A Cheese Sandwich Never Tasted So Good

As I've written, I'm not very athletic, except when it comes to competitive eating. I've never even skied before! But the promise of a charming teahouse 1,000 feet up a mountain was incentive enough for me to attempt a 6.5-mile hike.

A friend and I planned to visit the Plain of the Six Glaciers Teahouse, where food supplies are trucked up by horse. Granted, if there hadn't been a meal involved, you wouldn't have caught me hiking away while munching on dry trail mix. And if I'd known what was involved in this excursion, I might have stayed at ground level and sipped tea at the Chateau Lake Louise!

It was an overcast day. I was dressed as if I were about to walk down a New York sidewalk instead of hiking up a snowy mountain. On my feet were Dansko clogs, not hiking boots. My attire consisted of a T-shirt and a leather jacket, for I was totally unaware that temperature drops as you ascend a mountain. Even worse, I wasn't carrying an umbrella.

Walking around the lake, I marveled at its gorgeous aqua hue. The scene of the lake between the mountains was so picturesque that I ignored the drops of rain that were beginning to fall. For some reason, I was certain that the drizzle wouldn't intensify.

How wrong I was. While I navigated the sharp stones with my clogs, the clouds opened and the rain began to pour. The trees provided no cover; instead, they acted as colanders. The ground turned to mud, painting my black clogs brown. Since it was the very beginning of the season (and a very rainy day), the mountain was almost empty of hikers. So, I was glad to pass a rare group of seasoned hikers, although I envied their umbrellas, rain ponchos and walking sticks. "How much farther do we have left to go?" "What do you want to hear?" they laughed. "Well, you're probably about one-third of the way there."

They didn't tell me that a large part of the trail was covered with snow. As I haltingly ascended, I tried to avoid the melting ice streams, thinking that snow would provide a more secure surface on which to walk. Unfortunately, in one instance I miscalculated, stepped on a snowbank, fell, and got a legful of water. Then, I tried not to slide back down the mountain as I walked up a slippery, snowy hill. The footprints of the few earlier hikers provided footholds. My hair was now soaking wet, and I was freezing in my wet T-shirt and jacket.

In the middle of my ordeal, I wondered about the teahouse. What was the menu like? My friend opined that only tea and bread would be available. We were both extremely hungry (although, in lieu of trail mix, I had my trusty Belgian chocolate bar). Would there be souvenir sweatshirts available so that I could change my wet clothing?

The rain eventually stopped. We slowed down to appreciate the abstract designs the snow made on the dark grey mountains. The air was the cleanest I've ever breathed.

And then, we turned to the right and there it was... the teahouse! A two-story log cabin, it could have been the Ritz-Carlton as far as I was concerned. Our tired legs carried us up the stairs and we deposited ourselves at a red wooden table.

There were no sweatshirts for my shivering frame, but there were T-shirts. And fortunately, there was more than bread on the menu (although there was homemade bread). There were tuna, cheddar, "handmade hummus," and PB&J sandwiches, vegetable soup, chips and salsa, fresh scones, chocolate cake and apple pie, fair-trade coffee, tea and hot chocolate. According to the menu, all food was made fresh on a propane stove and water came from a pristine underground stream.

The tea arrived lukewarm, but the coffee was strong and hot; I asked for seconds to try to warm up. The vegetable soup was hearty and filled with pasta. Corn chips and salsa were store-bought and lackluster, but I really enjoyed my sharp cheddar sandwich on thick fresh bread. (It more than made up for the gummy apple pie!) I downed all food with abandon; it's amazing what hiking can do for your appetite! (As if I needed any help in that department.)

The Plain of the Six Glaciers Teahouse: Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.

A Peak Experience at the Banff Springs Hotel

Although I appreciate the grandeur of the mountains, I'm not much for hiking. However, I have no problem making my way up a three-tiered platter of edibles. Today, at the Rundle Lounge of the Banff Springs Hotel, a spectacular view of snow-capped peaks was the backdrop for such an indulgence.

The Rundle Lounge, which overlooks the Cascade, Rundle and Tunnel Mountains, is a great place to enjoy the Canadian Rockies without too much exertion. The cafe features assorted soups, salads and appetizers, as well as a couple of options for those who like their treats in triplicate. There is the afternoon tea, which involves three plates of chocolate-covered strawberries, white and dark chocolate mousses and assorted tarts, scones with Devonshire cream, and finger sandwiches. Afternoon tea is served only from 2-4 p.m., but the amazing "3-tiered sharing platter" is served all day. My friend and I indulged in the latter since we arrived at noon.

The bottom tier includes the popular potato flatbread with red onion, creme fraiche and British Columbian smoked salmon, and a few pieces of jumbo shrimp tempura with wasabi mayonnaise. Moving on to the middle plate, there are crab cakes, crispy spring rolls with sweet chili jam, and a mini-assortment of dim sum (pork dumplings and the like).

The "peak" of the experience is a plate featuring four Calgary cheeses (our favorite was the Camembert), ripe grapes and strawberries, crackers and flatbreads, chicken liverwurst and wild game pate. This plate was definitely the highlight for me!

Although I would have availed myself of the trio of white chocolate Brie cheesecake, Guinness chocolate cake and chai custard, my friend wanted to take a walk down the Bow River Valley trail. (For once, exercise took priority over dessert.)

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel: 405 Spray Ave., Banff, Alberta, Canada. (403) 762-2211.

Bernard Callebaut Chocolates

In one of life's minor injustices, there are presently no Bernard Callebaut stores in New York. Several years ago, there were two in suburban Rye and Scarsdale, but they closed for lack of business. I think the chocolates would have been wildly successful in NYC, but I don't know if there were ever plans for an NYC store. So, the only U.S. cities where you can find Bernard Callebaut chocolates are Scottsdale, AZ, Portland, OR, and Chicago. (Fortunately, there is a thriving mail-order business, with contact information below.)

Bernard Callebaut, the fourth generation of the famous Belgian chocolate family, creates chocolate truffles with distinctive fresh cream fillings. Some popular flavors are mokka (a dark chocolate half-moon filled with coffee and pear fondant), leaf (a milk chocolate leaf with black currant and milk chocolate ganache inside) and la flamme (dark chocolate with orange and caramel). More exotic flavors include petale (dark chocolate with oil of flower petals and bittersweet ganache), and in summertime, there's a truly amazing apple-raspberry truffle with a layer of fresh cream.

Bernard Callebaut Chocolates: (800) 661-8367.