Mountain days
Door: Lieke
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Lieke
19 Juni 2017 | Canada, Lake Louise
Day 16: Jasper - Columbia Icefields 108km
The hotel was so kind to provide us with another excellent breakfast, which was especially nice because it was fairly cold outside. I had dressed again like I was going to cross country ski, and we left in the morning for the most beautiful bike day of the trip: to the glaciers! Although it had been sunny when we left Jasper, there was a massive dark cloud hanging in the area where we were headed to. The clouds looked like snow clouds, which they also were, as it turned out. We heard later from Max that it had been snowing on the campground when they arrived there in the morning at 9:30 to reserve our spots. We got fairly lucky though, as we passed various wet sections, but only got light rain for about 20 minutes. Dad and I had coffee around 45km in the restaurant of a hotel, warm and dry. For some reason, I was a little restless, perhaps because we had stopped quite often during the first 40km. Or perhaps because we had not biked for 2 days and we were getting close to the glaciers. So I took off, determined to make some good speed. In my crazy bike fury, I still caught Mike, 100m before lunch.
After lunch, I continued my speedy pace and climbed up the first real climb of the tour. About 4km with grades of over 9%. This climb ended at the glacier walk, a tourist trap invented by an almost bankrupt bus company (they are thriving now). I had no idea that you actually had to pay for this view point so I sneaked under the gates and took a peek. I didn't see a glacier and I had no clue what these people were looking at. Mountains and a valley for sure, but you can see mountains everywhere. From my road trip last August, I knew that the actual glaciers were still a few kilometers farther. I hopped on my bike again and biked to the glaciers: the Athabaska glacier and the Columbia Icefield glacier. It would have been better to write this blog in Dutch because I don't have the right English words to describe how it feels to bike only a few hundred meters from two massive glaciers. Impressive. I passed the big hotel across from the glaciers and was half surprised half annoyed by all the touring buses parked at the hotel that take massive numbers of people up to see the glacier, stroll over the glacier walk, and have lunch in the overpriced Glacier Inn. But I guess I am a tourist as well, just one who likes to make it a little more challenging to get to the viewpoints in the Canadian Rockies.
I biked another 3km to camp; a basic but beautifully located campsite near the glaciers. After putting up my tent, I explored the hike that starts at the campsite gate. I only walked uphill for 15 minutes, until I had a nice view on the Athabaska glacier. There, I sat down, read my book, and enjoyed the absolute serenity of this place.
After dinner I hiked up with Max, but this time to actually reach the lake, about 4km farther. The views were incredible. I'll add some pictures because again, words don't really do it justice. I got to my tent at 10:15pm and slept keeping most of my clothes on because it was supposed to get under 0 degrees in the night.
Day 17: Columbia Icefields - Mosquito Creek 99km
After a very cold night, we packed up our tent. It was still 2 degrees. I slept relatively well, just waking up a few times realizing that I really needed to wrap myself up like a mummy in my sleeping back to stay warm. The ride today would be fairly similar to yesterday's ride, just slightly lighter. The minute before departure I decided to put on my ski shell as well, because the first 48km would be mainly down hill. With 3 degrees and wind, you get cold very easily. We started with a beautiful descent and because it was still early, there was almost no traffic on the road. Perfect conditions for a no-brake-descent (my cousin Sander knows what I'm talking about). The scenery was stunning as ever. Writing about the views here gets a little old, but biking in all these majestic mountain never stops to amaze me.
The 48km went by in a blink. Then we had to climb a little until we found the lunch truck parked next to a lake at 66km. The big climb of the day (only 6km, but still a pretty good climb of 6 or 7%) would be after lunch. At the top of this hill (Bow mountain), there was a sign for the summit and viewpoint on Lake Peyto. I took this detour, because Maureen, who lives in the area and knows all the good spots, had told everyone that it was a iconic blue green lake. After a few extra meters of steep climbing, I parked my bike on Bow summit, next to three touring buses and 8 RVs and walked to the viewpoint. An absolutely beautiful green lake. People looked at me like I was an alien, which in a way I was between all those nicely smelling, well dressed, bus sitting people. After this detour it was only a 18km descent to camp.
Tonight we are camping in a hostel, which doesn't really look like a hostel. At least not like the hostels I've been in, for instance on the orchestra tour in Estonia and Saint Petersburg. In the Canadian Rockies, a hostel means a couple of cabins in the woods, and one building cabin has a big living room and a kitchen, a really nice place. It comes with a grizzly bear that strolls around in the backyard. It also has a sauna, no showers, but a lovey freezing cold creek. The sauna works, obviously perhaps, on firewood so after burning a few logs, I enjoyed some sauna time and dipped in the creek after. Very refreshing.
Dinner was great as usual, but this time it was a little more challenging for Vilma to prepare the salmon because the local bear kept walking around. The ranger that tried to chase away the bear pepper sprayed himself so that wasn't a great help either. But eventually, Vilma & co managed to finish dinner and we all sat indoor in the nice cabin living room, followed by a great night with live music and one hour of internet.
The hotel was so kind to provide us with another excellent breakfast, which was especially nice because it was fairly cold outside. I had dressed again like I was going to cross country ski, and we left in the morning for the most beautiful bike day of the trip: to the glaciers! Although it had been sunny when we left Jasper, there was a massive dark cloud hanging in the area where we were headed to. The clouds looked like snow clouds, which they also were, as it turned out. We heard later from Max that it had been snowing on the campground when they arrived there in the morning at 9:30 to reserve our spots. We got fairly lucky though, as we passed various wet sections, but only got light rain for about 20 minutes. Dad and I had coffee around 45km in the restaurant of a hotel, warm and dry. For some reason, I was a little restless, perhaps because we had stopped quite often during the first 40km. Or perhaps because we had not biked for 2 days and we were getting close to the glaciers. So I took off, determined to make some good speed. In my crazy bike fury, I still caught Mike, 100m before lunch.
After lunch, I continued my speedy pace and climbed up the first real climb of the tour. About 4km with grades of over 9%. This climb ended at the glacier walk, a tourist trap invented by an almost bankrupt bus company (they are thriving now). I had no idea that you actually had to pay for this view point so I sneaked under the gates and took a peek. I didn't see a glacier and I had no clue what these people were looking at. Mountains and a valley for sure, but you can see mountains everywhere. From my road trip last August, I knew that the actual glaciers were still a few kilometers farther. I hopped on my bike again and biked to the glaciers: the Athabaska glacier and the Columbia Icefield glacier. It would have been better to write this blog in Dutch because I don't have the right English words to describe how it feels to bike only a few hundred meters from two massive glaciers. Impressive. I passed the big hotel across from the glaciers and was half surprised half annoyed by all the touring buses parked at the hotel that take massive numbers of people up to see the glacier, stroll over the glacier walk, and have lunch in the overpriced Glacier Inn. But I guess I am a tourist as well, just one who likes to make it a little more challenging to get to the viewpoints in the Canadian Rockies.
I biked another 3km to camp; a basic but beautifully located campsite near the glaciers. After putting up my tent, I explored the hike that starts at the campsite gate. I only walked uphill for 15 minutes, until I had a nice view on the Athabaska glacier. There, I sat down, read my book, and enjoyed the absolute serenity of this place.
After dinner I hiked up with Max, but this time to actually reach the lake, about 4km farther. The views were incredible. I'll add some pictures because again, words don't really do it justice. I got to my tent at 10:15pm and slept keeping most of my clothes on because it was supposed to get under 0 degrees in the night.
Day 17: Columbia Icefields - Mosquito Creek 99km
After a very cold night, we packed up our tent. It was still 2 degrees. I slept relatively well, just waking up a few times realizing that I really needed to wrap myself up like a mummy in my sleeping back to stay warm. The ride today would be fairly similar to yesterday's ride, just slightly lighter. The minute before departure I decided to put on my ski shell as well, because the first 48km would be mainly down hill. With 3 degrees and wind, you get cold very easily. We started with a beautiful descent and because it was still early, there was almost no traffic on the road. Perfect conditions for a no-brake-descent (my cousin Sander knows what I'm talking about). The scenery was stunning as ever. Writing about the views here gets a little old, but biking in all these majestic mountain never stops to amaze me.
The 48km went by in a blink. Then we had to climb a little until we found the lunch truck parked next to a lake at 66km. The big climb of the day (only 6km, but still a pretty good climb of 6 or 7%) would be after lunch. At the top of this hill (Bow mountain), there was a sign for the summit and viewpoint on Lake Peyto. I took this detour, because Maureen, who lives in the area and knows all the good spots, had told everyone that it was a iconic blue green lake. After a few extra meters of steep climbing, I parked my bike on Bow summit, next to three touring buses and 8 RVs and walked to the viewpoint. An absolutely beautiful green lake. People looked at me like I was an alien, which in a way I was between all those nicely smelling, well dressed, bus sitting people. After this detour it was only a 18km descent to camp.
Tonight we are camping in a hostel, which doesn't really look like a hostel. At least not like the hostels I've been in, for instance on the orchestra tour in Estonia and Saint Petersburg. In the Canadian Rockies, a hostel means a couple of cabins in the woods, and one building cabin has a big living room and a kitchen, a really nice place. It comes with a grizzly bear that strolls around in the backyard. It also has a sauna, no showers, but a lovey freezing cold creek. The sauna works, obviously perhaps, on firewood so after burning a few logs, I enjoyed some sauna time and dipped in the creek after. Very refreshing.
Dinner was great as usual, but this time it was a little more challenging for Vilma to prepare the salmon because the local bear kept walking around. The ranger that tried to chase away the bear pepper sprayed himself so that wasn't a great help either. But eventually, Vilma & co managed to finish dinner and we all sat indoor in the nice cabin living room, followed by a great night with live music and one hour of internet.
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
