Alberta, Canada

Let me start by saying I am not a very athletic person. I am not competitive and never have been. I am an out-of-shape, almost sixty-year-old female with an artificial knee. Keep that in mind as I share this story that happened last month when my husband and I visited Canada and we will call it “Susan vs the Mountain.”

We stayed in a lovely little hotel in Lake Louise and decided for our first full day in Canada to hike up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse that was located on one of the mountains behind the Fairmont Chateau. This is a very popular hiking trail and we were told to arrive early due to limited parking. So at 7:45 a.m. – carrying our backpacks, water supply, and bear spray – we pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the trail head beside the shore of beautiful Lake Louise.

Our research told us that this is a half-day hike (1-2 hours one way) with a total distance of  7 km (4.5 miles). Our elevation gain would be 1300 feet (which soon seemed like 1300 miles!) and we would end up at 7005 feet. The trail began along the wooded lake shore and soon started leading upwards. When I say “leading upwards”…..I mean leading UPWARDS  (body bent in half, head forward, toes digging in) upwards. The trail zigzagged back and forth through the trees at a pretty steady incline. The trail was well-maintained, though we had to be mindful of loose rocks, gravel, and tree roots. Immediately the altitude became an enemy. Every few yards I had to grab a tree or sit on a rock and wheeze a little to catch my breath. Whose idea was this?

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During these multiple moments of trying to breathe, I would look up and be amazed at the gorgeous scenery around me. We were in dense evergreen forests with colorful wildflowers,  scrambling chipmunks, and silence…..except for my wheezing. When the trail would switch back in one direction, we had gorgeous views of the turquoise Lake Louise which was now below us as we rose higher on the mountain.

About halfway up this trail with a racing heart rate, burning thighs, and parched throat – my attitude changed. I went from “oh, how lovely” to “who in their right mind would build a  @%$#&*!  teahouse on the side of a mountain?” I was sweating, my face was bright red, and a cup of hot tea was not what I wanted at this particular moment in time. Tequila? Maybe. Chamomile or Earl Grey? Nope.

Being the hard-headed ole broad that I am, I pushed on and finished the hike in a little under two hours. The trail had been long and difficult but I was determined not to give up – I had come too far to quit at this point. We soon heard voices through the trees and knew that we were close to the end of our hike. A beautiful waterfall appeared around the final bend and the views below us were amazing. We stopped and caught our breath only to discover that the only way up to the teahouse from this point was a wooden staircase with what seemed like a thousand steps. Really? We hadn’t suffered enough? Once again I thought – who in their right minds would do this?

After a little more (okay, a lot more) griping, pulling and pushing – we made it up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse.  I was not prepared for what awaited us. The scene was breathtaking! The teahouse is a very rustic, two-story log structure situated on a scenic mountain lake and is surrounded on three sides by snowy mountain peaks. There were dozens of people here ahead of us (these crazy people hiked up here too?) and everyone was chilling and enjoying the place. We found a table on the teahouse porch, dropped our backpacks, and ordered lunch.

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The Lake Agnes Teahouse was originally built as a shelter for hikers and began serving tea in 1905.  There is no running water or electricity so the menu is quite simple. All supplies and foods are transported manually by workers, by horseback, or flown in by helicopter. Staff members bring supplies up and carry garbage back down. They offered loose leaf teas, hot chocolate, soups, scones, sandwiches, salads and chips – nothing fancy and cash only.  We sat outside with views of the Canadian Rockies and Lake Agnes and enjoyed a pot of tea, scones, and sandwiches and it was all delicious. This was another of my life’s “pinch me moments.” I have never felt such a sense of accomplishment and contentment as I did at that very moment.

After enjoying our refreshments, a brief rest period and the views here for an hour or so, we decided to head back down the trail. Getting up there was the hard part but was well worth it. Walking down was going to be a breeze. Right?

The first part of going back down was very pleasant and the trail was so much easier. I was riding on an emotional high – I had completed the uphill hike and had my bragging rights for one of the most difficult things I had ever attempted. All was well until I took a step and my left hiking boot felt “odd” and heavy. Lo and behold, the front sole was detaching from my boot! I found the nearest boulder to plop down on to examine the damage while David searched our backpacks for a cord or something to tie my boot back together. He found his earbuds and did a quite nice job of wrapping them around my foot and held the boot sole on for the remainder of my hike. David’s Boy Scout training had paid off. All was well.

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“All was well” until five minutes later when my other boot came apart. Yep! The thick rubber sole almost completely detached from the bottom of the right boot as well. It felt like I was walking downhill on a rocky trail in swim fins! We didn’t have any more earbuds or anything string-like. The best thing to do at this point was go ahead and pull this sole completely off and hobble on down the trail on the thin leather bottom. That is exactly what I did. It felt like I was walking down a steep mountain while wearing one cheap house slipper and one utility work boot, with one leg much shorter than the other.

This was one of those days that covered a full range of emotions. We laughed, I cried, we worried, and then we laughed some more. I may have even cursed a little. When all was said and done, this day will forever be etched in my brain as one of the most memorable days of my life. I was so proud of myself for not giving up and pushing myself to my physical limits. I was so proud of my husband who deserves a medal for his patience and kindness. I felt so privileged to be able to see “in person” the breathtaking sights we saw that day – scenes that cannot be replicated by videos or photos. After all was said and done…it was simply The Best.

I hope you get the opportunity to visit Lake Louise and take this hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. Words cannot describe it and photos cannot come close to capturing the real-life experience. I do have a few words of advice for you though: travel with a great partner, take drinking water & bear spray, wear new hiking boots (with stitched – not glued – bottoms), be in decent physical shape, and ALWAYS take duct tape with you wherever you go!

One final chapter to our adventure – David left me at the trail head when we finally finished the hike and volunteered to go get our car. He did not wish for me to continue walking unevenly and risk another knee injury, which I very much appreciated. So I sat….for a long time. After walking back to find our car and trying to get back to me through heavy traffic, David made an illegal u-turn to shorten his driving time back to the start of the trail to pick me up. Unfortunately for him, he turned right in front of a Canadian policeman. A $155 traffic ticket became the “cherry on top” of this day.

I always did love a bad boy.