Day
38, September 19 — A gray, rainy day
Locations: Moraine Lake; Herbert Lake
Miles driven: 109
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I set the alarm for
6:00 and got up at 6:15. I left Herbert Lake at 6:22. This was one of
the warmest mornings of the trip, though still cool enough for a sweatshirt.
The clouds probably held in some of the heat, though there were some patches
of blue out and about. I wish I would've stayed here for some of the previous
nights for quick access to Lake Louise, but I'll know this information
for the next time. I got to the Moraine Lake lot just after 6:38. The
clouds were solid over the Wenkchemna Peaks above the lake which was perfect,
but there was also a bank of clouds off to the east, though they were
above the horizon a bit. Still, I didn't know for sure if the sun would
be able to shine through or if those clouds would get in the way.
I walked to the top of the rock pile at Moraine and had constant strong gusts of wind, so it was a good thing it was a bit warmer today, otherwise this really would’ve been uncomfortable. There was no chance I'd be able to use the 4x5, unless I wanted to go hang gliding over the lake! Perhaps I should’ve given this a try! I was treated to some incredibly sweet warm light on the very tips of the peaks which contrasted beautifully with the otherwise gray matter. The light lasted for three minutes, after which, everything went totally gray again. I left Moraine around 8:45 and it sprinkled as I got back into Lake Louise. I fueled up and refilled my water supply. It was raining real good at 9:30 as I headed up the Icefields Parkway. So now it's back to this weather again, but at least the morning wasn’t a total bust.
I went as far as just past Mistaya Canyon and figured I'd stay in pullouts throughout the day. There was a sizeable patch of blue that opened up at 11:45, and one of the peaks near the Saskatchewan Crossing appeared to have clouds that were clearing off of it, but nothing further transpired. I took a nice nap at a pullout here and left at 1:15 figuring I'd just go stay the rest of the day back at the Herbert Lake picnic area where I stayed last night. As I made my way back, it was snowing on Bow Summit which had a good ground cover. A number of days ago, I mentioned in this report that there is a hidden driveway that should work out for a campsite, but my details remained sketchy as to where exactly it is, but it lies between the two Hector Lake pullouts.
At 4:00, it continued to rain, though the sun was visible through thinner clouds at times. I was looking over maps for tomorrow as I prepared to head into Idaho for a big day of driving.
At 6:12, the rain continued to fall and had stopped only for a minute or two a couple of times. I hadn't gone to sleep yet for a nap at this point, but just stayed in the sleeping bag and was thinking about this trip report and how it would all come together.
At 7:43, it was still raining, and even heavy at times. I was hoping for one last sunrise where I wanted to try another hand at Moraine since I wasn’t overly happy with any of my compositions to this point. If it should be overcast in the morning, I'd immediately head south.
7:19 AM —
Looking back to the east from the rock pile at Moraine Lake
7:29 AM —
Moraine Lake
1:40 PM —
Snow at Bow Summit