Day 1-3 - Calgary and Okotoks

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Despite me just getting back from Japan only two months ago I am off on my travels again, I had always wanted to go hike the Rockies in Banff and when I found out that a new chum from Kyoto lived near there I got myself an invite.

Despite the train breaking down on the way to the airport I got in there time for a 9 hour flight direct to Vancouver, I stayed at the airport and straight away caught another flight to Calgary and despite my body clock saying it was 04:00 in the morning met up with my chum Josh for a few beers.

The next day he took me on a 2 hour trip to Head-smashed-in Buffalo run, this was as gory as it sounds, especially for a veggie!! Up until 2 hundred years ago the native Indians in this area of Canada used to obtain most of their food from Buffalo that they herded over a cliffs edge to their death. They then processed the meat for hide, then dried the meat which lasted them all through the winter, they also used the bones for tools and most of the animal was used in one form or another. They did this for around 9000 years until white man came along and slaughtered them in their millions, mostly for hide but often just for fun. In the heritage centre they explained that whitey used to shoot the buffalos from moving trains for sport, just leaving the carcases to rot.

That night I relocated to Okotoks which was where Josh lived, earlier I had bought a tent and camped at RiverBend campsite just outside Okotoks, it was rough and ready and there were a few rednecks living there but it was OK but I did miss camping on grass rather than the gravel which was on offer.

That night we went out round town and ended up a little worse for wear “In Cahoots” where I tried my hand at line dancing which was fun but I’m as bad at that as I am at any other form of dancing.

Josh was meeting me at 10:30 and I woke up at 10:20! So just had to pack up and get going. We set off to Kananaskis, this is a 4000sq Km park that is next to the Rockies and which was where Brokeback Mountain was filmed. The whole area had been flooded the previous year and the destruction was evident with trees scattered like toothpicks all around. We went to Elbow falls, the Elbow river runs from the Rockies all the way down to Calgary. After dropping me back in Calgary I hopped on a greyhound for the journey to Banff.

Boring bits

Flew with Air transat direct from Manchester to Vancouver, they only fly from May to October I believe and from late June onwards the prices rocket, hence my choosing early June. Stayed at Wicked hostel in Calgary.

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