Hiking At Lake Louise

      She has returned, once again, just in time to wish you a Happy New Year! Hopefully you had a wonderful Christmas season - I have so many things to share with you, as the past several weeks have been incredibly busy. 

For now, we are going to continue on our mountain adventures, during the month of October. It's been nice to reminisce about autumnal moments that happened in 2024. 

Of course, we had to go for a few hikes out at Lake Louise. It's such a gorgeous spot and now that we are familiar with it, the hikes have become even more enjoyable. Our first hike there was on a rainy day, which ended up being perfect, because the views were breathtaking. Rain always brings out the most vibrant colours. 

Even the drive out there is wonderful. As you can see, it started sunny, then slowly developed into fog and rain. At first, we were concerned, but it ended up being just fine in the end. 

As you are walking down to the lake, you begin to see these giant gorgeous mountains peeking through the fog and clouds. I love autumn because everything has changed colour, so startlingly yellow leaves are everywhere. 

 "Autumn leaves don't fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar". ~Delia Owens 

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree". ~Emily Bronte

Beginning our hike; take note that all the layers we put on to address the rain are on. Hehe 

Oh my gosh, I cannot stop raving about how many adorable mushrooms we saw everywhere!!! We hit the perfect day, where with every few steps, a new beauty could be spotted. Brace yourselves because there will be a lot of mushroom photos within this post. 

Going up the mountain, I discovered I was actually in pretty good shape this year! I was able to go a lot further and more quickly, than I was able to last year. Here is me taking selfies while Raccoon is absolutely dying in the background. You can basically hear me giggling. 

"Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom." ~Thomas Carlyle 

This was definitely a fairy home I stumbled across. I couldn't resist giving the roof a kind, gentle pat because I am also very much in love with moss and lichen. Not only is it beautiful, but it's also essential to ecosystems and many of them have dozens of health benefits when used in herbalism! 

Don't forget to wander where the wifi is weak.

And now for my 2 favorite mushroom finds of this hike. This stunning red friend, and then this cluster of brown friends. An absolute win of a day for a nature photographer. Also, adding in a 3rd mushroom photo here simply because I can, and YOU MUST ADMIRE THE MUSHROOMS! 

Here is where you begin to see the shed of all the layers that got put on. 

The turquoise colour of Lake Louise begins to appear through the trees... 

The lovely vantage point at the end up this particular hike. 

He usually makes goofy faces when I force him to take selfies, but this one kinda sums us up. Celebrating our 3rd autumn together at this point, which is wild. 

A view well worth your effort to get up the mountain! 

Back down along the board walk. You can see the canoe launch to the left, and some folks out canoeing in the distance. We were really surprised people were still out canoeing since last year they had already closed down for the season at this point. 

Here is the little cabin where you rent the canoes from and get launched from. Often times this cabin will be seen on postcards or puzzles portraying photos of Banff. It's a highly photogenic spot. 

One last snap for the day, before we headed back into Banff. It was so lovely to take lots of slow days on this trip and actually get some rest. 

I have tons more photos to share and am once again prioritizing getting caught up on my adventures here on this blog, so be prepared for more of my life!