Rawson Lake ...

The beginning of the trail, along the edge of Upper Kananaskis Lake

When travelling alone I seem to, understandably, have a lot more time to myself to do things like blogging.  Obviously, while my Mum is here, my priority is spending time with her, so my entries will be short and sweet.   So, I apologise in advance for the scattered, and probably poor quality, entries over the next couple of weeks.  More photos will be posted later.  Once our North American adventure is over, I'll try to eloborate on our time a little more. 

Kananaskis Lake

Welcome to the Rockies!

Last Thursday, I introduced Mum to the Canadian Rockies for the first time.  We began by driving south on the Cowboy trail, with Mum eagerly looking out the window for cowboys and wildlife.  Soon after, we headed along Highway 40, a very pretty drive into Kananaskis Country.  The scenery was particularly spectacular with the autumn colours and evidence of the recent snowfalls.  We parked at Upper Kananaskis Lake and  began our hike up to Rawson Lake, a beautiful alpine lake reached by 2.7 kilometres of uphill climbing.  We were the only ones on the trail, possibly because we had ignored the park staff's warning of ice and snow.  It was pretty snowy and icy, but we found that by walking on the snow on the side of the path and holding onto trees, we were able to reach the top (and the bottom again!) with minimal falls.  At the top, we were met by the incredibly still and reflective Rawson Lake.  We found a perfect spot to enjoy our lunch of beef jerky (a Canadian staple), nuts and fruit.  It was a perfect introduction to the Rockies and now we are both looking forward to 4 days of hiking and exploring in Jasper and Lake Louise.

First glimpse of Rawson Lake

Snowy Rawson Lake