Valley of the Ten Peaks

All the packing is finally over (thank goodness) and we are on the road. First real night of camping and we managed to sleep-in partly because all we could hear through the night were trucks and trains, and we needed more sleep. Maybe not the best choice of campsite in Yoho Park! We had cruised to Yoho after spending our real first night with friends Rob and Michelle Nagy in Revelstoke, with deluxe accommodations on their front lawn in ‘Our Blue Heaven’ – their second-hand RV that came with the special name!

What to do on our second day….. how about a nice hike in the Rockies. (A note on translation for you non-Canadians here: a 'hike' is a walk in the wilderness, not a lift from the side of the road!) After sorting our gear, we got our day packs sorted and headed out for famous Moraine Lake, along with what seemed about fifty thousand others on the Saturday of Labour Day long weekend. If anyone has been to Moraine Lake, they know it is a beautiful sight, but FAR too many people. But, as soon as you start hiking, you lose about 90% of the tourists and get some solitude.


I had been wanting to do the hike here for years. We hiked up to Eiffel Lake, about 2 hours of switch-backs and side-cuts from Moraine. Some great views back over the aquamarine glacial blue of the lake, and the Ten Peaks behind. Hence the name of the valley – Valley of the Ten Peaks (which used to be on the $20 bill). We hiked with a couple from Cold Lake, Alberta and their sister from Nova Scotia. It is required to hike in groups of 4 or more, as there is a lot of grizzly bear activity in the area, and the chances of bear attacks to groups of 4+ are slim. A great hike then back to the campsite for some grub, but the rains came and banished us to our tent!! *Stub