Upper and Lower Victoria Glaciers at Lake Louise

What a day! In order to secure a parking space at Lake Louise we got up at 7.00am, had a quick shower and drove up to the car park and were rewarded with the pick of the car park. We then had breakfast!

Well sustained we set off on a long awaited hike for me from Lake Louise, along the shore and the up to the Plain of the Six Glaciers Tea House at 6,800 feet some 4 miles and 1200 feet above the lake then on to the Plain of the Six Glaciers View Point a further mile on and another 400 feet higher at over 7,200 feet.

And what a journey, crowds soon thinned out but there were plenty on the trail as we climbed through coniferous forest to the Tea House, and yes, it was a proper tea house. We had soup and a sandwich but a very poor cup of tea as the altitude meant that the water's boiling point was well below 100 centigrade.

From the Tea House the last stretch was alongside and above the glaciers. An elemental landscape of ice, rock and debris which was very exciting for a physical geographer like me. Scree, moraines of all different types, ice, rocks, walking along the crest of a lateral moraine as in today's blip. Quite spectacular.

Alas we had to turn around and return to Lake Louise, but it turned out to be fortunate as as we were almost down a squall of heavy snow passed down the valley from the high mountains causing the canoeists on the lake some distress. It was snowing hard by the time we reached the RV but we were warm as toast enjoying a cup of tea and a scone in the warmth of the vehicle. The extra is a classic view of Lake Louise.

A couple of hours later, the weather had cleared again leaving a clear, cold evening which we partly wasted trying to secure an internet connection at the National Park Visitors Centre, which we failed to do. In the end I resorted to inserting my Vodafone SIM and incurring a £5 charge for 24 hour access. No help from Vodafone. A few words will be had when we return. Using my SIM did at least enable me to post one blip, but no extras meaning that with today I'm two blips behind.