露意絲湖一日遊Lake Louise day trip: the big hike

星期天終於看到失蹤好幾天的太陽，約了新搬來卡加立的Greg和Amy一家去班夫和露意絲湖。

Gareth想去爬湖邊的一座小山。他上網找了資料，從網站資料上看起來不難的健行，卻快要了我的老命。Gareth也很厲害，背著Fiona爬完全程。Fiona走了一小段，但是路真的很陡，兩條小腿很快就累了。我十分能理解，因為我自己也想找人背我。

到了終點湖邊後，Gareth竟還要往上爬，只有Greg的大兒子Eric願意跟著走。留我們五個人在湖邊苦苦守候，我還得看著在湖邊玩水的Fiona，免的她跑到湖中央。

It was nice weather last Sunday, so we all took a day trip to beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park. What an outing!

Just after arriving at the lake. See the snow still hanging on the plain of 6 glaciers in the background.

We took some friends on this trip: Greg & Amy Sun and their 2 kids, Eric and Karen. Greg and Gareth used to work together at ORTV. In June Greg moved the family to Calgary to start a new life as Canadians
View across the lake, and up towards our hiking destination, 3.6 km away: The Lake Agnes Teahouse, via Mirror Lake, and possibly a trip up to the top of the Big Beehive... if we have the stamina
這是走了80分鐘後的第一個小湖：鏡面湖，看到透明的水了嗎？

First stop, 80 minutes later: Mirror Lake. Emerald water, crystal clear. Fiona wanted to go for a swim! Gareth weary from carrying Fiona in baby backpack. She is 14 kg now
The Big Beehive looms above. Will we scale it?
Karen Sun, Vivian and Fiona. Karen has only been in Canada for 3 weeks and is still pulling out the rabbit ears for every photo, Taiwan style -- we think it's cute
Another Sun family photo. The view keeps getting better and better the higher we go
The Canadian Rocky Mountains are taller, steeper and more dramatic than in Taiwan. And the bigger ones have snow on them year-round. The peaks are so barren and cold that no trees grow there, leaving only bare shale and rock
終點站Agnes湖流下的瀑布。

Cooling off at the waterfall just below the teahouse
終點站Agnes湖，有累又餓。

Mission accomplished -- we relax at Lake Agnes, pull out our sandwiches and enjoy lunch
A new friend: Mr. Chipmunk also takes lunch (right out of hikers' hands)
The view over the edge of the waterfall, down into the valley
湖邊還有個茶館

Lake Agnes Teahouse. They really do serve tea in there. We overheard other hikers talking, saying that the staff stay up here for several days at a time, bunking in a little cabin in the trees. Imagine that for a summer job
寧靜的Agnes湖。

A quiet Lake Agnes repose, looking across more crystal waters to even taller mountains
Teahouse and waterfall from another angle
Gareth和Eric開始遠征，又爬了1.6公里。

Lake Agnes is great, but we can't see Lake Louise or the Chateau from here. Some of us have the energy and ambition to press on. Yes, the Big Beehive must be climbed! Gareth and Eric Sun embark on the last 1.6 km up this steep but rewarding mountain
到了山頂後往下看路易斯湖，Gareth覺得不虛此行。

...and what a reward it is! Canoes ply the milky blue waters below, and clouds drift across the valley toward the Lake Louise ski slopes. That's Mirror Lake in the foreground, where we stopped on the way up
The Chateau, beautiful Lake Louise and surrounding mountain vista. Totally worth the climb
Taking the switchback down the Big Beehive, back to Lake Agnes and the rest of the party, who are probably wondering where we are. This is a steep trail
Back of Lake Agnes, walking back to the Teahouse
回程Fiona累倒在爸爸的背後，我也累的只能很勉強的在鏡頭前擠出笑容。

The journey down, about 3:30 in the afternoon. It's Fiona's naptime, so she is konked out in the baby backpack Gareth is wearing
夏日週末的露意絲湖失去原有的寧靜

Back down at lake level. The canoe shop is doing a booming trade in rentals, and some people are even bringing their own boats to row their dogs about in
So peaceful and idyllic. Next time here we may rent a canoe and paddle about. There's the Big Beehive in the distance
到班夫必遊之地，弓河瀑布，就在班夫旅館的後面。父女兩看的出來的累。

We stopped in Banff for dinner, visiting the Bow Valley Grill in the Banff Springs Hotel. Afterward we drove down to Bow Falls before heading home. What a great day, one to remember