The Canadian Rockies (Maligne Lake and Lake Louise)

September 12, 2018

You can learn a lot about yourself on an 8-mile canoe paddle. Add to that a thirty/forty degree drizzle, novice paddlers, and the pressure of darkness setting in and you’ve got a recipe for fear and doubt. What if a strong gust flips the canoe and Max gets stuck underneath? What if it starts pouring and we have to turn around? Would it be so bad to wait until the weather is…perfect?

Character is formed when doubt sets in and you take action despite it. You are a sensible person. You are athletic. You can endure. Average is the enemy. And you will get the most out of life no matter what is thrown at you because you understand that life flashes by. Obstacles are present every day and if you don’t maneuver around them, they’ll hold you back from your full potential- your purpose.

Maybe these words are meant to reach someone going through a much more debilitating struggle, not a silly little camping trip. May they strengthen your resolve and remind you that there is sunshine after the rain. Just keep paddling.

We paddled through Maligne Lake in anticipation of the solitude and landscapes we knew awaited. The latter did not disappoint and I was glad the first did. It took us three and a half hours to get to Fisherman’s Bay (including time lost from zig-zagging #rookiepaddlers) and we dodged the heavy rain for most of the trip. Five minutes from the dock it started pouring on us. I fully expected to have to build a fire from scratch but immediately felt a sense of relief when I saw rolling white smoke rising followed by that familiar campfire smell and orange glow.

The paddle out was a breeze- no pun intended. My heroin hubby tied a rope to our canoe and with the three of us paddling two boats (in a much straighter line this time) we shaved off about thirty minutes. Our campsite friends (seasoned visitors of the lake) gave me two game-changing paddling tips: 1) fishtail the paddle to counteract oversteering and 2) one stroke for every two from my paddle buddy. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was so much better!

We ended this trip in Lake Louise, rising at the crack of dawn to snag a seat at Lake Agnes Tea House. Wait, Lake Louise or Lake Agnes? You get views of Lake Louise almost the entire 1,312 ft hike up, and there are several smaller lakes along the way, the last one being Lake Agnes. The Tea House was splendid! I would’ve paid big bucks to get a loaf of that bread to go! Treats and drinks to almost every heart’s delight- it was a scrumptious and well-earned breakfast.