For Kent and I, there is nothing better than sharing the things we love to do with the people we love. Mike, Tracy and Willa, we are thrilled that you enjoyed the adventure too. Here’s to many more!
Mike and Tracy carved out over a week to come see us here in the Canadian Rockies. We are very excited. At baggage claim in the Calgary airport we anxiously await their arrival. Any minute now! There they are, Willa’s little head peeking around Dad’s from her perch in the carrier. What a smile. Makes the heart melt! Greetings all around then we gather up luggage and head for camp, Banff Tunnel Mountain 1 campground site K57. It is a quiet site on the corner of the loop and backed up to a grassy power right of way. Pretty good odds for animal viewing!
An overlook high on the bluffs above the valley with a great look at Hoodoos and a magnificent view of the meandering Bow River is an easy stroll from camp. We see our first elk contentedly grazing before we even get out of camp. We had to cross the road to keep our distance. Once in the open it is pretty windy but still nice to be out so we extend the walk out through a forested area. A doe and two fawns make an appearance. We put in about 3.7 miles our first full day. Time to chill in camp for the evening. A Coyote makes its way through the tall grass just beyond our site.
Mountains encircle Lake Minnewanka, beautiful. Grandpa has Willa in the carrier as we venture out Stewart Canyon trail. The hike begins high above the creek as it tumbles its way to the lake. We continue to a place where a side creek allows the kids to get down to the cold snow melt waters. Willa hangs out with Grandpa and Nana exploring the rocky streambed, snacking, and moving rocks, because they are there. This is a beautiful quiet place with the smell of pine along with the sight and gurgle of fast-moving water just the right distance away. Mike shoulders the load heading back to the lake. We are greeted by a VERY friendly golden mantled ground squirrel as we wrap up our lake time. It is early, we head into Banff to check out some shops and maybe find a nice café with street-side dining to relax. We stumble upon a puppet show put on by the National Park. It is all about stewardship but told through the life of a baby black bear who got separated from its Mom and ultimately reunited. Willa’s attention is alternately drawn to the puppets and the live ukulele player who stands nearby. It is well done and lots of fun. Everyone gets the munchies and we push Friday homemade Pizza night to Saturday and set out in search of a restaurant. It takes a bit of looking but we settle on Park Distillery. We find of lots of fun cocktails mixed with their own gin, vodka, and rye and sample a few. To our great surprise, they also have a pretty broad vegan menu….winner all around. It is a lovely end to a great day.
Despite a questionable forecast we pack up to head for Boom Lake. Next camping trip Willa will have her own pack, she tried Mom’s today but it’s a bit too much!
The trail includes a fair amount of uphill but not too taxing then opens up onto a beautiful alpine lake ringed by mountains with a large section of grey boulder, talus slope. Bright sun would have made the view perfect but it isn’t to shabby even on this grey cool day. We soak in the beauty, lunch, and relax until the clouds start to spit. Tracy bundles Willa up like a little cocoon and she naps against Mike’s back as we head back to the trailhead. Thunder in the distance and periods of pretty heavy rain urge us to make better time then our stroll out to the lake. We are glad for the warm dry car after 6.8-mile roundtrip.
Johnson Canyon trail is a signature hike for Banff park. They see a million visitors on this trail every year and we know it’ll be a zoo but we just have to see it. Our plan is to go on out to ink pots with the anticipation that crowds will thin out as the distance and difficulty increase. Even with a pretty early start we are turned away at the main lot but find parking just ¼ mile up the road. No problem…Willa is loaded up. Thanks for the ride Daddy Sherpa. Let’s go. It is beautiful…pretty crowded especially at falls overlooks but manageable. Crowds thin as we move above the top of the falls and we nearly have the trail to ourselves as we move toward the ink pots. There is a lot of uphill! Trees thin and our view opens up to the broad Johnson Creek upper canyon and the braided flow path of the creek. Winding paths and foot bridges crisscross between still pools where springs bubble up to form concentric rings in the silty bottoms, the ink pots. We relax, explore, and lunch before heading back. Willa put in some more walking miles, checked out wild flowers, and got close but not quite in the cold water. It is a full day, 8.7 miles round trip, but we are glad we included the quieter stretch out to the ink pots. Oh yeah, we spotted a grizzly bear on the drive out to the trailhead. Nice bonus.
The view from above. Today we take the Banff Gondola up Mt Sulfur. Wow. The ride is fun and the view fantastic and includes six different mountain ranges. We check out the open-air lounge, walk the peak trail, and sample café fare at a sunny table with a wonderful view. Ewe and baby bighorn sheep make a perfectly timed appearance so we get an up-close look. Back home, it is hammock time and a chance for a different view of camp; out the MH window.
The Icefields Parkway, magnificent views in route to The Icefields Discovery Center and tomorrow’s Columbia Icefields Experience and the Skywalk. Camp is not exactly a remote pristine natural setting; it is the paved lot at the Icefield Center. But the view is wonderful and at night when traffic and people noises die down we are within earshot of the cracking and crashing as pieces naturally cleave off the five glaciers that drape the mountains around us. Plus, it puts us close to the start point of our excursion onto the glacier tomorrow. We learn about Katabatic winds generated as ice-chilled air slides down off the glaciers and sweeps across the land, we now know that this icefield includes snow dome,
a hydrological apex, which feeds melt water to three oceans (Atlantic, Artic and Pacific), we see unrefutable proof that the earth is warming as evidenced by accelerating retreat of nearly all of the Canadian Rockies glaciers, including the Athabasca glacier we will walk on tomorrow.
Layer up then load up. First a bus then this huge crawler that moves across the steep slopes (up to 32 degrees) of moraine then out onto Athabasca Glacier. The tires are nearly as tall as a person and the ride is a bit rough but it is an exciting start to the journey. The day is a little grey and the cold wind is howling as we climb out onto the ice. Yikes, it is cold but we have lots of clothes on and head out to explore. Willa even has her felt shoe-mittens on! We adults slowly pick our way across the wet ice as it is slick underfoot but Willa is anxious to move. We get in some walking, lots of pictures, sample the glacier melt water, and admire the view for a bit. The cold sinks in as feet are wet and the unsure footing is a bit stressful. Time to head back to the warmth and relative safety of our huge tired creeper and the next part of the adventure, a skywalk 981 feet above the Sunwapta River nestled among the towering mountains.
A walkway leads toward a sweeping cantilevered arc over the river valley. It is lined with signage and a great audio tour that provide lots of info about geology, glaciers, wildlife, and climate. There are more fantastic views. We are out of the cold wind plus warmed by the now brightly shinning afternoon sun. We make it a mostly leisurely stroll with a bit of stress for Tracy. Heights are not really her thing. Come to think of it, she has been quite the trooper on that account this entire trip. Willa alternates napping and checking out the views. We dawdle on the drive off the icefield parkway. Willa rides with Grandpa and Nana so Mom and Dad can check out some overlooks and short trails. Our first surprise, a great look at a grizzly bear enjoying berries. We stop and watch as he munches contentedly. Later, big horn sheep make a showing along the roadside. Mike and Tracy check out Bridal Veil falls. We picnic at Bow Lake then head on to Cochrane as the kids return flight looms near.
We are chilling in camp Willa tightly gripping the nearest available finger and practicing her walking — something she did A LOT of this week. “A bear”, I hear Tracy call out. No way, I think and assume she is messing with me. Nope! It is definitely a bear intently devouring berries in the site right next to us. He seems unfazed by people watching and we get to watch for quite some time before he moves on, in search of another tasty berry patch. What a great start to the day. We hang out in camp relaxing with the only interruptions being a rousing game of bocce (tall grass, mud puddles, tire ruts and tree roots – some unusual course challenges)
and the fun of watching Willa with a few toys we found in the motorhome: a purse full of bling from great grandma Wasik, crayons, and the airport Mike played with as a kid. We hang out as Mike gets his campfire cook thing on. By the time the week is over he gets in a good bit of open fire cooking…..yummy. He chars eggplant and builds a great bed of coals for our Dutch oven supper. We end our day with a herd of cow and young elk moving just past camp. Yearling males play-spar and the youngest members run and jump among the adults. Good night.
We are chilling after the Johnston Canyon hike and the elk move right through camp. They peacefully graze for over an hour all around us sometimes within 7 meters of the picnic table. Who needs TV or internet when we have this kind of live entertainment?!
Camp cooking is a highlight. Grilled portabella burgers and ear corn. Veggie burritos. Homemade pizza…Pizza Friday on Saturday! Dutch oven vegan chili. Richly smoky baba ghanoush made with open-fire charred eggplant. Grilled cauliflower steaks that add to a hearty quinoa vegie stir. Pineapple/tofu kabobs with grilled sweet potato fries. Homemade rustic (read lumpy ‘cause no super blender) hummus. Potato leek soup. Eggplant marinara spaghetti. Charred jalapeno that add flavor to many dishes. S’mores. Blueberry pie-iron pies. Thanks Mike, for all the open fire cooking and the delicious contributions to every meal.
Willa takes great delight in the dogs around camp. She masters woof woof whenever they make an appearance. Elk and bighorn sheep illicit a similar reaction. It is great fun to watch. She and I investigate my medallions every morning and that is where she learned more animal sounds: “meow”, actually her own adorable version and a variation of cluck cluck for chickens. All so very cute!
Rangers at both Glacier and Yoho warned us that it is high season in Lake Louise. Day use area parking is full by 7 in the morning they say and shuttle bus lines are hours long. No way, I say, it can’t be that busy! Wrong. We just want to stop for fuel but flagmen are actually at the exit off 1 directing traffic to get back on. Town is gridlocked and they won’t let anyone else off. Hey, not even to buy fuel? Ok, take the first right, get fuel, and head back out. Believe me, you don’t want to go into town. The line for diesel is about half an hour after which we gladly take the traffic director’s advice and head on to Banff. We register and settle into a nice site with open area beyond it, perfect for wildlife watching.
After a couple hours to recoup we risk a foray into downtown Banff to replenish groceries. It is a touristy town so lots of pedestrians to weave our way through but the grocery has a parking lot so we don’t have to fight that battle and they have lots of cashiers working. It takes forever to find everything in an unfamiliar store but eventually we are headed back home. Time for a relaxing dinner including S’mores of course and unwinding with a nice glass of wine. Banff is definitely a little less zooie than Lake Louise but timing will be key in enjoying this beautiful area….early mornings and evenings are likely the way to go. We shall see. Mike, Tracy and Willa arrive tomorrow. Hurray!
We sleep in a little but decide there is time for a quick hike before we head out for Banff. The Walk-in-the-Past starts right in camp and tells some of the story of early railroad times in the valley. At the trailhead we find a sign “closed to entry”. The trail that would have led us past railroad wreckage is closed for a derailment cleanup operation. Hmm, that is a pretty good indication of what railroading in this valley is all about.
We pack up and head out.
The trek up Paget Lookout trail is a bit of a challenge with an elevation change of 1,700 ft that brings us to a beautiful 6,928 ft. Early switchbacks make a steep cut through dense undergrowth so we do a bit of talking to the bears whenever we are not too winded to do so. It is a great walk we just take it slow enjoying patches of wildflowers that carpet every sunny clearing. Mountain goats make an appearance on the slopes across the valley. They are pretty far away but recognizable. This hike is really about the view from the top. The wide braided milky-blue Kicking Horse River winds it way down the long valley between steep treed slopes with snow-capped peaks towering above. It is impressive. Some anonymous soul built a bench using snow boards complete with a photo image of Emerald Lake Lodge. It is perfectly placed. We hang out at the top for an hour.
A side trail takes us to Sherbrooke Lake perched up a side valley cut by the Sherbrooke River. We cross plank bridges. Lush vegetation hugs the trail’s edge and encircles the glacial lake then gives way to talus slopes and finally bare rock peaks. A solitary loon floats, preening, silent, not too worried about visitors. We rest for a spell basking in the quiet. Both Sherbrooke and Emerald are beautiful lakes but something is lost when the crowds get too big. I prefer Sherbrooke by far even if it is (maybe because it is) harder to get to.
First, we are off to Takakkaw Falls. It is the tallest falls in Western Canada, nearly 800 feet and it is running full today fed by silt laden glacier meltwater. It is beautiful. The access road has a section of steep switchbacks that larger vehicles actually have to back down a section to make the turns. Kent has flashbacks from our last trip out here and is once again grateful that we are in the car not the motorhome let alone the motorhome and trailer. We stroll and relax on a perfectly placed park bench.
It is peak tourist season here and lots of the natural attractions have very little parking so we hang out in camp a while waiting for crowds to thin out then head for Emerald Lake. Sunlight bouncing off the fine glacier flour suspended in the lake gives it a unique green grey color. Bare, rugged peaks rise high above the wooded shoreline. A loon calls out. It is not a north country lake without one! A leisurely lap around the lake is a great ending for the day.
We are up and on the road by 8:30. That will get us to Kicking Horse Campground in Yoho National early enough to get a first come first serve site, we hope. There is lots of construction on the TransCanadian Highway so the drive is a bit stressful and takes a bit longer than planned. I am happy, the snow-capped mountains are beautiful. There are more avalanche sheds. Seeing those certainly doesn’t make me want to be up here in the winter!
We roll into the campground..its 11:30…we crossed time zones! Too late. Only tent sites ae available. No biggie though, we find a spot just next door in Monarch Campground and it is just fine. We even have time to do a bit of exploring yet today.
Did you know? When one is talking glaciers the word névé means, sort of, pre-glacier snow. It is grainy and has been refrozen and just waiting to be compacted to become part of the icefields and ultimately the glacier. This trip is the first time we have seen that term on maps.
It is actually sunny when we get up, 45F but sunny. I will take it. We dawdle over breakfast and it warms up a few more degrees before we head out to an easy, short local trail, Meeting of the Waters. Camp is full as is the day use lot and several large groups funnel toward the main trailhead at the end of camp. There are lots of trails in this area though and before long we have our little stretch of woodland to ourselves. It is any easy stroll to a log bridge just below the junction of two rushing, glacier melt streams, the Illecillewaet River and Asulkan Brook. High above us the sun lights up jagged mountaintops, with a fresh dusting of snow, in a brilliant blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. Nice. It spits rain but we are undaunted and extend our walk along the 1885 trail. We hope for a good view of camp from across the river but no such luck. I take the opportunity to scan high meadows and spot a dot…a bear digging up goodies. He is much to far away for a good picture but with binoculars I am certain it is a bear working across the open field. Just one more excuse for a more high-powered telephoto lens, right Kent?
Break…we relax in camp a couple hours then head out to join a ranger led hike.
The hike is on Balu Pass trail. Oh yes, Balu as in the Bear! The trail passes below Grizzly Peak, Ursus Major, and Ursus Minor through an area of prime bear habitat. It is one of the areas in the national park that require (as in fine $115 if you don’t) hikers to travel in groups of 4 adults, minimum. Large groups tend to be noisy and noisy groups rarely startle bears. That is good…for hikers and bears. We meet a pair of hikers who apparently ignored the grouping rule, they are being escorted down off the trail by an enforcement Warden.
Our Ranger steps pretty lively up the first three switchbacks. Most of us are breathing heavy and we lose a group of about 10 who are expecting more of a stroll than a hike. Still, we are a group of 8 so safely on our way. No great new revelations as to bear habits or behaviors and we don’t actually see any bears but it is still a great walk. These mountains are amazingly steep resulting in impressive avalanche slopes throughout the back country. Bears love the wildflowers and berries that pack these open meadows. We spot hoary marmots basking and playing in a boulder field. We review a bear scratching tree where the Grizzlies rake the bark and leave hair and scent for other bears. Our turn around point is at the base of three impressive waterfalls where snowmelt gracefully spills down the mountainside. The water is about as cold as you might expect…brrr. I would take this walk again. Next time all the way to the end (we went about half way) and next time a little more slowly to check out the wildflowers and give wildlife a bit more time to show itself.
