Climbing mountains

At 7:00 the alarm clock wakes us up. Today we're going to Lake Louise, you have to get there early to get a parking spot. So we quickly eat some porridge (new German for oatmeal) (we have to skip the toast because we can only start the generator at 9:00) and off we go.

Thinking that we entered Lake Louise Center in the navigation system, Shahaatz starts driving. When we drive onto a 2-lane "highway" I get suspicious. And right, it's the wrong direction. 🤦‍♀️ We've wasted another 20 km of fuel. Nevermind, let's go back.

The parking lot is already full. The guide recommends driving to the visitor center to get maps and information about the current bear situation. Because Lake Louise is the territory of some female grizzly bears - and when they have young, it's not a good idea to mess with them. Hopefully our little bell helps.

The vacation is not going well. First, we lost 2 wheel caps (which are actually screwed on), then a glass, a drawer, and today the key to the camper door broke off. 🤦‍♀️

At the visitor center, we learn that we should drive to the Park+Ride parking lot and take the shuttle from there to the lake. However, this needs to be reserved. And the next available slot is from 2-3 pm - but it's only 11:00 am now. What a bummer. Great weather and we can't get to this lake. After a short shopping trip and a quick snack, we decide to drive to the parking lot at the lake on a whim - and we were lucky. So we put on our shoes and head to the lake. Right on time, it starts raining and suddenly it becomes freezing cold.

At least for us, Canadians seem to have a different tolerance for cold. Some of them were walking around in shorts and t-shirts. It was too cold for us, so we go back to the camper, put on an extra fleece jacket and gloves, and head out again. A Canadian asks us where we're going after seeing us.

Originally, we only wanted to go on easy hiking trails, but we still have to go to the viewpoint. So we hike 1.5 km uphill to the viewpoint with a view of the lake. You won't believe how long 1.5 km can be. Not only is it uphill the whole way, but we also have to crawl under and over trees in between.

and it feels like we're getting further and further away from the lake. After reaching a heart rate of 170, we realize after 2.8 km that we're on the wrong path.

So we go back again. Somehow we must have missed the turn. When we reach the junction, we have to hike uphill again for another 1.2 km. How many kilometers uphill do you have to hike until your fitness improves?

The way was endless too, but eventually we made it.

Facts: Lake Louise is located at 1731 meters and was discovered in 1882 during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway by employee Tom Wilson. Overwhelmed by the beauty, he named the lake Emerald Lake. In 1884, the lake was renamed in honor of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. She is also the namesake of the province of Alberta. She was the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria.

Back at the lake, we briefly consider renting a kayak, but that thought quickly goes away after looking at the price list. 30 minutes for $135 + taxes or 60 minutes for $145 + taxes. The prices make us shake our heads and walk away quickly. Okay, let's just walk along the originally easy path by the lake. Even that didn't appeal to us. Today is Sunday and everyone and everything is here. It's like being at Maschsee in nice weather.

We find a bench and prefer to watch people and enjoy the sun. Some crazy people even go swimming - but only for a very short time - it must be really cold, watching them made me cold anyway. 🥶

Tomorrow, we have to get up early (4 am), we want to experience the blue hour at Lake Moiraine.