Lake Louise, Alberta The lake was originally named Emerald Lake in 1882 by Tom Wilson, a railroad surveyor, who was the first white man t...

Lake Louise, Alberta

The lake was originally named Emerald Lake in 1882 by Tom Wilson, a railroad surveyor, who was the first white man to discover it.
A couple of years later it was  renamed Lake Louise after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, who was married to John Campbell, the fourth Governor General of Canada.




Lake Louise was named Lake of the Little Fishes by the Stoney Nakota First Nations people, after the whitefish, splake and trout that live there.



The reason that the lake is such a bright turquoise colour is because it contains both clear water and billions of particles of rock flour. This rock flour is a silt formed from glacial ice continually moving and grinding against the bedrock beneath it. The rock flour drains into the lake and becomes suspended in the water floating near the surface, when the sun shines the combination of water and rock flour absorb most of the colour spectrum, except from green and a bit of blue. 

The Fairmont Château hotel in the distance.

If there's one thing I've noticed about myself it's that when it comes to tiny critters I get very snap happy. I'd heard some squeaking in the rocks and spotted this little guy, it wasn't until I read a book in Banff that I found out it was an American pika - like Pikachu.



American pikas are apparently considered to be one of the best early warning systems for global warming in the US. Their habitat consists of cool mountain ecosystems, so it's believed that temperature increases are causing them to move higher up in search of a more suitable living environment.



And then I found some chipmunks.




After Lake Louise we headed to Tunnel Mountain Village campground in Banff, where we were told there had been a bear spotted on the site that afternoon. 
We didn't see any bears, but one morning Andrew went across to the toilet and a coyote ran past him.

Next to our campsite there were a gang (I had to google that, I thought it was herd) of elk. 



All in all, I am completely sold on RVing and I'd absolutely jump at the chance to do it again. 

Happy campers!

After visiting Vancouver Island for the weekend, we got the ferry back to Vancouver to pick up our RV. We managed to get a relocation deal ...

After visiting Vancouver Island for the weekend, we got the ferry back to Vancouver to pick up our RV. We managed to get a relocation deal for five nights which turned out way cheaper than just renting it normally.


The first night we stayed in Nairn Falls Provincial Park, without any electric or water hookups. Rather than being given a specific pitch we got to choose our own, and because it was pretty big and empty we weren't really near anybody else.

Nairn Falls Provincial Park Waterfall, Pemberton

In the morning we took a walk to the waterfall.








Duffey Lake




Log jam
On the second night we stayed at an RV park beside a lake. I went for a little walk around hoping to see some wildlife, and in the bushes I was greeted by a black and yellow snake. Despite my previous encounters with snakes, I still almost jumped on top of Andrew. We didn't have any internet at the time, but from having a look now I think it was a common garter snake. Reading up on them, if you try and catch them apparently they release a mix of musk and poo, so I'm pretty glad I didn't get too close. They also usually have 10 - 15 babies per litter, but have been known to have as many as 80. How is that even possible?! The wonders of nature.

Dutch Lake RV Park, Clearwater

In the morning we went for a little swim in the lake, which had turtles in. And probably some more snakes.




Athabasca Falls, Jasper

The waterfall is only 80ft high, but every couple of years someone loses their life by going off the trail and slipping on the rocks.







The Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre







While in Vancouver, Andy's friend suggested we do the Grouse Grind.  The Grouse Grind is known as 'Mother Nature's Stairmaste...

While in Vancouver, Andy's friend suggested we do the Grouse Grind. 
The Grouse Grind is known as 'Mother Nature's Stairmaster', and is a 1.8 mile trail going 2,800 ft up Grouse Mountain via 2,830 steps. Before I did it, all this information meant nothing to me, and it was only when we arrived and read the warning signs and found out you're only allowed to walk up it and not down I began to question whether doing it in jeans was a sensible idea. It wasn't. 
It was pretty tough, although I did have a few moments of energy where I ran up the stairs. Only to regret it a few minutes later. 



When we reached the top I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't a big congratulations sign, but the view made up for it. 










As I mentioned before, you're not allowed to walk down the trail because of health and safety, so you have to pay $10 to get the Skyride (cable car) back down.  





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