff National Park.  There was quite a lot of hype leading up to this day and the lake did not disappoint!  We didn’t fully appreciate the beauty of the lake from ground level until we were hiking along the 3.5km trail to the Lake Agnes Tea House which brought us high enough up the mountain to get an aerial view of Lake Louise. From here, we saw that clean, bright turqouise-green that we had heard about.  There are several glaciers that hang in the mountains surrounding the lake and it is these natural wonders that are actually responsible for the famous colour of Lake Louise.  Because glacial ice is so heavy and erosive to the mountain rock, as the glacier moves, it actually grinds the rock into a fine powder called rock flour.  It is this rock flour that collects in the glacier lakes (like Lake Louise) that absorbs all of the colours in the light spectrum except for green and blue, thus reflecting that beautiful emerald colour, painting these serene lakes – so beautiful!

After what seemed like a fairly steep hike, we made it to the adorable little tea house situated at an altitude of 2135m, in a hanging valley on the shores of Lake Agnes.  This cute mountaintop log cabin was originally built in 1901 by Canada Pacific Railway to serve as a refuge for hikers and since has been serving tea, baked goods, and hearty soups and sandwiches to those willing to make the steep hike.  Employees of the tea house have to hike in with supplies about once a week and will stay a few nights to work before hiking back down until their next shifts!  We fuelled up on hot tea, tuna sandwiches, and some apple crumble before hitting the trail again for the longest leg of our trek toward the Plain of Six Glaciers.

Another couple hours of hiking brought us to our second pit stop and second tea house to soak up some more mountain views and down a quick raspberryade.  Finally, 5 hours of hiking, 2 tea breaks, and countless breathtaking views brought us to Abbot Pass which provided an up close and personal view of the mountains surrounding Lake Louise including Mount Lefroy, Mount Victoria and the Victoria Glacier (the glacier that feeds Lake Louise).  Luckily, our hike back down was quick and brought us down along the flat(!) Lake Louise shoreline.  When we finally made it back to the parking lot, the sun was setting and we had banked a total of 17km of hiking (6 hours and 45 minutes later)!  Exhausted and ready to crash, we decided to come back to the Lake Louise area tomorrow in order to give Lake Moraine the time and attention it deserved…

The beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

The beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

The first stop on our hike to Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

Beautiful fall colours are starting to show near Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

Amanda loves her tamarack trees!

Amanda was a victim of some horse poop along are trail to Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

Amanda hiking along the beautiful trail to the Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

A waterfall along the Lake Agnes Tea House Trail in Banff National Park.

Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

Lake Agnes in Banff National Park.

Adam enjoying his new souvenir whistle at Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

Getting ready to eat the delicious tuna sandwich, apple crumble and peppermint tea at the Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

Beautiful views from the Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park.

This is the Big Beehive mountain along the Lake Agnes trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful view of Lake Louise along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Look how tiny the massive Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise looks from our hike on the mountain!

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the distance along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the distance along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

We took a second break at the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House in Banff National Park.

Adam enjoying his raspberryade at the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful and up close view of the Victoria Glacier at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful and up close view of the Victoria Glacier at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful and up close view of the Victoria Glacier at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful and up close view of the Victoria Glacier at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Beautiful scenery at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the distance at the end the Plain of Six Glaciers trail in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the evening in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the evening in Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in the evening in Banff National Park.