Damian & Ed - Day 4 - Mount Bourgeau

 

Hurry up grandpa I've got the gate for you - Damian is all fired up and ready to go.

Today's outing is a hike which is a bit more strenuous than others we have done recently. We are making our way to Bourgeau Lake on the flanks of Mount Bourgeau. We ate breakfast at camp to ensure we had a good supply of calories on board for the steady two hour plus climb. In Banff National Park the highway is lined each side with a high fence to keep animals off the road and minimise accidents with vehicles and animal fatalities. At the trail head there is a gate to allow hikers through the fence.

 

Damian below the falls from Lake Bourgeau

 

The trail winds through the forest and elevation is gained steadily until the trees begin to thin out. Soon after a water fall appears and the creek must be crossed. Not a big problem at this time of the year and boulder hopping without getting wet feet is quite easy.

Eventually the valley opens up and a beautiful lake appears. At this point we have gained over 2000 feet of elevation since leaving the parking lot. The mountain summit can be reached by staying to the right side of the lake and navigating around the back of the cliffs in the back ground. The summit is at the left rear of the photograph after a further two hour strenuous hike - not today though. This will be a future day out for Damian and Ed.

Damian on top of the world - almost, but feels like it.

 

We had a lazy lunch at the lake shore and did a little exploring, skipped stones across the water and looked for marmots which began their alarm calls as soon as we arrived in their territory.

This big fellow is the alpha male of the marmot colony and sat above us on a large rock and watched us eat lunch, and all the while calling to his clan to let them know that intruders were around.

Another great day out in the back country and back to camp for a hearty meal and another sound sleep.

More adventures will be posted - stay tuned.