Linda decided to do a tea house hike with me this morning. However, the deal was she had to be ready to go by 7:00 a.m.
The Lake Agnes Tea House hike is on of those "must do" hikes that starts from the shore of Lake Louise. The tea house has been in existence since 1905, and it still serves loose-leaf tea and baked goods to patrons from all over the world on the banks of Lake Agnes. Getting there requires a 2.2-mile uphill hike with 1,300 feet of elevation gain to 7,000 feet.
But if we were going to go, I wasn't going to fight the crowds and wait in line just to say I had some tea there.
Linda got up really early and had her coffee. As hoped, we were headed to Lake Louise (a 3-mile drive from the campground) a tad before 7:00 a.m. under a cloudless sky, and we parked in the upper parking lot shortly thereafter. I learned yesterday that the upper parking lot doesn't fill up as fast, and there is a little trail with quick access to the lake.
We popped out on the boardwalk next to the boat house, and this is basically the same shot I took yesterday morning, except today the mountains weren't shrouded in clouds.
Panning to the right, there were lots more people here this morning waiting for sunrise.
Our trailhead was on the other side of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, .....
so I squeezed in and took a few pictures as we made our way around. This is the iconic shot with the mountains reflecting in the milky green, smooth lake.
We branched off heading up the pavement on the trail above the Lakeshore Trail.
I took a couple more shots before we left the lake.
The lake and the mountains were certainly beautiful in the morning light on this clear day.
But the lake quickly left our view as we headed up into the trees.
It was a steady climb, and we went slow as Linda hasn't been doing much hiking at all. With a 1,300 foot elevation gain in 2.2 miles, we didn't want to push it. The hike pretty much looked like this most of the way.
The trail surface changed, but it was a wide trail in the trees with on occasional glimpse of the lake below.
Eventually, we reached Mirror Lake (more like Mirror Pond), ....
with the mountain known as Big Beehive behind it.
Here's the reflection of Big Beehive in the lake/pond.
From Mirror Lake, we only had a half-mile to go to the tea house.
We continued up past the face of Big Beehive, and my plan was to hike to the top of it after we had our tea, although that was looking pretty intimidating from here.
Next to the trail and the stairs leading up to the tea house, was a small waterfall.
We went up the steps ....
and the tea house was right there. It took us about an hour and a half to get there.
This was the magnificent view of Lake Agnes from just in front of the tea house.
We went up the steps on the side ....
and around to the door on the front porch.
As it gets busy during the day, those that are sitting and getting served go to the front, while those getting their orders to go order at the side door to the left in the photo above.
There were a couple tables on the deck, but they were still covered in ice.
This couple improvised a tablecloth to get the best seat in the house.
By arriving early, we were able to get a table inside.
They have some drinks besides tea and a selection of soups, sandwiches, and sweets. On our Keto deal, we had to just stick to tea, but of course we brought our own food.
Just so you know, they only have sugar, so if you want a non-sugar sweetener, bring it with you. They also didn't offer spoons or stirrers with the tea, so you may want to bring something for that as well. They had what looked like maybe skim or powdered milk, but if you like a special creamer .... well, you know.
Keep in mind that they have one day a year when a helicopter makes 20 - 30 trips delivering most of their supplies. After that, staff hikes in the supplies and then they pack garbage and recycling back down when they go two to four times a week.
We got there just in time as it was getting crowded quickly.
Our tea arrived, and we completed the experience. It's $7 for a small pot of tea that will give you 2 - 3 cups, not too bad considering the location.
Oh, there are some vault toilets up behind the tea house.
Once we finished, we gave up our table and Linda found a bench outside to relax on the shoreline while I headed toward Big Beehive. That portion of the hike was another mile and a climb of another 450 feet, with pretty much all of that elevation gain in the last half-mile.
I walked along the edge of the lake ....
and around the far end where I took this zoomed shot of the tea house.
Long shot of the lake and tea house just before heading up the switchbacks on the backside of Big Beehive.
View from the switchbacks.
It's not easy for the unprepared and out-of-shape and altitude is certainly a factor. A group of four had a member that was struggling, and I suggested they make sure he is drinking a lot of water or he could suffer from the altitude. They looked at each other, and I heard them say "We're bad friends" as they walked back to check on their friend.
As I climbed, a young German fellow said to me "I hope I'm as fit as you when I'm your age. Big respect." I took that as a compliment while also thinking "Exactly how old do you think I am?". Again, I must be looking older than I think I do.
This is the last little push to the top.
There were a few openings to get views down on Lake Louise and the hotel.
Continuing on, the trail ends at this little shelter.
And some of the best views are just on the other side and below the shelter.
After taking a break, taking in the views, and having a snack with my new German friends, I headed back down.
The views that had been behind me, now were right in front of me, and they certainly added to the value of the climb.
View of Lake Agnes from the top of the switchbacks.
Looking down the switchbacks.
At the bottom, I took another couple shots toward the tea house.
One more lake shot.
Making my way back to the tea house and Linda, a helicopter came in and landed on a tiny pad next to the lake.
It dropped off some staff, and then came back with a barrel.
We assumed that it was some type of special supply run, but when Linda went to use the restroom, we learned they were emptying the latrines. That knocked out some of the romanticism of the tea house hike.
By the way, Linda said it got crazy busy and crowded right after I left, so we were both glad we sacrificed a little sleep to get on the trail early.
Heading back, we went a slightly shorter but steeper way down to Mirror Lake.
We're always up for a little new scenery.
Soon, we were back in the trees and making the long, but not-too-steep descent.
Back at Lake Louise, the sun was out along with bunches of people. I took a few more photos.
It was a great day for a hike and viewing Lake Louise.
The round-trip hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House was 4.5 miles and we probably could round that up to 5 miles with our walk to and from the Jeep. And I added another couple miles with the Big Beehive add-on.
Back at the RV, we both got showers and took naps. I had considered one more afternoon hike, but I decided I'd had enough.
Later on, we had some dinner and called it a night.
Tomorrow will be our last full day in Canada. We're going to drive to Lethbridge, and then the next day we'll be back in Montana.
Oh, what an adventure it has been.
Recent Comments