So my wife Jaime and I decided to head out to Canada …
and check out the Rocky Mountains, which had been a “bucket list” trip for me.
Day 1 – July 3, 2019:
We flew in to Calgary, and after traveling back in time and getting in late, it was a long day. We had a long layover in Toronto, which is the nicest airport I’ve been to.
We had a little time to check out rainy Calgary, which is a very cool city. It has a bit of a western vibe, especially with the rodeo going on. We wondered around some, and went to Native Tongues Taqueria for tacos and drinks. It was a really cool place!
Day 2:
The next morning, we stopped to get supplies – food at the grocery store and some camping stuff at the outdoor store. We then finally set off west for the mountains, after stopping to stock up on supplies. It was still raining.
Our first night we stayed at Two Jack Main Campground in Banff National Park. As soon as we arrived, we saw a herd of elk and a black bear really close (somehow we don’t have pictures …).
We got in a quick hike nearby, along Lake Minnewanka. The rain continued. The views were obscured by clouds and the paths were muddy. We saw a small black bear running around across the river (not pictured).
We decided to go into town for dinner and supplies. We went to an excellent place, the Bear Street Tavern, for pizza and beer. Due to the rain, we found a hardware store and bought a tarp and rope. And we also found a liquor store and bought whiskey (and tequila for Jaime).
As the rain continued, our tent started to get so soaked, and we had to move the tarp over the tent, desperately trying to keep everything dry.
Day 3:
The next morning, we headed out to Kootenay National Park in British Columbia for some hiking.
We hiked out to Stanley Glacier. The rain and clouds persisted.
As we got closer to the glacier, the clouds started to dissipate some, along with Jaime’s stamina.
I hiked out ahead of Jaime, but had not idea how far the trail went, so eventually turned back.
After we returned and ate our leftover pizza from the night before, we went further into Kootenay for a quick hike to see the Paint Pots. After crossing a beautiful river (the Kootenay River), the trail was extremely muddy and slippery.
We had about enough of the rain, and headed back to Banff, where we went into town, desperate to find a shower. Showers were hard to come by, and we heard a rumor that a local rec center had some. Luckily, the rumor was true, and we showered (Jaime for 45 minutes) and felt a whole lot better. I’ll never forgot the feeling sitting quietly outside staring at the mountains after a refreshing shower!
We took a drive up Mount Norquay and found a great spot to sit and enjoy the view. The ground squirrels enjoyed it as well.
Day 4:
The next day we packed up and left Banff, on the way stopping to get a better look at things in better weather.
[Those are elk]
[Those are two large black bears – iPhone zoom really isn’t a thing]
Then we headed north and back across the Continental Divide, to Yoho National Park. It continued to rain. We stopped to see the train tunnels and learned about the opening of the Kicking Horse pass, which is a really cool story (look it up).
We went to Emerald Lake to do some hiking. After apparently going the wrong way through a very wet trail, we found the Emerald Basin Trail, which goes up into the mountains.
We found a marmot!!!
As we rested, hanging out with a marmot in this isolated mountain amphitheater, it seemed like the rain was slowing. But then thunder cracked, and we decided to get back to shelter. It then started pouring rain, as we trudged the several miles back in the mud. When we got to the trailhead, we were completely soaked and extremely tired.
We found our campground, Monarch Campground, and there was a miracle – the sun came out! For the first time in days, we had some warm and dry sunshine. We laid out all of our wet property in the sun, and set up camp; our spirits back up!
[This rock wall had mine shafts in it, long abandoned.]
[We got to be pros at tying up the tarp.]
We also found that the campground was shared by a colony of ground squirrels, who popped out of the ground on all sides chirping at us.
After we relaxed and dried off, we drove down a long winding road through the mountains. At the end of the road is Takakkaw Falls. This was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and very few people were there.
We found another marmot! We parked on the side of the road to watch it, and realized it had a baby with her. Then, for some reason, the marmot decided to come climb under our car and stay there (maybe it was warm?). I had to scare it out so we could safely drive off.
Day 5:
The next day, we headed north to the Icefields Parkway. Driving this road makes for a stunning road trip. Of course, it was raining, but the sun actually started to come out, revealing the massive mountains and hanging glaciers. I stopped on the side of the road to take in the views about 25 times. Jaime fell asleep.
[I needed coffee so badly!]
[Peyto Lake]
But then – surprise – it started pouring rain!
We got to Jasper National Park, and as we neared our campground (Wabasso Campground), we found a fellow camper!
And another!
We were thrilled to find that we had the best campsite we could imagine, set right next to a river with mountain views.
After a long day, we went into Jasper and had some dinner and beer at Jasper Brewing Company, which was great. Jasper is just about the coolest town.
Day 6:
Today was rafting day! We met up with the rest of our group at Maligne Adventures. We took a bus up the Athabasca River, geared up in wetsuits and life vests, and carried the raft into the frigid water (which melted off a glacier a few miles away). There were five of us, along with our guide, Greg, who was excellent. It was such a great time, with challenging rapids and amazing views. I don’t have any pictures at all!
When we returned to town, we were once again on a mission to find a shower. We found the perfect place, SnowDome Coffee Bar, which unbelievably was a laundromat and coffee shop, with public showers.
[Jaime’s face sums it up.]
After a shower and cleaning every piece of clothing we had, we were refreshed! We sat outside at a great coffee shop, Coco’s Cafe. Finally, a beautiful day! Jasper is great, and I wish I could have just stayed there forever.
[The only picture I really have of Jasper is this parking lot … but trust me, its such a great town.]
We then took a drive out to Lake Maligne, nestled in the mountains. We saw some wildlife!
For as much as we slept outside in the rain, we ended up going out to dinner quite a bit. We enjoyed some rooftop pizza and beer at North Face Pizza.
Day 7:
Unfortunately, we had to leave Jasper and head back south. But the sun was out!
[Athabasca Falls]
We stopped at the Athabasca Glacier and went on a guided hike over it. It was pretty incredible.
[Ground zero for the liberal hoax. Pretty astonishing – these scientists pretended the glacier used to extend hundreds of yards down the valley not long ago.]
[These mountains used to be under water (during The Flood?), and fossils are not uncommon in the area.]
[This was a glacier about the time Exxon scientists discovered that that the increased carbon in the atmosphere caused by humans burning fossil fuels was causing rapid and potentially catastrophic climate change.]
After our return, we headed to Lake Louise, which was beautiful, but extremely crowded. This is the kind of place that you want to avoid if you don’t want to fight for a parking space and wait in line to see natural wonders. Some incredible lakes though. We stayed at the Lake Louise Campground.
[Lake Louise]
Day 8:
This was our last day. I was desperate to get out for a solid hike with big ups! I had limited time, and I left Jaime to hike down in the valley, trying to avoid bears (our campground was surrounded by an electric fence – it was like Jurassic Park).
I hiked up to the top of the Big Beehive. The first part is a very popular (to say the least) hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House. On the way back the trail down from the tea house was mobbed, and the tea house had a huge line of people waiting to get tea and scones.
[That’s where I was headed!]
[Lake Agnes]
[It’s hard to see, but this is like 10 switchbacks.]
[I found snow!]
[The teahouse, on the way down]
[The view from the top! (Lake Louise)]
[The view from the bottom!]
There were so many good hikes in this area, but we had to get back home!
We were able to find a parking space (…) and see one of most famous (if not the most famous) scenes in the Banff area – Moraine Lake.
On the way back to Calgary, we stopped in Canmore, which was a really great little town. I would definitely love to return and explore the area. We ate and had some beers outside at the Grizzly Paw Pub & Brewing Company, and got some ice cream across the street out of a school bus.
Then back to Calgary and the airport.
It was a great trip – but far too short!
Demand a Horizon 