Yesterday, accompanied by good friend and fellow photographer Bob Bear, I enjoyed a beautiful day in the Rockies, hiking and taking photographs. Our hike began at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge situated on the shores of Bow Lake, about 40 km northwest of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway. It’s a moderate hike, 9.2 km (5.7 miles) in length with an elevation gain of 155 m (510 ft). It’s a very popular hike, especially on a gorgeous day such as yesterday. We encountered literally scores of people, including a large contingent of grade 7 students and their guides, presumably teachers.
The first segment of our trek followed the shoreline of Bow Lake. Today’s first picture is a view down the lake featuring St. Nicholas Peak and the Vulture Glacier. The large mountain to the left is Crowfoot Mountain. For those who like reflections in the water, the lake was calm at this hour and nicely picks up Crowfoot and the glacier.
Emerging from the forest, we crossed a vast alluvial plain, a flat area covered with deposits of rock left by the retreat of the Bow Glacier. The meltwater from the glacier traverses the plain in a web of streams, emptying into Bow Lake. In the distance you can see Num-Ti-Jah Lodge (red roof), backgrounded by Cirque Peak.
After traversing the alluvial plain, the trail ascended through a wooded area where we got our first view of the Bow Glacier Falls. The glacier is behind the rock face bridging the space between one of the peaks of Crowfoot Mountain (left) and Portal Peak (right). To the left of the trail is a slot canyon, the channel for the meltwater descending to the alluvial plain.
A little further along, we came upon a great view of Mount Olive and the Vulture Glacier, to the south of Bow Glacier.
After descending from the forest and traversing a rubble strewn area, we reached our ultimate destination, Bow Glacier Falls. The falls are 125 metres (410 ft) in height and follow a circuitous path through the rock face to reach the bottom. I had to move in fairly close to the falls (within the shadows) to avoid the excessive contrast between this area and the surrounding sunlit areas. Despite being as close as I was, it wasn’t difficult to capture its full height, flipping the camera vertically and opening the zoom to 45 mm focal length. I used a monopod to steady the camera at slow shutter speeds, which also serves conveniently as a walking stick.
At this point, we reversed course and headed back to the trailhead. The view downhill is pretty spectacular with Cirque Peak (right) and Observatory Peak (left) almost constantly in sight.
As we traversed the alluvial plain in the final stretch to the trailhead, we came upon a number of stone cairns. I can only assume they were built by more industrious hikers, who were less hurried to get back the lodge and have a beer.
One final shot, this one taken earlier on the outward journey to the falls. It’s the Bow Glacier, not visible as you approach the precipice just below it. This is a great view with Portal Peak on its right.
It was a wonderful day to be outdoors. We spent 5 hours, enjoying the surroundings and taking photographs. Looking forward to the next one.
S P E C T A C U L O R. ?
Thanks, Patricia. I’m pleased you enjoy the pictures.
Great photos, from an obviously very enjoyable hike. Thanks for sending them to me – we enjoyed them almost as much as you did in taking them.