Banff National Park December 12, 2024

 

spirit of the season in snowy surroundings

I found what I was looking for!  I saw it! I felt it!

  I found the vision in my watercolour painting along the trail at Lake Louise! 

 This is it, the spirit of the season in snowy surroundings!  

It began to look magical the further west I drove this morning and when I arrived at Lake Louise, I felt that magic.  While the snow is not new, it still looked pristine. It was unusually quiet in the townsite and at the Lake itself, but this could be the calm before the storm. I had been monitoring the webcams so I knew I would not be skating, there would be no ice castle nor ice bar.  I was happy and content to be where the snow was!  

This will eventually be ready for skating. 

 Right now it looked like a mess of frozen slush.  

I always enjoy seeing the mounds of snow collected on rocks and wood 

in the water near the edge of the lake.  

The above photo is a close up of the wood & snow in the middle of the photo below.

The last time I hiked up to Fairview Lookout was in November of 2010. I was due for another visit so did that before walking along the Lake. The trail followed up through the forest where the trees were adorned with snow.  You can see the yellow trail marker near the bottom of the photo.

This is the view from Fairview Lookout! From here that skating surface looks so ready but distance makes it deceiving.  That’s the ski hill at middle right.  

After capturing my selfie shot, I enjoyed a snack and a hot beverage.

It was still very quiet when I arrived back down at the lake.  I saw workers beginning to prepare for where the ice bar will be built.  I saw blocks of snow off to the side that were being supported by large slabs of wood. No ice bar yet but I hoped to see ice climbers at the far end of Lake Louise.

Someone’s Snowman along the trail!

It measured about six inches high.

This is what it looks like when the child within comes out to play!

snowy crystal icy creations 

finding my muse after already creating the watercolour painting 

(painting is the Christmas ornament at beginning of the blog post)

the ice climber on the ledge near the top

I stayed on the main trail rather than walking on Lake Louise.  It looked rough with either frozen slush or soft ice.  While walking back, I met this outfit on their way out.  That would have been a bumpy ride for the guy being pulled in the bucket.  They were employees heading to the end where the horse drawn sleigh rides stop then turns around on the edge of the lake.  The area needed maintenance before the horses and sleigh dare venture onto the surface.

cross-country ski trail groomer

she was freshening up the track across the lake

down time at day’s end