Day 7: A full week out west!
Time flies when you’re having fun! a full week has past since we landed in Calgary and so much has happened, but the adventure continues on. We’re only getting started!
Eating breakfast during the sunrise at moraine lake
Waking up at 4:30am this morning was pretty rough, as we set off to lake moraine to attend the magnificent sunrise. surprisingly we weren’t the first ones there, not by a long shot. but we did get there in time to set up at a nice spot on the rock hill to get breakfast started. looking on at the beautiful blue lake reflecting the 10 peaks surrounding lake moraine, we sipped our coffee and ate our oatmeal while taking in every inch of the sun tipped mountains in front of us. it was an amazing experience to see the mountains and glaciers slowly getting bathed in the morning sun.
Up north we go!
After saying goodbye to our campsite in lake Louise we started our trek along highway 93, icefield parkway. I know that we are starting to repeat ourselves but this was once again one of the most beautiful highways we’ve ever seen. It seems that every road we go on keeps getting prettier and prettier. Driving along the valley you can see peaks after peaks, each one looking taller and more grandiose than the last, hosting glaciers atop most. This highway sparked a wave of emotion, making me shed a few tears once again at the marvelous display of beauty in front of me.
A devastating display of power
Heading for our campsite at Abraham lake we arrived near the Saskatchewan river crossing were we started to smell and see more and more smoke, realizing that the bc forest fires where just over the corner of the valley, we heard fire fighting airplanes in the distance. Driving along, we saw the devastation of past fires, it left us in awe at the destructive power of forest fires. Thousands of acres stretching the entire valley floor was burned to the ground leaving only traces of the forest that once was.
Life goes on
After destruction comes creation. Where devastation happened, life flourished. The forest floor where the fires raged just a few weeks ago was now covered with an endless bed of flowers making for a spectacular sight; burnt pillars from the dead trees rise above colorful flowers stretching out as far as the eyes can see.
Random camping at Abraham lake.
Arriving at Abraham lake, the water was a bright silty white reflecting the snow tipped mountains across the lake. We settled ourselves in a nice campground filled with tents and vans, all of which came here for the spectacular free campsites the lake has to offer. Despite being in Alberta random camping in this region is encouraged and very simple, unlike Kananaskis which required countless paperwork. after setting up our campsite we made small campfire, roasted some marshmallows then strapped ourselves in for an interesting night as strong winds started flowing in and we could hear the rumble and saw the light show of an incoming thunderstorm.
