Today was the first day that we had to get up early as we had to catch the bus to Lake Louise at 9am. It was a struggle but the McD's Coffee and muffin definitely helped! The walk to the depot was chilly but didn't seem too bad however once at the depot it seemed to drop in temperature considerably and ended up changing! The bus to Lake Louise was only 45mins and the views continued to be impressive! By the time we got to Lake Louise there was a definite chill in the air and the temp had dropped even more. On arrival at the lodge the weather report informed us that it had been snowing the previous night and temps were only set to reach 7C in the day! -4C for tonight! That would explain the snow on the mountains that we passed. We sorted our luggage and piled on the layers and headed for the lake. The village of Lake Louise is tiny - more like a market square - minus the market! The road to the lake is a main one and a steep - long one according to the signs! We started our ascent with much moaning - when a campervan of 5 aussies stopped and offered us a lift to the lake! So we jumped at the offer - perhaps a little too eagerly! They were all very friendly and were from Sydney. They were impressed to hear that we were staying in Sydney at xmas and new year, but sadly no offer for somewhere to stay!
We ventured to the lake which is quite remarkable! The colour is a light turquoise colour - almost like it had been dyed. It is a turquoise colour because in the summer months active glaciers realease fine rock flour which changes the colour from the dark blue that it is in winter. The sun was peeping through the clouds so made the water glisten and then the mountains in the background with snow on top made such a nice picture - but not good enough on our camera! We stopped for a quick nibble yet a bird took a liking to Marks food and decided to take a nibble as mark was holding it! We didn't se him coming - but he had been eyeing it up for a while! While still recovering from the shock of his cheek he had another go! Much to the amusement of passers by! Mark was not best pleased and we made a run for it!
We set off on the trail towards Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes. It was a steep trail up and about 3.4km in length!! On the way up we had a flurry of snow, the Chinese/Japanese tourists seemed amazed by it!
Mirror Lake was tiny in comparison to Lake Louise but so natural looking. As we neared Lake Agnes a waterfall begun to emerge which fell from Lake Agnes and through the rocks. You were able to stand in the water practically! Up the steps was Lake Agnes which was pretty special! It didn't have the turquoise colour like Lake Louise but was crisp clear instead. Beside the lake was a tea room in a log cabin! It was the perfect setting and the perfect time to take shelter as it was bitterley cold and windy! It was only small inside but perfect for hot choc! We also had some homemade soup which was delicious! After thawing out we set off again! We then discovered that the cabin had no running water or any electricity! The staff live there between June and October and they carry the fresh food supplies up themselves! A helicopter brings the main supplies up at the beginning of the season but after that the staff do the rest! You would never have guessed but it was the perfect setting in the mountain!
By recommendation from another traveller we made our way to the little beehive which is a viewpoint with amazing panoramic views! It was definitley worth it but Mark was concerned about bears as there was noone else around, especially as he saw a bear print earlier in the day - i am yet to be convinced and i'm sure it was only a horse print! We then trekked down to Lake Louise having trekked a total of 5.8km (1km each way to beehive). On our way down we saw some horses taking a break at Mirror Lake. They were like what we rode on in Banff but i was unsure of how fair this was considering the steepness of the mountain! I decided it was too cruel!

We walked back to the town/village which was about 5km. Unfortunatley noone took pity on us this time so we had to walk the lot! We grabbed some very expensive milk and bread and headed for the lodge to collapse in a heap..again!!

We managed to bag the attic part of the room so we'll be nice and snug! The lodge is very homely! The common room is like a big lounge with an open fire, sofas and books to read. We have spent much of the evening up here! Managed to cook a yum dinner - Tuna, pasta and mayo! Even got a sauna in our lodge!