Highline/Paradise Creek March 23, 2019

I looked forward to today pushing on with extending snowshoe season and making one last kick at it with a trek back into Paradise Valley at Lake Louise.  Well on into the day I realized it's time to get this kick over with and pack that sport in.  With what transpired, it turned out being a day where we had to "save the day"!        

There are many signs it is obviously spring but I have been in denial.  We arrived at the Lake Louise Parking Lot and before being permitted to park, we had to drive through a pylon maze that lead us to a Park Pass Check Stop.  I thought, March Break, busy, of course it's Spring Time.

We snowshoed up the Highline Trail at times on packed snow and other times on unsupported snow and then spotted what possibly were bear tracks in the dirty snow.  All spring things!  We made it to the major intersection where the views began and I was ignited with excitement for the beauty.  

A mere few minutes along the trail into Paradise Valley we came upon a collapsed snow bridge.   That stopped us in our tracks, it was wide plus deep and there were signs too of other areas further up that looked ready to melt away.  A sure spring sign! 

Before doing an about face and heading back, I made sure to capture a shot to commemorate our day here.  I thought possibly the next time I am up here, I will be up on that mountain to the right, Saddleback Mountain.  If and when that happens, it will mean it is summer.

We found a safe spot, packed down the snow, then settled in for a long spring break.  It was very warm and peaceful so we decided to stay put for quite some time.  Yup!  Spring Time!  We began the discussion of how would we "save the day" seeing as now we had lots of time to spend.

We opted to snowshoe down the official Paradise Creek Trail instead of along side the creek which I did the other week. I knew it had many snow bridges which made it was an unsafe area to be today.  We found our way out to Moraine Lake Road from Fairview.  As we snowshoed down, three X-C Skiers passed by, slowly passed by, very slowly, very very slowly passed by even having to push with their poles to move.  Slow wobbly not too noticable ski tracks, of course  it is spring!

 view off towards the Ski Hill and down to the Village

what one last big kick at snowshoeing this season looks like

the snow would not even kick up

melted snow exposing spring

Once back at the car we took our time gearing down, favouring to enjoy the warmth from the sun shining down on us. I had a new pack to try today and the outcome is, it is a keeper.  I now feel ready to retire those snowshoes to the basement until next season.

This was the route we covered today.

This was a sweet season of snowshoeing with there being twelve "outs & abouts" in our mountain playground.  Many of the routes were new to me and each time I was afforded an opportunity to make new friends and to share days with old ones.  Thank you for each of those twelve fun days.