A Glacier
A Pica 
Lake Louise from far above
The Tea House
Another clear day, a little on the cool side, but sunny and perfect for another hike, so we drive up the mountain to Lake Louise early enough to get a parking spot. The goal of the day is to canoe the lake and get some selfies, but the lake is misty, so we decide to walk the lakeside trail. As we near the end of the lake and look back the lake is still not clear, so we decide to continue on to the Plains of Six Glaciers Tea House which is a somewhat moderate vertical hike of 5.5km one way and elevation gain of 1215 ft up to the maximum elevation of 6890 ft. Note, this is not the Lake Agnes Tea House which is an easy walk from the main entrance to the lake. I would guess less than 5 % of the tourists do this hike which makes it nice to get away from the crowds.
The hike most of the way is on a well worn and marked trail. At one point we come to a cliff where we all (because of my vertigo) take the lower path along the horse trail. Once past this area we begin the final steep ascent to the tea house where the path becomes a little slippery covered in snow in spots. Finally at the teahouse we stop for a cuppa and some soup. They have a really large selection of teas and the soup was hearty and tasty. The menu explains the origins of the teahouse and the present day operations. What a great end to a great hike. Again, the pictures say it all. On the way down we are treated to a glimpse of some Pica living in the scree.
Back at the lake, it has finally cleared and we are able to get our canoe into the water for some photo ops.
Great day !
Great small easy hike. I’ve spent a couple of New Years Eves there. Friends would rent it we would all hike up. Have a big fire and enjoy the night. In the morning we would have a wonderful eggs, bacon & home made hash browns. Then clean up & we all head back down to our individual cars in the morning. Great memories at that tea house. Except sleeping on the hard floors. Remember this is about 25 years ago. Leia was with me on my back in a sack. Good ole healthy days. 😊
Have fun guys. Miss you lots already. Hoping all is going great & you are both happy in your retirement. Love you Kim & Chris. Big hugs, ok.
It sounds like it was quite an amazing place Rebecca. I believe there are two tea houses at Lake Louise. The one we went to has been owned by a mother in the 70s who raised her two daughters in this remote spot on the way to the six glaciers. One of the daughters now runs the house, they get one helicopter lift of supplies in the spring and the rest is brought up by horse or staff. Power is by solar and propane. The friendly staff rotate shifts every 5 days and stay at there. Needless to say, they say the northern lights and stars are amazing.