Day with a Lake in it - Episode 2

Many . . . many, of my summer and even winter ones have a lake in them. Yesterday was anothratiner beary special, as my photos will show, day "with a lake in it". I've wanted to canoe in Alberta as long as I've been here. Friday, August 12 was the day.  I had already had "a day with a lake in it" which included a kayak.  That was the summer of 2010 when I rented a kayak and with it strapped to my RAV4s roof rack off I went to of all places Payne Lake . . . not sure if those of whom it was named for would be related  to my former husband who wasn't truly of Payne blood but by re-marriage of his grandmother to a Payne - how truly complicated families are!

so . . .  continuing on with the most current lake-day viewing it from a canoe . . . I paddled all the way to the end of a high-altitude, alpine lake in the Canadian Rockies, Cameron Lake; there abouts discovering a beautiful little Shangri-La - rather a norther version in a long winters climate. 

Magnificent, stupendous, phenomenal . . . every superlative works for that special place. Never have I seen cleaner air, water or more pristine nature. . . even ICEBERGS.  Seeing my 'first-ever' iceberg was mind-blowing.  They are more beautiful in reality than one can possibly imagine.

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But back to the beginning of the canoe trip.  Having arrived at this alpine lake at 10:30 a.m. there were several others embarking also. The young girls in the above photo said they work in this national park, so are often recreating at this lake. Following behind I saw that they paddled half way out the lake then must have turned back because I didn't see them anywhere at the far end of the lake - a young working girl's budget may influence as it is not inexpensive to rent a canoe.

It was hard going at first because of paddling against the wind. Close to the end of the lake it became calm. I was a bit nervous trying to take photos and manage my paddle also, being in the bow I needed to constantly attend to the progress.

In a hugely disconcerting incident about half way into the canoe journey a gust of wind caught my lovely, Italian-made, brilliant turquoise"La Scala" sunhat unkindly tearing it off my head and stealing it away into the deep, crystal-clear  ice-water.

There was no way I was going to forfeit that hat to such a cold-hearted thief of a lake.  Frantically, madly I paddled for the spot where I could see it sinking at an alarming rate and began to reach and pluck with my paddle . . . in an emotional roller coaster of sweaty effort, I laboured, one moment hopefully having caught it on the end of the paddle only to see it slide off again.

In an adrenaline rush of determination I kept up the plucking until 'glory be' I finally caught it on the paddle when it stayed while I slowly, steadily raised it into the air, then on board.  What a coup! That hat is not only  the most comfortable sun-hat with a great wide brim to protect my already well-weathered face and neck form more UVs, but of sentimental value having purchased it in my only visit to beautiful Maui, Hawaii.

Ahhh what a relief! The 'day-with-a-lake-in-it-adventure' was salvaged (no doubt I would have been in a lessened state of lake-lovin' euphoria had I lost "La Scala' to the deep.

Now continuing on with the strenuous paddling, finally the end of the lake, a lush, green land of icebergs and many waterfalls. They dropped like skinny white pony tails from the highest glaciers. They made a musical background sound to the dip dip of the paddles.  A fine mist hung invisibly in the crisp, mountain air.

The past winter had record snowfalls in this area rendering the slopes around the lake and below the glaciers into lush, densely vegetated mini-jungles.  It was a world painted in multi-shaded greens and blues.




Destination achieved!  That, a lake-level glacier in the southwestern corner of the lake.  Although the canoe departure was from Canada this end of the lake was in the USA.

This mass of snow and ice, was devolving, the glacier was breaking up in the warm August sun and spawning mini icebergs. They floated in the crystal clear waters giving off beautiful, opaque, aqua light from the brilliantly polished ice just below the surface.

The day did not end with canoeing. That invigorating journey was just the appetizer. After a picnic lunch on the beach





and a short siesta I wandered through the woods dotted with mini alpine meadows, with camera and tripod to capture frames - hundreds of shots of wildflowers:



Having gone out on the lake in canoe with a very strong hope of seeing/photographing grizzly bears or any bears at the southern end but that was not to be. Yet, ironically, when driving down the lane entrance of the place once almost home, there was a huge silver-back - a male grizzly sauntering across the steep, high bank above the creek that crosses the property.

The window was open wide when I spotted the bear. Oops so much for photos when I loudly yelled "BEAR" as my human scent wafted out the car window into the always wary nostrils of the impressive grizzly. He quickly, easily took rambled uphill and into the cover of dense wolf willow brush.

Another great day with a lake in it!