The Other Day, I Saw A Bear ...
Well actually, I saw two bears the other day!
Sunday was a day off so I hopped in my trustworthy Jeep and went exploring. The original plan was to head to Lake Louise early in the morning (I seem to be waking up between 5 and 6am these days) and hike up to the Agnes Lake Tea House. The intention was to get ahead of the weekend crowds at Lake Louise and possibly enjoy the trail to myself.
As I drove towards Lake Louise from the village, a last minute change of mind had me turn left onto Moraine Lake road and drive to that lake instead. Even with an arrival of 8:00am, there was a small yet bustling crowd beginning to build on the shorelines. I debated about hiking beyond to Consolation Lakes but opted for a shoreline walk around to the glacial feedwaters of Moraine at the far end.
Moraine Lake used to be firmly displayed on the back of the Canadian $20 bill. When I worked in Banff back in 1987, and visitors would ask me "Where should we go today?", I would hold up a $20 bill and say "You should go here!". That is now a thing of the past. I haven't a clue what image is on the back of the current $20 bill.
I was quite surprised, however, at the variety of trailheads located at Moraine Lake. Hikes that are not too crazy in distance either to amazing destinations. Consolation Lakes are only 2.5km away. Larch Valley was only 4.5km. All sorts of interesting places to go without huge hiking distances. The key will be to be in the Moraine Lake parking lot very, very early in the morning. Why? Simply to get a parking spot! By the time I drove back down the 11km road to the junction with Lake Louise Drive at 10:15am, Moraine Lake access was already barricaded and Parks Canada staff counting precisely the number of vehicles coming out so they would know precisely how many vehicles they could let in at a time. The lovely young lady I spoke to said people were being quite angry and mean about the whole thing. We both laughed at the fact that it was only the end of May, she said "I know; I'm scared!".
So after that gong show, I stopped at the Lake Louise Village for a quick snoop around Samson Mall, grabbed a Chai Latte and Deep Dish Brownie (the last one!) from TrailHead Cafe and got myself out there! For as beautiful as Moraine Lake and Lake Louise are, the masses of people there have tainted it for me. Beauty definitely is to be found in the more remote and isolated locations.
I headed north on the Icefield Parkway to check out Bow Lake and to get away from the crowds.
This was my reward:
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Now for a big leap forward in time!
Tuesday, June 5th.
Well, a few days have passed by and I did not write a thing. Shame on me. Oh well. Here I am back again.
Currently, I sit at the table in our crew kitchen at the riverbase. I start work in an hour so inspiration is telling me to get back to what I started and fill y'all in (that is, if there are any y'alls out there who need filling in!).
The bear above was observed on a previous day off. This past weekend, when I had both Saturday and Sunday off, I added more bear observations to my list. I don't have photos of those bears, three in total, but one was a beautiful silvery grizzly feeding on the fresh grasses and dandelions roadside in Kootenay National Park. My wildlife count for Sunday was 1 grizzly, 2 black bears, 3 deer, 4 elk, several big horn sheep and lots of Columbia ground squirrels.
I finally saw a grizzly!
I was told, by a very polite and friendly park warden (who was politely reprimanding me for stopping along Highway 1 within Banff National Park...'cuz you're not supposed to do that!), that as so many bears (both black and griz) feed along an 11km stretch of highway through Kootenay NP, a sign was erected prohibiting any vehicles from stopping. And because I forgot to fill up my Jeep with gas in Radium (the gong-show tourist town at the western entrance to Kootenay NP), I had to turn around, drive past the griz a second time, fill up with gas, then drive past the same griz a third time in order to continue on my way! I will be above board however, and only count that as one grizzly sighting! But it is the first griz sighting of 2018. That counts as a huge win.
What I have learned, or realized, or appreciated, during these off-work forays, is that I am so amazingly content in this region. While wondering along a still snow-packed trail into the alpine above Peyto Lake on Sunday, and reaching the bowl below Bow Summit, I shed tears. I spoke to the mountain top (see below) and asked if it had any idea how important the alpine is to me. As I've stated before, I am not a hard core mountaineer by any stretch of the imagination. My comfort place is simply the alpine. I adore the mountains. I love the colours, the size, the gargantuan massifs. I love the tiny little flowers that grow amongst the pebbles in these giant landscapes. I love the freshness of the air; its clarity and its grace. In the alpine is where I am THE most content. It is no wonder such places bring tears to my eyes.
On a different occasion last week, after work, myself and 2 young lady colleagues drove down the nearby forest service road to find a lookout over a big waterfall. The thought struck me as I gaped at the beauty of the evening light on the fresh spring growth, that I have been waiting nine years for this contentedness to return to my life (have I written about this already?). Ever since returning to my family's home town of Squamish in 2009, I have been chomping at the bit to be in a place that truly matters to me. Again, this is absolutely no reflection upon the amazing people and friendships that I have in Squamish. I speak only in geographical terms.
My life needed further fulfilling at that time, and due to commitments at that time (namely, family life!), the need for fulfillment came in other forms (namely, my children). Now that life has done a 180-degree turn since 2009 (or 2014), fulfillment is now pouring in from all sides.
I am completely and utterly content with my life.
So what if I don't have a bunch of money in my bank account. So what if I don't have a partner in my life. Those are things that I do not NEED. 'Nice to have', perhaps, but definitely don't need.
Fulfillment comes in so many other forms. And that's where I'm at right now. I've picked myself up and moved to a part of the province/country/world that means something to me. I've landed a job back in the industry that means something to me. I am exploring the mountains that mean something to me. And, I'm writing about it...which also means something to me!
This also means something to me: It is a sign that stands at the western entrance to Kootenay National Park. It is a sign whose message has remained with me since I first saw it back in 1987 (when I worked in Banff for the summer). It completely describes my sentiments. It also brought tears to my eyes when I touched it this past Sunday.
The mountains have brought peace to me. I am so grateful to know just what it is in life that brings peace to me. I've worked hard to figure it out. And this sign is proof of the reward.
Happy Tuesday, Everyone.
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