It is Heritage Day Holiday weekend in the western provinces so many Canadians are out enjoying the parks and great weather.  We hang out an extra day in Cochrane with hopes that a move on Monday will allow us to find a first come first serve site at our next stop, Kootenay NP Marble Canyon Campground.

We get to Marble Canyon by 10AM and find a just right site without any trouble, nice.  After a quick set up we hit the trails.  Bridge construction blocks direct access to the Marble Canyon trail so we have to backtrack from Paint Pots trailhead just a few kilometers up the road.  We follow along the bank of the Vermillion River and through a 2003 lightning strike burn area.  New pines are now 10 – 15 feet tall and the slopes are blanketed with wildflowers and berries.  It is perfect bear country.  We do see scat on the trail but no actual bear.  Two miles into the hike we come to the mouth of Marble Canyon.   A short climb brings us up close to the frothing waters of Tokumm Creek and the magnificent slot canyon it has formed as it slices through the bottom of Prospector Valley.  We crisscross the chasm on log bridges as we make our way to the top of the falls.  Roaring water, near vertical canyon walls, towering peaks above us; it is a great walk with spectacular views.  Surprisingly, we have it nearly to ourselves today.  Guess maybe that extra couple miles at the start weeded out lots of folks. 

It is still early so we check out the Paint Pots too.  First Nations Peoples collected red/ochre soil as pigment for all manner of painting; body, clothing, teepees, and rock painting.  Later prospectors collected, dried and ground the red soil for other markets.  Today this vivid red soil is disturbed only by hikers as we walk beside trickling streams, still pools, and marshland to admire this remarkable place.

Happy feet.  I cool my toes in the very cold Vermillion River.