Maybe! It really was rather early, certainly earlier than intended. We’d dashed out to Lake Louise after work last Friday, with fingers crossed that the forecast for Friday evening and Saturday was accurate – sunshine and warm for September temperatures.
A chance to have a pleasant night or two in the tent before the chillier Fall nights arrive. The weekend following Labour Day has always been pretty quiet, so we didn’t bother with reservations…Hmm. We should have! Only one night was available, despite our pleading. (Memo to self – always make a reservation, even after Labour Day – and particularly if that has been a rainy holiday – because everyone appears to have the same plan).
We had hoped to have a lazy Saturday morning, nothing more strenuous than coffee by the fire, followed by a shortish PM hike up to the Lake Agnes tea house. Then get up early on Sunday to paddle on Moraine Lake before heading home. The tea house hike had to be abandoned for another day, and we started early on Saturday, packing up the tent and into the car before the sun had hit the campground. Might as well get to Moraine a little ahead of the bus parties…
Well. No buses, but when we arrived at the parking lot, it was over half full, and before 8am. Huh? High summer, maybe, but into September after the long weekend? This was not good! You can’t rent a canoe before 10am, so we strolled along the lakeshore trail, soon leaving most people back at the lot and near the cafe and store. The relative quiet restored me back to my usual chipper self (it can be hard to tell when I’m chipper, in truth) as we enjoyed the cool autumnal air in the shade of the trees, and marvelled at the clear reflections in the water.
It is such a beautiful part of the Canadian Rockies, and well worth getting up early for. Arriving to see the sun come over the top of the peaks is quite wonderful. (Ma PlaidCamper experienced the sun up there a few years ago. She loved it, but has never quite forgotten how cold it was, even on a bright July day. She bought mittens and a toque from the gift store, wore them for an hour or two, and reminds me she hasn’t worn them since returning to the UK. A lovely souvenir, I like to think).
Being later in the year, we didn’t see the sun crest the peaks in the early morning from the shore, but from our canoe, just after 10am. Pretty much the first canoe onto the water, and away we paddled, back down to where we’d been strolling earlier, but this time in glorious new sunshine, the rays bouncing off the water.
From chilly to warm in scant minutes, and it more than made up for a crowded campground, only one night, and an earlier than planned start to the day. A sunny morning in a canoe makes for a sunny PlaidCamper. A few hours of Canadian outdoor delight to start the weekend – probably the perfect start to a Saturday – and so we have our fingers crossed we can get out there for another weekend or two before the snow flies.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to write a comment or share a story about a perfect weekend start, real or imagined, and keep your guy ropes secure.
OldPlaidCamper 
I love this post. Really embodies such a perfect weekend. Such serendipity.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, I appreciate it! Moraine Lake is a beautiful place to spend a weekend – best enjoyed by being there early!
Enjoy your weekend.
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Beautiful photos!! This place is amazing!
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Amazing is a good word for Moraine Lake! It is lovely in any weather, but quite spectacular on a sunny autumnal day.
Enjoy your weekend!
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Hello PlaidCamper – thank you for this post and the excellent photos. Morraine Lake is one of my favourite places. On our trips to the mountains, we usually leave home quite early, when most in the city is still asleep. The drive is pleasant and relaxing, and it is a privilege to witness dawn as it approaches. We aim to be the first vehicle in the parking lot!
Morraine Lake is so beautiful -any time of the year. I have a peaceful feeling whenever I visit this lake.
Enjoy this last week-end of summer!
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Well I hope you get out to Moraine again soon – it is wonderful, and you’re quite right to be there early, best part of the day!
Thanks for reading and commenting, and have a wonderful weekend!
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WOW! This looks awesome and I’m jealous, but it’s great if you had a great weekend. It’s how Saturday should be.
I just went home and will travel a bit around Germany, so I’m quite excited for some nice Saturdays as well 😀
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It’s how Saturday should be – well said!
Enjoy your travels, and this weekend!
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Breathtakingly beautiful.
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It really is!
Have a great weekend!
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Love that right way up photo! We just want to jump right into the photo and be there (though not in the cold water!).
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Yup, stay out of the water! It is so cold, but lovely to look at or paddle on.
Enjoy your weekend.
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Those mountain lake reflections are simply stunning. How fortunate you guys are to be within a weekend’s reach of such beautiful places. Thank you for the inspiration!
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Honestly, we do appreciate how fortunate we are to be living out here – I really should know better than to complain about a busy campground or parking lot…
The photographs turned out that way because we got lucky. The enforced change to our plans meant we were at the right place at the right time, and it was hard to mess up – turn on the camera, press the button and let the scenery do the rest!
Glad you enjoyed this one, and here’s hoping you have a great weekend!
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Stunning photos and scenery. Thanks for sharing a glimpse of a Saturday morning of perfection.
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I’m happy you enjoyed the photographs! If you can’t appreciate a morning at Moraine, well, your pulse has likely stopped…
Enjoy your weekend!
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Wow, these pictures are insane plaidcamper.
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Glad you like them – it was one of those days where the reflections and sunlight seemed just right!
Hope your weekend was a good one.
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Wow! It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Maybe there will be a day when our American employers give us long enough vacations to actually make it to Canada again. And I agree on getting up early. I prefer to have the trails less crowded. I share my food, but I rather not share my trails. And morning gives the most beautiful light.
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Early, I agree! But 3:30am early? That’s commitment (and a deflated sleeping mat…)
I hope you can get to Moraine and the surrounding area one day, you’d really enjoy it!
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I know myself: It’s easier for me to force myself up than it is to wait. And for my husband, easier to get up and not having to share the trail and wait with me. 🙂
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your pictures are excellent! Your eye is getting very good at composingAdam!
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Thanks for the kind words, Wayne, I appreciate it! (You know how much I admire your photography!)
Hope you’re having a tranquil week…
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I enjoyed your post so much, pc, hearing about your discoveries and intentions, the temperatures and changing seasons. And the photos here are really wonderful — so clear and expansive, and such breathtaking vistas. 🙂
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It was a beautiful day – all I had to do on the photos was point the camera (my kind of photography!) Definitely a favourite place of ours to visit, and so happy you enjoyed it too.
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Thanks for liking my blog post. I love the outdoors as well. Your photos are very striking, clear and detailed. I look forward to clicking around your site. Thanks again!
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I enjoyed part one…looking forward to the next instalment! Thanks for taking the time to visit OldPlaidCamper, I appreciate it. I’m not a photographer, but every now and then I get lucky with a picture or two because the landscape and light work their magic!
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Reblogged this on koppinganattitude and commented:
You can smell the fresh air from just looking at these pictures! Gorgeous!
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