Moraine Lake

Happy Canada Day!!

It was in the fifties when we got up this morning.  Brrr...  We drove up to Moraine Lake this morning to kayak.  By the time we got there, the parking lots were already filling up so we found a parking spot instead of unloading near the lake.  We loaded our gear in the kayaks, covered the hatches and took them one by one to the place we had scoped out the other day.  A kind gentleman with what sounded like a Dutch accent helped us get them over a fence.

The water was like glass and for once the sky was bright blue.  The lake is in the Valley of the Ten Peaks and they were spread out in front of us.  Other than one guy on the far side in a kayak and a few canoeists, we had the place to ourselves.  We leisurely paddled to the other end of the lake snapping many photos along the way.  Despite the silt that makes the gorgeous turquoise color, we could surprisingly see quite far down into the water.

Our Launch Site Between Two Logs

Reflections and Rocks on the Bottom

Five of the Valley of Ten Peaks

At the far end of the lake, there were water falls and a more rocky edge with tiny little alpine flowers growing through the moss and rocks.  There were huge mounds of snow on one of the mountains and we debated whether it was a glacier or not.  We got out to stretch our legs being aware we were in bear country and then headed down the rocky, cliffs side of the lake.  From a distance it didn't look very interesting but the various mosses and lichens as well as variety and size of fallen rocks and scree kept our attention.  I really enjoyed it more that the forested opposite shore.  We even saw some thin sheets of ice floating in the shade.  By the time we got back to the other end, the wind was coming up so it was a good time to pull the boats out and return home.

Thin Sheet of Ice Floating on the Water

Ted brought the car near where we put in so we didn't have to carry the boats through the parking lot.  We had taken lunches but decided to go back to clean up first.  We sat outside to eat and I was writing about our experience when a rental RV pulled into the site next to us.  The man stuck his head around the corner and asked if we had had a good paddle this morning.  It was the guy who had helped us earlier.  A couple from Florida is in the site on the other side of us.  The rest of the day was spent napping reading and catching up on "stuff".