Cross Canada Adventure, Day 6 (Drumheller to Lake Louise)
Terrible lizards, ancient finds, a milkshake, and
tea at the top of the world.
The day started a bit later than I had originally
planned -- I was moving a bit slow this morning. Still, when I got to the Royal
Tyrell Museum, it had only been open for about a half an hour, and hardly anyone
was there.
So I went through and toured the exhibitions, and as promised, took lots of photos. I'll share all of them soon, but for now here are a few to get you started:
After some time at the museum, the purchasing of a t-shirt at the gift shop, and lunch in the cafeteria, I decided to walk around the badlands around the museum a bit, to see them up close and personal. I started on the beaten path, but fairly quickly on left to wander the eroded hills and walls and get some pictures. And as promised, I made a QuickTime VR of the area:
BadlandsPanorama
Cool, huh? Okay -- I'm keeping my eyes peeled, knowing that while hundreds of visitors probably walk these hills every day, there is probably still some fossils to be found out there. I wasn't expecting to find a T-Rex femur (nor did I), but one never knows what kinds of small fossils might be out there.
So I'm walking the wrong way along the path (which I accidentally joined up with again) when I see a bit of a sparkle. I bend down to take a look, and found a rock with some quartz in it. It was pretty, so I picked it up and examined it, only to find that it wasn't your normal rock.
I HAD FOUND A FOSSIL!
Okay -- no need to get terribly excited. I hadn't found an as-yet unknown species of dinosaur. I didn't even find part of a known dinosaur. What I had found was a lovely piece of fossilized wood. Indeed, I found two more:
A staff member at the museum checked them over, told me they were fairly commonly found in the area (along with shells), and that they were good specimens (and that I had a good eye to find them). Ultimately, however, they aren't terribly scientifically interesting, so I was permitted to keep them. Still, I found something that remained from an ancient life form, so I was happy.
But it was nearly 1400 by this time, and I had a lot of travelling to still do. So it was time to get back in the car and start driving towards Calgary.
I only made one quick stop in Calgary, at Peter's Drive-In for a chocolate milkshake. One of the guys I work with (but have only ever communicated with via IM) used to live in Calgary and told me I had to go and buy a shake there. So I did, and have the cup to prove it.
Just outside of Calgary I got my first glimpse of the mountains. Mountains! I have never seen mountains before (other than from the air while in an airplane), and I was driving right towards them. After some time I made my way into Banff National Park, and eventually stopped in Banff the town to get some park information. I wanted to take some time to stretch the legs and do some hiking.
Anyhow, I found a trail that looked like it wasn't too long, somewhat challenging, and was close by. So I started driving towards it, but somehow missed my exit to get there, and wound up in Lake Louise. So I decided to stop at its information centre and try my luck again.
And as luck would have it, just a few clicks away was a spot sporting three trails, all from the same general starting point. So I chose to hike up to the Plains of the Six Glaciers, as I had never seen a glacier before. The hike wasn't too long, and had a decent level of difficulty (and a good level of ascent).
So I drive to the spot, parked my car, and got my first view of the actual lake that the town of Lake Louise is named after:
Absolutely beautiful. Lake Louise is a mountain lake formed from melting snow and glaciers. Mountains surround it. It truly is lovely.
Okay. With the car parked, I decide on a quick change of shirts, removing my t-shirt and replacing it with an undershirt and long sleeved shirt, followed by my jacket. I also decided to take a pack, but this posed a bit of a quandary: my small pack was in a suitcase in the deepest, darkest corner of my trunk. I didn't want to have to unpack everything to get at it.
So I opened my trunk, and sitting right in front of me was my Alice Pack, which I had bought while in the Canadian Forces (an Alice Pack is used in the Army for carrying communications equipment). I had filled it with my cold weather gear -- long underwear, scarves, gloves, toques, etc. This proved to be a bit of a blessing: while unloading the pack, I had the foresight to change from my running shoes to my winter hiking boots, and to take my army toque with me, just in case. I added a bottle of water, a few trail mix bars, and my camp stove (just in case), grabbed my walking stick, and was on my way.
Now I should note here that it was about 1900 when I arrived at the lake. There was a steady stream of people coming down the last stretch of the trail, but I was the only one going up. In my mind, this was a good thing: I could have some solitude while I hiked.
It was a pretty gruelling upwards hike, but the scenery was absolutely amazing. I trudged, trudged, and trudged some more, almost all of it uphill. I walked around one side of the lake, up past rivulets of water trickling down the mountain pass and into the lake, past bounders, the sides of mountains, and uncountable trees. And when that was done, I trudged some more, followed by more trudging. Uphill.
After what felt like forever, I made it to the tea house. A guy and two girls who stay there to server tea came out and, well, served me a nice pot of tea (even though they were technically closed). I generally don't drink tea, but the mountain air was a bit cool and damp, and it went down very well.
Aaah. I said my good-byes to them, mentioning I was on my way back down. But after less than 20 meters I changed my mind. I had made it this far after all: why not go all the way? The trail continued upwards to a lookout overlooking the glacier itself. So it was more trudging for me, up along a narrow stone path which had steep drops to either side. Thank goodness for my trusty walking stick!
The light was noticeably waning, but I trudged onwards to the top, where I had a lovely view of the glacier. A light sleet was falling, and as you can see it was getting pretty dusky:
I felt more alive than ever. I had persevered and made it to the end -- a roughly 5km jaunt, ascending nearly 500m or so from the starting point. My legs felt that good kind of sore. I had accomplished something, and was rewarded with an amazing view of the retreating glacier on one side, and the whole Lake Louise area on the other.
I felt so good I took a moment to build an Inukshuk, to let the people know that I had been here:
It was 2100 by this time, so I started back down the mountain. And it wasn't long before it was dark. Fortunately, I'm not a complete idiot, and I had my Petzl headlamp with me. Donning it and putting it to maximum illumination, I started making my way back down the mountain.
Down I went. Down, down, down. In the dark, trying to keep an eye on the path so I didn't accidentally follow some phantom path off a cliff or anything. I kept going down. Back past the tea house, through the forested areas, across a rocky path with a wire to hold onto on one side and nothing but cliff on the other.
D
o
w
n
It was truly dark. The kind of dark only those who live outside major population centres ever really see. The mists and clouds parted somewhat, to reveal a star-filled sky. It was awe inspiring.
About 5km and two hours later, I made it back tot he bottom, and after walking around a bit found my car again. I was tired, somewhat sore, but felt exhilarated (on the inside, at least):
Oh, and it did get cold, so I was glad to have had the toque for extra warmth.
Anyhow, I'm writing this in my car, and am thinking I'm just going to sleep here tonight. I ensured before I left that I would be set-up to sleep in the car if need be, and I've probably already spent $1000 (CDN, of course) on this trip, so another night of cost-free accommodations probably isn't a bad idea. Besides, this way I should be able to drive from here to Vancouver, leaving me only one more very short day of travelling to get to Victoria, and the end of the Trans Canada Highway.
So I went through and toured the exhibitions, and as promised, took lots of photos. I'll share all of them soon, but for now here are a few to get you started:
After some time at the museum, the purchasing of a t-shirt at the gift shop, and lunch in the cafeteria, I decided to walk around the badlands around the museum a bit, to see them up close and personal. I started on the beaten path, but fairly quickly on left to wander the eroded hills and walls and get some pictures. And as promised, I made a QuickTime VR of the area:
BadlandsPanorama
Cool, huh? Okay -- I'm keeping my eyes peeled, knowing that while hundreds of visitors probably walk these hills every day, there is probably still some fossils to be found out there. I wasn't expecting to find a T-Rex femur (nor did I), but one never knows what kinds of small fossils might be out there.
So I'm walking the wrong way along the path (which I accidentally joined up with again) when I see a bit of a sparkle. I bend down to take a look, and found a rock with some quartz in it. It was pretty, so I picked it up and examined it, only to find that it wasn't your normal rock.
I HAD FOUND A FOSSIL!
Okay -- no need to get terribly excited. I hadn't found an as-yet unknown species of dinosaur. I didn't even find part of a known dinosaur. What I had found was a lovely piece of fossilized wood. Indeed, I found two more:
A staff member at the museum checked them over, told me they were fairly commonly found in the area (along with shells), and that they were good specimens (and that I had a good eye to find them). Ultimately, however, they aren't terribly scientifically interesting, so I was permitted to keep them. Still, I found something that remained from an ancient life form, so I was happy.
But it was nearly 1400 by this time, and I had a lot of travelling to still do. So it was time to get back in the car and start driving towards Calgary.
I only made one quick stop in Calgary, at Peter's Drive-In for a chocolate milkshake. One of the guys I work with (but have only ever communicated with via IM) used to live in Calgary and told me I had to go and buy a shake there. So I did, and have the cup to prove it.
Just outside of Calgary I got my first glimpse of the mountains. Mountains! I have never seen mountains before (other than from the air while in an airplane), and I was driving right towards them. After some time I made my way into Banff National Park, and eventually stopped in Banff the town to get some park information. I wanted to take some time to stretch the legs and do some hiking.
Anyhow, I found a trail that looked like it wasn't too long, somewhat challenging, and was close by. So I started driving towards it, but somehow missed my exit to get there, and wound up in Lake Louise. So I decided to stop at its information centre and try my luck again.
And as luck would have it, just a few clicks away was a spot sporting three trails, all from the same general starting point. So I chose to hike up to the Plains of the Six Glaciers, as I had never seen a glacier before. The hike wasn't too long, and had a decent level of difficulty (and a good level of ascent).
So I drive to the spot, parked my car, and got my first view of the actual lake that the town of Lake Louise is named after:
Absolutely beautiful. Lake Louise is a mountain lake formed from melting snow and glaciers. Mountains surround it. It truly is lovely.
Okay. With the car parked, I decide on a quick change of shirts, removing my t-shirt and replacing it with an undershirt and long sleeved shirt, followed by my jacket. I also decided to take a pack, but this posed a bit of a quandary: my small pack was in a suitcase in the deepest, darkest corner of my trunk. I didn't want to have to unpack everything to get at it.
So I opened my trunk, and sitting right in front of me was my Alice Pack, which I had bought while in the Canadian Forces (an Alice Pack is used in the Army for carrying communications equipment). I had filled it with my cold weather gear -- long underwear, scarves, gloves, toques, etc. This proved to be a bit of a blessing: while unloading the pack, I had the foresight to change from my running shoes to my winter hiking boots, and to take my army toque with me, just in case. I added a bottle of water, a few trail mix bars, and my camp stove (just in case), grabbed my walking stick, and was on my way.
Now I should note here that it was about 1900 when I arrived at the lake. There was a steady stream of people coming down the last stretch of the trail, but I was the only one going up. In my mind, this was a good thing: I could have some solitude while I hiked.
It was a pretty gruelling upwards hike, but the scenery was absolutely amazing. I trudged, trudged, and trudged some more, almost all of it uphill. I walked around one side of the lake, up past rivulets of water trickling down the mountain pass and into the lake, past bounders, the sides of mountains, and uncountable trees. And when that was done, I trudged some more, followed by more trudging. Uphill.
After what felt like forever, I made it to the tea house. A guy and two girls who stay there to server tea came out and, well, served me a nice pot of tea (even though they were technically closed). I generally don't drink tea, but the mountain air was a bit cool and damp, and it went down very well.
Aaah. I said my good-byes to them, mentioning I was on my way back down. But after less than 20 meters I changed my mind. I had made it this far after all: why not go all the way? The trail continued upwards to a lookout overlooking the glacier itself. So it was more trudging for me, up along a narrow stone path which had steep drops to either side. Thank goodness for my trusty walking stick!
The light was noticeably waning, but I trudged onwards to the top, where I had a lovely view of the glacier. A light sleet was falling, and as you can see it was getting pretty dusky:
I felt more alive than ever. I had persevered and made it to the end -- a roughly 5km jaunt, ascending nearly 500m or so from the starting point. My legs felt that good kind of sore. I had accomplished something, and was rewarded with an amazing view of the retreating glacier on one side, and the whole Lake Louise area on the other.
I felt so good I took a moment to build an Inukshuk, to let the people know that I had been here:
It was 2100 by this time, so I started back down the mountain. And it wasn't long before it was dark. Fortunately, I'm not a complete idiot, and I had my Petzl headlamp with me. Donning it and putting it to maximum illumination, I started making my way back down the mountain.
Down I went. Down, down, down. In the dark, trying to keep an eye on the path so I didn't accidentally follow some phantom path off a cliff or anything. I kept going down. Back past the tea house, through the forested areas, across a rocky path with a wire to hold onto on one side and nothing but cliff on the other.
D
o
w
n
It was truly dark. The kind of dark only those who live outside major population centres ever really see. The mists and clouds parted somewhat, to reveal a star-filled sky. It was awe inspiring.
About 5km and two hours later, I made it back tot he bottom, and after walking around a bit found my car again. I was tired, somewhat sore, but felt exhilarated (on the inside, at least):
Oh, and it did get cold, so I was glad to have had the toque for extra warmth.
Anyhow, I'm writing this in my car, and am thinking I'm just going to sleep here tonight. I ensured before I left that I would be set-up to sleep in the car if need be, and I've probably already spent $1000 (CDN, of course) on this trip, so another night of cost-free accommodations probably isn't a bad idea. Besides, this way I should be able to drive from here to Vancouver, leaving me only one more very short day of travelling to get to Victoria, and the end of the Trans Canada Highway.
Posted: Monday - August 29, 2005 at 11:19 PM
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Published On: Aug 30, 2007 08:14 PM
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Published On: Aug 30, 2007 08:14 PM