A few days into our stay in Golden, the sun came out after a bit of snow had fallen and we headed to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. On the way to the park we noticed the animal crossing over the TransCanada Highway and nearby some big horned sheep were ignoring the official crossing and creating their own. The view kept getting more and more beautiful (which I had not thought was possible), as we drove into the national park.
What an adventure awaited us at Emerald lake. The cold air and beautiful sunshine made me anxious to get going. The snow was pure white powder over a solid ice lake. The mountains were glistening and I was falling in love with the Canadian Rockies!
When we got to the lake, Amy was okay to put on her skis (and did not want to take them off for much of the afternoon!) We skied and snowshoed across the lake to a trail in the trees. Amy stopped to admire a snowman that someone else had made. Sarah stopped to make a snow angel.
Gil was okay to be in the snow since this was a flat and beautiful route. He was quite patient with Amy as she skied on, sometimes falling, but always remember to "get back up and try again" which was the mantra Sarah taught her.
The view across the lake was so amazing. There were several frozen waterfalls that we admired across the lake from us. It was a bright sunny day, and the view was spectacular!
For awhile, we went into the trees on a nice groomed trail. Amy kept plugging away with Gil pulling the sled. Sarah and I were going a bit faster. The oldest of the other three kids, Carolee, did an excellent job on skis and the two younger boys were happy to ride in the sled.
When we got to the far side of the lake, we took a break to take in the view and have a snack on a snow covered bench complete with shovel :-).
I headed back on an upper, skier only trail, and Sarah, Gil, and Amy hiked back across the lake in snowshoes and snow boots. At this point, Amy had skied two miles and was refusing to ride in a sled, so she walked on the way back to speed things up a bit. Walking on water has never been better!
When we got back to the car, our hosts had left hot cocoa and cups- such a nice thought. On the ride home, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset. What an amazing way to end an amazing day! The beauty of the lake and the mountains took my breath away.
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