CR-2010: Grassi Lakes, Mount Engadine Lodge, and Three Lakes Valley

After a month away from the blog, it's past time for me to finish describing our 2010 Canadian Rockies trip ...

We stopped in Canmore to stock up at Le Chocolatier, whose goods we had sampled a week before, and paused at the Quarry Lake parking area to eat. We had our bagged lunches from Lake O'Hara, which because we had not packed them ourselves did not have our usual quota of three cookies (the kitchen prepares them for those leaving on the morning bus). We supplemented with one of our newly purchased chocolate bars. The park includes a huge expanse for off-leash dog walking and ball-tossing; we were interested to see several owners using plastic devices, similar in principle to a jai alai racket or an atlatl,  sold as "ball launchers," that let pet owners give a ball a long toss with ease.

After lunch we drove a short way to the parking area for the Grassi Lakes hike. We had never taken this walk, although we had driven by the parking many times, because it was too short to anchor a day's outing, and, because it was so close to Canmore, we assumed it was quite tame. What it is, is beautiful.

The lakes are named after Lawrence Grassi, an Italian immigrant who, despite a full time job as a coal miner, created many of the trails in the region. At Lake O'Hara there is a plaque dedicated to him next to the "Grassi Steps" on the Lake Oesa trail. A sign has also been erected on this trail.

A wonderful book about Lawrence Grassi and George (Tommy) Link, another much different trailblazer in the region, is "Tommy and Lawrence."

On the way up you can admire the falls that drain water from the lakes.

Here is a view from just above the lakes, with Canmore in the distance.

The clarity of the water in these lakes is astonishing, generating a novel color with each additional inch of depth. The entirety of this rock ledge is underwater.

I tried to make a panorama of one of the lakes, but made a poor job of orienting the photos. So, here are two partial views!

After visiting these small but stunning lakes it was time to drive on to Mount Engadine Lodge for the next two nights. The road becomes unpaved almost immediately after the Grassi Lakes, but in past years this had not been an issue. Perhaps because of the wet summer, this September the road, especially the heavily-trafficked first ten miles, was in distressing condition. Potholes abounded, and the uphill stretch to the Spray Lakes had areas where rocks were strewn as if from a giant pepper shaker, a few as large as soccer balls. I was driving the Mustang convertible, a vehicle with low ground clearance and low-profile tires. We crept along the road, weaving to avoid rocks, potholes, and washboard patches. As much time was spent in the oncoming traffic lane as in my own. After cresting the climb and working our way along the road the conditions improved and we gradually sped up, reaching the lodge without damage.

This is the view from the deck outside the dining area as we gathered for dinner.

The lodge is famous for moose viewing. As you can see in the above picture, it is perched just above an extensive meadow with a meandering creek; in addition there is a mud wallow just below the lodge. Over the years we have spotted moose, elk, deer, and beaver in that meadow, and cougars have been seen, but the most reliable sightings are of the moose, usually several every evening. First, a male moose came to the wallow, his antlers still growing and pink-tinged with blood vessels.

A little later a female with a yearling showed up, and then another female. The two ladies did not get along -- look at their laid-back ears.

The last rays of the sun are coloring the mountaintops.

This was the view the next morning from our second-floor room. Clear skies meant a frosty morning.

 

Zooming in on the tip of the peak ...

It was coffee time, not yet breakfast time, when the call came out for "all hands on deck."

It was a mother moose and her calf moseying past the lodge. This photo has picked up the tint of the window.

I tried to get a good picture of the calf, and got an adequate one. I tried to remove the blue tinge from the image, but may have a bit of excess yellow now.

Joan and I had first intended to hike to Burstall Pass, to which we had been only once in the last six years, and from which we hoped to spot White Man Mountain and other landmarks of Talus Lodge. One feature of that route, about 2¼ miles in, is crossing a wide meadow with a braided glacier-fed stream cutting through. Given the precipitation of the last couple of days, we felt that it might not be possible to jump across: wading would be required. Not for us at these temperatures, so we settled on a re-visit to Chester Lake and the Three Lakes Valley.

As we drove down the lodge's driveway, we spotted Mr. Moose taking his ease in the frosted grasses of the meadow. I got out of the car to find a photo viewpoint between the trees.

As I walked a little further up the driveway I suddenly saw this young fellow twenty feet away or less. I stopped. He seemed unconcerned. See the frost on his back, and how he's munching. Time for breakfast!

Only in preparing this photo did I notice the braid dangling from the right (left as you look at it) antler. Click on the image to see it more closely. Doesn't that look like a heart fastened onto the strands, about 2/3 of the way down? This is a moose with bling! He's sure to impress the girls.

A short drive took us to the Chester Lake parking area. A sign about Kananaskis Country had been placed at this popular trailhead.

 

The bright sunshine was inspiring after the stretch of wet weather. From the parking area we could look up the valley, on the other side of the road, that leads to Burstall Pass. We were the second car of the day.

The hike to Chester Lake starts with an old logging road that climbs steadily, switching back and forth. Except for birds and flowers -- not too many of them this September morning -- it's an unremarkable section. It's also popular in winter with cross-country skiers. Then the logging road ends abruptly at a cluster of bicycle stands, and the hike continues on a trail.

As the trail approaches Chester Lake it levels out, with only a few small rises to cross. There are meadows with frost heaves, ground squirrel burrows, bear diggings, and long views of the mountains surrounding the lake.

Turn your gaze slightly to the left, and the tops that line the Three Lakes Valley are there. 

Chester Lake is scenic, surrounded by mountains. Fishermen, families, and picnickers favor it. In one of the meadows just before, we met and passed two young men (and their dog, equipped with doggie saddlebags) who were planning to climb to the high pass at the head of the valley. We were aiming at the Three Lakes Valley, however, and barely paused. A side trail leaves the north shore and climbs a diminutive ridge that separates the two valleys. Before the trail turns up the Three Lakes Valley, it passes the Elephant Rocks, a collection of large and larger boulders that make a great rest stop. Note to self: get a picture next time!

As we climbed higher the snow on the ground thickened. This was not all bad, because some snow made it easier to walk through muddy spots. There were footprints in the snow, so a) we were not breaking new ground yet, and b) someone else would discover any bears. With a little more altitude, the view back to Burstall Pass began to open up.

When we reached the first lake, there was the sheen of ice atop it.

Looking up valley, there's a melted spot in the lake where it gets the most sun.

At this point we met the pioneers that had gone before us in the snow, a group of four. They were satisfied with having reached the first lake, and decided to turn around. Joan and I continued on and passed a pair of cheerful larches that were not fully golden yet.

 

One reason why many turn around after reaching the first lake is the change in character of the trail. Beyond the lake, it's not really a trail, but more of a series of cairns that guide you in a general direction. It starts with a steep climb up a gully to the top of a stony shelf, which is also intimidating. Joan and I had done it before, but now it was covered in snow. In some places the snow would be barely an inch deep, and in others a foot deep, a sculpture of the wind.

We made it up the gully and paused to look back. The first lake is at lower left.

Beyond the first lake, it's difficult to determine where the other "lakes," or glacial tarns, really are. Some dry up. In a wet season, there may be several small pools in the uneven terrain. If your goal is to bag all three lakes, you must use your imagination. We were satisfied to hike further up the valley for a while, and then sit in the lee of a rise and eat lunch. While eating I began to admire the snow blowing off the top of Mt. Galatea.

Here, Joan offers some scale in a picture pointed up the valley not far from our lunch spot. The walking was a mix of bare rock, thin snow, and snow banks, all depending on the wind patterns.

By now, although the sky is getting milkier, the sun has melted a lot of snow, exposing the ground-hugging alpine vegetation.

The melting of the snow also meant that my trip back down the gully to the first lake was much muddier: less frozen water, more wet soil. Joan negotiated it without mishap, but I slipped twice, with only my dignity damaged and some mud on my pants.

That evening at Mount Engadine Lodge was one of their special Music in the Meadow events. The artist was Suzie Vinnick, a rollicking and award-winning blues/folk/rock performer. I should have tried harder to get a good photograph, but can offer only a blurry one. Sorry, Suzie! Readers, please check out her first-class web site.

The next morning I had the idea to capture some images of the dining area before the breakfast began.

Hmm ... now what is he looking at?

Mr. Moose is giving us a send-off appearance.

This day there would be no hiking. Soon it was raining again, switching between drizzle and shower. We drove to Calgary, had an early Indian dinner with friends, Barry and Galina, and faced the challenge of repacking our luggage, shifting from hiking mode to airline mode. With the entire evening to work on it, there was no problem.

More interesting was the dilemma posed when we first arrived, getting to the airport three hours before our departure (8:30am) to be sure of clearing US immigration in time to make the flight. First, we wanted to call Budget Rent-a-Car to see how early we could drop off our shiny red Mustang. The written documentation was full of warnings and admonitions about dropping off the car before Budget was open: any and all risk/damage to the vehicle would be solely and completely our responsibility. All the 800 (toll-free) numbers on the contract and sleeve were useless, connecting us to national numbers that weren't picking up on a Sunday night. Finally Joan called the 800 number on the car keys, and got a local (Calgary) representative, who said that they would not open until 6:00am, but it would be fine to drop off the car. Just drop the keys in the box at the Budget booth next to the aisles of cars.

Arriving at Budget at 5:30, we parked the car, filled out the return form, and put our gear on a luggage cart. The booth had a key box, yes, but a sign prominently posted stated that you should return not only your keys, but a copy of your contract. We only had one copy, and Joan was not about to surrender the only documentation she had of our agreed terms and rates. So we dropped off only the keys. And all was fine; when we received a final statement from Budget, we even had a small credit for dropping the car off earlier than the contract stated.

This seems to be a rule of living in modern times: companies will post bushels of rules, and try their best to scare you, but often the local operation isn't as concerned about the bureaucratic details. Of course, this is never guaranteed.

We made it through US customs and immigration with only ordinary delays, but the line was clearly backing up behind us. It was good to get there early. With the US formalities being handled in Calgary, the flight is considered domestic, which makes connections in the States much easier.

We already have started putting together next year's trip.