It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

Last night may have been the coldest night I’ve ever spent in a tent. Sure, it wasn’t to the level of winter camping but there’s a reason I don’t camp in the winter. I don’t enjoy being cold (in case that wasn’t obvious). And last night certainly pushed the lower temperature limits of my sleeping bag. Actually, it passed those limits as I found myself shivering in the wee hours of the morning. But I survived to face another day of who knows what.

Prior to leaving Calgary, John had recommended stashing my gear somewhere before making the climb up to Lake Louise. It would be a round trip after all. And that was certainly the plan had I gone there yesterday afternoon. But I didn’t. Instead, I had a very enjoyable dinner and visit with Audrey and Darryl at the campground.

So, this morning I woke up early, packed up all my gear, ignored John’s words of wisdom, and took all my gear up the 4 km climb to Lake Louise. Looking back, this was one of the easier climbs of the day (more on that later) but at the time it was a tough way to start the day.

The climb to Lake Louise was long. And steep. But in the grand scheme of things, not too bad. And when I finally reached the lake I was rewarded with a spectacular view of a completely fogged in lake. On the upside, the crowds were small. On the downside, did I mention the view was essentially fog? Back on the upside, I figured the fog would lift with time. Back to the downside, the longer that took the bigger the crowds would get. And so, I waited.

Fortunately, the wait was only about 15 minutes. And, as the fog lifted, the lake with its beautiful mountain backdrop was revealed. Not hard to see why so many people flock to see it.

Having taken my obligatory photos of Lake Louise I was prepared to head back down the mountain. Then I reconsidered. I figured if I spent all that energy cycling up here I should probably look around a bit more. Maybe even do a hike. And that’s was the start of the “It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time” portion of my day.

As I mentioned earlier, it was recommended that before making the climb up to Lake Louise that I leave my gear behind to lessen the burden of the climb. Good advice which I completely ignored. I then decided to take that to a whole new level of ill-advised decisions. I achieved this by taking the Lake Agnes Trail. The Lake Agnes Trail is a 3.4 km hike. It is steep at times. Not paved. And also, at times, very rocky. All positive qualities in a hike and, as hikes go, it’s certainly not a particularly challenging one. Unless one decides to take a fully loaded bicycle to the top.

Seriously, I actually thought it was a good idea. Okay, actually I thought it wasn’t a completely terrible idea. I mean, taking a photo of my bike at the Teahouse at the top of a 3.4 km climb … how could I not?

The first kilometre was challenging but mainly just from the weight of the bike. The trail was still smooth and somewhat gradual at that point. However, the further up the mountain I went, the rockier the trail became. By the end of the second kilometre I was definitely starting to feel it. That’s when another thought hit me. Going down is going to be SO much harder. And yet I continued.

The trail continued to get rockier and steeper (in places) but by this point I was far too committed (and perhaps a wee bit stubborn) to turn back. And so I pushed on and powered through and eventually I arrived at the base of the stairs that led to the Teahouse and Lake Agnes. Yes, that’s right. Stairs. And quite a few of them. Needless to say, leaving my bike at the bottom of the stairs wasn’t an option and so I unloaded my panniers and carried my bike up the stairs. I then made a second trip to pick up two of my panniers. Fortunately, I was spared the effort of making a third trip when a good samaritan picked up the final two panniers and carried them up for me. I was very grateful.

The views from the top were beautiful and as usual not done justice with a camera. However, I did take a few photos to prove that I did in fact make it to the Teahouse with my bicycle. I’m sure other people have brought their fully loaded bike up to Lake Agnes but I’m guessing not many!

After a brief rest and a leisurely look around I knew I had to start the painful trip back down the mountain. Between gravity, the rocks, and the steep grade of the trail, I knew I was in for a workout. And I was. I was also on the receiving end of a LOT of surprised looks when people saw me coming towards them. I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked, “Did you bike up here?” Side note: I ran into Audrey and Darryl on my way down. They were a bit surprised to see me (and my bike). We chatted briefly before they resumed their climb and I resumed my descent.

In all honesty, the trip down was slightly easier than I expected. Still not entirely pleasant, but at no point did I lose control of the bike or come close to falling off the mountain. I know, I didn’t set the bar particularly high.

From there I began the much more pleasant ride back to Lake Louise Village. The 4 km climb that began my day was now a very fast 4 km descent that took mere minutes to complete. It was more than a little fun. If not for the gusty wind I would’ve made it down even faster.

Upon arriving back at the Village I realized I really hadn’t eaten much (i.e. anything) this morning so that became my next priority. The options were limited and I ended up getting a burger at the Family Restaurant.

The next couple of hours were spent at the Information Centre where I typed up some more updates and again charged up my devices. Sadly, the lack of free WiFi continued which meant updating my blog would have to wait yet another day.

By 4:30, I decided that I should make a bit of progress towards Jasper. It was without a doubt the latest I’ve ever started my riding day. That said, I was only planning on getting to Mosquito Creek and I figured that would be reachable by 8:00 pm. It was.

The ride into and along the Icefields Parkway is beautiful. That’s not at all surprising but there’s nothing like experiencing it firsthand. It would be a huge understatement to say that I can’t imagine ever getting tired of looking at the mountains. They truly are awesome. I know that can be an overused word but the Rockies could very well be the very definition of said word.

Of course, before I could enter the park I needed to buy a pass. Personally, I think cyclists should get free access but I might be a little biased. Bias aside, I still think cyclists (and pedestrians) should get free access. Clearly that wasn’t going to happen.

I rode up to the park entrance gate where the Park Ranger/Overseer/Overlord/Dude asked me how long I was going to be in the park. A valid question in general but, given my mode of transportation, not easily answered. I know after a certain number of days it’s more economical to buy an annual pass but I don’t know at what point that is. So, I ended up with a three day pass for $19.90. Apparently I need to be out of the park by 4:00 on Thursday. I’m not entirely sure that will happen. I’m also not overly concerned.

As mentioned earlier, my goal of arriving at Mosquito Creek by 8:00 was successful. As was securing a site for the night.

While I was setting up my tent, the Site Ranger (no, I don’t know if that’s his official title) came over to my site. He welcomed me to the park while making sure I was setting up my tent in an appropriate area. I was. He also wanted to inform me that they have bears there. Not theoretical bears. Not pet bears. But real bears. Real, human-eating, carnivorous bears. Ok, I may have added that last part. But they do have bears. Apparently a grizzly and a black bear have been seen on either side of the campground. Not in any actual campsite. But in the area. He pointed me towards some on-site food storage lockers for those travelling without bear-proof vehicles. I assured him I would put what little food I have in the locker. Which I did.

My last task of the day was to once again recharge my camera as my last photo of the day triggered the low battery warning. Of course, there is no power at the campground but I had recharged my laptop back at Lake Louise Village and was able to use that to charge my camera overnight. It was the first time I had to do that and I was surprised (and happy) to learn that I could probably get two full camera charges out of my fully charged laptop. Good to know.

Tomorrow the ride to Jasper continues. I’ll let the day dictate how far I get. I’ll be taking on Bow Pass first thing in the morning and, if all goes well, Wilcox Pass is reachable beyond that.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 45.45 km (includes 7 km hike)
Ride time: 4:16:07
Average speed: 10.64 km/h (the hike obviously brought this number WAY down)
Maximum speed: 56.93 km/h (fortunately, this wasn’t during my hike down from Lake Agnes)