The woods were still and quiet, and the path was free of tourists. When we reached the cascade, we spread our picnic on the ledge beside the clear rushing water and ate greedily. The ambience was Swiss alpine. The walkway around the shore's paved pathway was jammed. The one-hour trip on foot was steep, as we crisscrossed the face of Mount St. Piran.
Fewer tourists tackle the trail, which is definitely grueling in places.
But for us, the awesome view of glaciers sitting atop mountain summits captured the essence of the Rockies. There was a reward for our stomachs as well as our souls. We found a tiny, wooden teahouse teetering atop Mount St. Piran at the lake's edge. Nearly 100 years old, the creaky structure has no electricity, so provisions are brought up daily by pack horse from Lake Louise. We gulped herbal tea and hot chocolate and nibbled lemon poppyseed muffins and chocolate-chip cookies.