Jun. 09, 2010 - Issue #764: Hot Summer Guide 2010

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A real taste of nature

When getting there is an uphill climb, the food tastes that much better

Food always tastes better when it's prepared outside, whether it's barbecued in the backyard, pulled from a picnic basket or cooked over an open campfire. No one knows this better than Susanne Gillies-Smith who, along with her mother Joy Kimball, has owned and operated Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House at Lake Louise since 1960.

An invigorating two hours' hike along the lake's postcard-worthy waters brings you to the rustic, bustling hub: a two-story hiker's paradise built by Canadian Pacific Railway in 1927 to refresh the adventurous halfway to the glaciers beyond. By the time you reach its eye-popping location, your appetite will lead you straight to the kitchen—if the aroma of fresh-baked bread doesn't first.

 "I make the bread fresh every morning; we have hummus which we hand-mash, scones are made fresh," Gillies-Smith enthuses. "Everything's homemade, because we have to carry in fresh ingredients every day. We have no electricity, so everything we make is pretty special."

Talk about rustic. The only renovation they've made in the 50-plus years it's been in the family has been to add a propane stove to help keep up with the annual pilgrimage of outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. Despite the challenge of having no electricity, Gillies-Smith is still able to sate the most-deserving appetites, as the menu is rounded out with soups and sandwiches, chips and salsa, hot drinks and refreshing lemonade. "But the locals hike up for our chocolate cake," she intones like she's letting me in on a secret. "It's homemade."

Gillies-Smith has been coming to the tea house with her parents since she can remember, raising a pet marmot with her sister and exploring the valley as a child. "[My parents] had spent time in the area, and had heard that CPR was getting rid of some of its more far-off tea houses, so they bought it," she explains of her family's passion. "[The menu is] inspired by what we can do that's fresh up here, but also that we don't need electricity for. The idea that everything is made from scratch—especially without electricity—is pretty rare. Obviously the food is really good, but it's more the experience that is special."

From the Chateau Lake Louise, follow the shoreline trail along the west side of the lake. Follow signs to Lake Agnes/Plain of Six Glaciers to the west end of Lake Louise where the steady climb up the valley begins. There are a couple of junctions on the trail, but don't worry about getting lost: this is one of the busier hikes in the area.

"We try not to figure out how many people come out, but I'd guess 300 – 400 a day," Gillies-Smith admits. With a tea room that seats 30 and a wrap-around deck to hold just as many, this popular outpost gets cozy fast.

 "The best time of day to hike is early in the morning. In July and August the trail gets quite busy, so if you happen to be the first people on the trail you usually run into five or six marmots, and often you'll see the goats that are down low, and start to come up higher as more people arrive."

Gillies-Smith's favourite spot on the hike is the "goat's path" as she calls it—a lone ledge from where you look across a tiny pond to a moraine and glaciers. "The teahouse aside, it's one of the most incredible hikes," she expands. "It's only 6.6 km, but you see meadow, moraine, glacier, rock, ponds, rivers ...

"For such a short hike, you see so much."

Gillies-Smith tells me she's been coming to the tea house every summer since her parents bought it in 1960, when she was seven months old. I'll let you do the math, but the underlying story here is in her youthful, enthusiastic voice over the phone. If loving what you do, combined with an active lifestyle, are the keys to staying young, then Gillies-Smith has it figured out—and she's extending her secret to everyone.

"This isn't a calling; this is my choice," she declares. "It's what I think I'm really good at. If the teahouse wasn't here, I think a lot of people wouldn't hike, and I really feel like they get a real taste of nature coming up here."

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