Lake Louise Pipestone Mountain Trip February 1-3, 2013
Trip Leader: Richard Townell
Participants: Lorna, Dianne, Sarah, Trudy, Shannon, Dave, Deb, Dion, Marilyn, Nancy, Frank, Marg, Sally, Sheila, Karen & Philip, Walter & Dianne.
The group arrived at different times on Friday and easily settled in by relaxing at the local pub and enjoying a campfire at the hostel’s courtyard. The weather was clear and warm making easy driving conditions for the drivers, thank you to the drivers!
The next morning we awoke to a beautiful blue ski and the ski conditions were fantastic with temperature ranging from -5 degrees to +2 degrees. After a hearty breakfast, we packed our lunches and gear for the day and piled into the vehicles and headed to the Pipestone Loop parking lot. We geared up and off we went on our adventure with our fearless leader, Richard, leading the way.
However, a group of us ended up on the wrong trail for a short while. We enjoyed the scenic detour and warm up as we climbed a fairly steep hill and came back down it again. A few wipeouts occurred but no injuries! Richard soon realized we had ventured off and he found us. He guided us back to the proper trail and we were off!! The trails were well groomed and the snow was hard packed.
We stopped in a lovely open area by Pipestone Creek and soaked up the sunshine and warm weather, looking up at the Lake Louise ski area as we ate lunch. We skied and enjoyed the beautiful scenery for the rest of the afternoon. Dianne Rasmussen stopped along the trail to take a picture and disappeared when she stepped off the trail into the deep powdery snow! All we could see was her green pack wiggling in the snow from a distance! She was helped out and off we were again.
The trail had some hard packed icy areas on the downhill return and a few mishaps were had. Deb Switzer’s head had a run in with her back pack but she was ok with rest, Advil, and ice, and was up skiing the next day! Dion and Walter headed back on the trail for more adventure after the group reached the parking lot!
After the ski some went for a walk to the shops, rested, shopped, read, or went to the local pub before gathering for the evening meal. Everyone had a healthy glow and smiles after our first day! Sarah found some interesting treats at the candy shop and shared them at the pub with the fellows. They were sour-cream-and-onion flavoured crickets!!
The evening was so fun! We had a Mediterranean themed meal consisting of delicious starters, salads, main courses, and desserts that we all brought to share! We ate and drank like Greek gods and goddesses! After eating for what seemed like hours and many courses (yummy) we shared the leftovers with other occupants of the hostel who appreciated the tasty food. The rest of the evening was enjoyed by relaxing and visiting at the hostel’s living room area or at the camp fire.
The next day greeted us with nice weather again and we skied the Fairview Loop at Lake Louise. Dion skied an extra part of the trail and met up with us at the Lake Louise Hotel for lunch. He skied the Morraine Lake Road. The ice sculptures were amazing, a super way to end the trip! We skied back to the parking lot and said our goodbyes! Wow, the weekend went so fast. A big thank you our fearless leader, Richard, to the drivers, and to all who participated!
Until our next adventure………………….
