The Harding Icefield Trail, Alaska

Given I'd already walked the first 2.8 miles of this trail on the ice climbing trip I wasn't sure if it was worth going all the way to the top. I asked around and was assured it was worth it, so I hiked the whole thing with my last active day in Alaska. It was absolutely worth it.

Theme song: The Wishing Well by Walter Martin.

Another warm day on the lower parts of the trail. Bug spray mandatory

Exit Glacier

Start of the snowy section. Probably the last 2-3km was under boot-deep snow. I was very glad to have brought my gaiters and boot chains.

Marmot!

Exit glacier flowing down the left, harding ice field feeding it from the right

Emergency shelter close to the top

Back at the foot of the glacier. They have put up signs showing the previous position of the glacier all the way back to the 1800s, which you start seeing on the road as you're driving in.

Two Grizzlies, a Gondola, and Bow/Petyo/Moraine Lakes

The next day the weather was amazing so we headed up the Lake Louise gondola.

Glorious day for a gondola ride

Appropriately named Mt. Temple on the left

First grizzly I've ever seen in the wild.  Seeing it from the gondola was just about the perfect way to take photos and not get eaten.

Lake Louise, you can also see some of the electric fence that encircled the top of the chairlift to keep the bears away....

Lots of wildflowers

Chillin back at the ski resort

Moar Bear!

Bow Lake

We took a short hike to Peyto Lake with 2 unwilling crying kids in carriers and 5,000 mosquitos.

Crowfoot glacier

Sunset on Mt. Temple and Little Temple as seen from the hotel.

The next day we braved the parking madness (the parking is really limited) to check out Moraine Lake.

Parking shitfight

Beautiful Moraine Lake

Short hike up to get this view.  Would have loved to take a canoe out but the line for rental was multiple hours long.

Cheeky.  Very cheeky.