There it is, a typical photo taken of the glacial blue waters of Lake Louise. Beautiful. A photo is worth 1,000 words, but what is outside of the frame? A photo as we all know, is a glimpse of the actual subject, perhaps 1/5th, perceiving the image with only our eyes leaving our other senses famished.
A typical photo at Lake Louise, the throngs of tourists left out of frame. June 2021
On the day we traveled to the Lake Louise area, smoke decayed our views and tainted the lungs. Knowing that lake parking is full by 7am, we chose to ride the Parks Canada shuttle bus at 8am. As expected, the lake shore was already pulsing with parking lot sight-seers.
A toy dog in a pink vest barks incessantly at another dog which pays little mind to the obnoxious creature. It’s owner, sporting similar pink attire, doesn’t seem to mind obstructing the triple wide path.
A man in a full headdress and traditional indigineous attire stands at the lakeside. White feathers and furs punctuating the outfit.
“May I get a photo with you?” I asked as I dropped five dollars in the basket near his moccasin adorned feet. “Yes, of course” He replied in a soft voice.
“What’s your name?”
“Alvin”
“Thank you Alvin, I appreciate it”
My dad took our photo, then joined in.
Alvin and I. Smoke clouds the sought after view.
Crowds don’t last long in national parks. The parking lot is a coagulation of tourists, arriving to snap a picture for the gram, turn back to the car and leave to the next destination. I believe there is a distance from each parking lot where one can see crowd numbers reduced by 90% or more. Lake Lousie crowds reduced drastically once elevation gain was involved in the hike, say 200 meters from the lake shore. Crowds naturally regather at stops along the trails such as the Tea Houses or the Beehive, but many trails between the destinations consisted of an abundance of solitude.
A smoke-marred view of the second Beehive and the absence of crowds.
The trail is ours, stepping stone to stone, admiring the trailside creatures who have been fed several too many times and of course….the human feces….Wait...WHAT?! Yes, that is what you read; We observed multiple instances of trailside human feces complete with toilet paper.
A visitor leaves their feces in a body of running water…what a gem! Please, please please never do this.
The mountains are cast of age and power, no two peaks alike. A lake known for its glacial blue color rests several hundred feet below. The avalanche path ahead is overtaken by the densely packed spruce. And here, to my right, lies a pile of human shit. What a scene.
Lake Lousie is loved to death. It’s visitors not accustomed to the outdoors wear shimmering sequin dresses, Louis Vuitton backpacks no larger than a cheezits box (their use comparable to a single pants pocket) and occasionally, the worst of all, is the person who carries a portable speaker 9km to the alpine tea house to serenade the rest of us with house trance that should have stayed in a club.
Portable Bluetooth speaker with external charger for music all day at the alpine Tea House:/
What solutions exist? What could be done to mitigate the destruction of natural beauty while still allowing humans to experience such an environment? Is the Human, as a species, the ruin of the natural world? Surely we will find out within the coming century, if not sooner, as recently predicted by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Lake Lousie is not the only place loved to death, Arches, Zion, Yellowstone and several other national parks around north america are also being hampered by the explosive growth of the crowds as stated in a release from NPR. Areas which can be incredibly sensitive and will not be able to sustain themselves if further abuse continues.
Lines, previously contained to amusement parks, are now in national parks in order to take photos. Tissues, wrappers, cups and bottles are no longer an uncommon sight on the trail side. Bags of dog waste sit idly and forgotten on a log or rock. The presence of the modern day human cannot be escaped in the areas that were once intended for such an escape. So, what is it that we can do to aid in the return of the pristine landscapes that were tales of awe inspiring wilderness? How do we mitigate the over-use of our beautiful parks?
I have no solution, it is a task that is far over my head, but I have a feeling that the answer lies somewhere in education and emotion….along with some policy changes. I would not harm an area I respect and admire. If respect and admiration can be felt by all visitors then perhaps one day we will see clean trails, clean parks and happy people. We, as the visitors to the land, can release our suppressive stranglehold, learn to love the land and respectfully walk among it once again.
What instances of overcrowding and littering have you seen outdoors? What, if any, solutions come to mind for over-crowded parks? Leave your comments below.
Human Feces on the side of the trail, complete with copious amounts of used toilet paper.