Day 13, August 25

Day 13, August 25

Locations: Moraine Lk; Icefields Parkway; Lk Minnewanka; Bow Valley Pkwy

Miles driven: 194

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I woke up at 5:55 and headed out at 6:00 for Moraine Lake. The clouds had cleared out overnight. I got to the top of the rock pile at Moraine at 6:25 and was the first one there. It was a blue sky sunrise. The first canoe was on the water at 9:25 which must be the time they open those up for renting. I stayed on the rock pile until 11:45 soaking in the view and waiting for the sun to light up the whole lake. That’s a lot of standing in one spot! After I came down, I walked the shoreline to the far end of the lake. My family did the same when we were here in ’94, and it is a must-do as you get a little closer to the Wenkchemna Peaks and you can never see too much of that wonderful water color. After returning to the parking lot, I headed back to Lake Louise where I fueled up ($1.00/liter). I left there at 2:35.

I started up the Icefields Parkway and stopped at Bow Lake for a bit. I then stopped at a pullout prior to the Saskatchewan River Crossing where I ate lunch and changed out 21 sheets of film. I left there at 5:17 and headed back over Bow Summit to Lake Minnewanka near Banff for sunset.

Once in Banff, I took the Lake Minnewanka/Two Jack Lake loop and took some pictures around 7:35 which was a bit before sunset, but as good as the light was going to get. After that, I headed back to the overflow lot where I stayed last night, just south of Lake Louise. I wasn’t sure where I was going to shoot sunrise, but was leaning towards Peyto.

At 8:10, I started out on the Bow Valley Parkway instead of taking the highway back towards Lake Louise. This was my first time taking the parkway, so I was making mental notes of what was here for future picture taking. I stopped in at the Castle Mountain Village at Castle Junction, which lies midway along the parkway. I called my photo buddy, Brent Doerzman, from the pay phone at Castle Junction. I talked to him for awhile and let him know I might not be coming back! He had posted an update as to my whereabouts on our Colorado nature photographer's message board. It was 9:30 when I finished talking to him, and there still some light left in the sky.

I took the highway back from here to the Overflow Campground and got there at 9:40. I decided I would shoot at Peyto in the morning.

7:17 AM — Moraine Lake