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Published: August 4th 2010
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Previously on this blog... I think that when we last left you the Trans-Canada highway had been closed after an accident, so we were spending an extra day in Revelstoke, soaking up the sun (and a couple of cans of lager). Anyway, we eventually resumed our journey to Banff National Park, stopping en route at Wapta Falls in the Yoho National Park. We finally made it to Lake Louise late afternoon (
don’t get me started about the roadworks on the Trans Canada Highway on a Saturday in peak holiday season, that caused a 45 minute hold-up to our journey... ), and got the last available pitch in the campground (
allegedly...). Sunday morning we made an early start, so that we could get to Moraine Lake before the crowds. Little did we know that there was a restriction on hiking in the area due to grizzly bear activity, so to walking the trail up to Consolation Lake was restricted to groups of at least four people. So we hung around the start of the trail, and eventually paired up with a guy called Russ from Phoenix (whose wife didn’t fancy the trek), and a Portuguese couple, whose names we never completely understood
(
and who spoke only marginally more English than we speak Portuguese - which is none!). The wait was well worth it though as the views were fantastic. After doing the obligatory walk up the rock pile to take the classic photo view of the lake - it is quite literally the view on the front of the guidebook - a quick walk along the lakeside trail, and a spot of lunch, we headed back to Lake Louise, for a walk up to Lake Agnes and the Big Beehive. The Big Beehive is a 2,270m peak, overlooking Lake Louise and the Bow Valley. The walk up from the lake shore nearly finished us off. Perhaps something to do with the heat, and an inadequate supply of water, but I was beginning to think that my days were coming to an end when I was about three-quarters of the way up! But again the views from the top were amazing.
Monday we decided to have a somewhat easier day, and made a late-ish start to drive down the Bow Valley Parkway to Banff. Rather like when we were there in April with Mark & Isla, we saw very little wildlife -
this time, just a solitary mule deer. We stopped off at Johnston Canyon, to compare and contrast with three months previously (we made it to the upper falls this time!), and then had a lazy afternoon wandering around Banff town.
Tuesday, we had intended to walk up Alymer Lookout: a 23km trek above Lake Minnewanka, but (luckily) we discovered on Monday night that the trail had the same restrictions as Moraine/Consolation Lakes, and given we didn’t fancy spending seven hours in the company of complete strangers.... So instead, we drove to Sunshine Village for an 8km walk up the Garden Path Trail, back into British Columbia and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.
Unfortunately, due to a bit of dodgy map reading (
ok, I totally mis-read the guidebook AND the big trail map in the car park), we started off the walk in completely the wrong place, and ended up adding an extra 10km onto an already long walk. The views of the three lakes (Rock Isle, Grissly and Larix) were worth the hike though, and the views down the Simpson Valley were stunning, but let’s just say I had a touch of earache by the time we made it
back to the van. Having nearly exhausted our energy reserves in their entirety, we had a quick trip to Johnston Lake in the afternoon, spent fifteen minutes at Lake Minnewanka, and then headed to the liquor store to treat ourselves to some more much needed (lager) refreshment.
Wednesday we said goodbye to Banff, and crossed into the Kooteney National Park. We decided to attempt the hike up to Stanley Glacier, which involves walking up the side of what feels like a cliff, before entering a hanging valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Unfortunately despite being hot and sunny, there was a lot of haze in the valley, so the photographs aren’t particularly good. But it was definitely worth the pain of walking up there. Heading south-east, we re-visited Marble Canyon. I first went there in 2003, about a month before a forest fire destroyed 90% of all the trees in the area, and we went back two years ago to see how things had changed. Now, after 7 years, the forest is starting to reclaim the landscape. The fir trees are about a metre high, and it is easier now to see how it will recover over the coming decades.
Anyway, we travelled further south to Radium Hot Springs, where we treated ourselves to a much needed soak in the Hot Springs - and “enjoyed” a theatre production from a couple of the Parks Canada staff, involving a woman dressed up as “Betty, the Big Horn Sheep” (
that was an experience we won’t forget in a while...). Overnight at Dry Gulch, just south of Radium, and then south again to the “Alpine” village of Kimberley - it’s like a mock-Swiss mountain resort. Perhaps the less said about that, the better...
We carried on east towards Waterton Lakes National Park, but were unable to find a space in our planned campground at Fernie, so we continued back into Alberta and ended up at Beauvais Lake
(nice, but a little dull). Saturday we got to Waterton Lakes National Park, only to have a camp crisis (
please insert your own (in)appropriate jokes here, as you see fit...). Despite joining the waiting list and hanging around town for the best part of an hour and a half, there was definitely no room at the inn: so we crossed the US border into Montana (a day earlier than planned) only to discover that
the campgrounds in Glacier National Park were also full - possibly something to do with the first weekend in August being a Provincial Holiday in most of Canada. So we stopped off at a somewhat dodgy campground in Saint Mary, and got up ridiculously early on Sunday morning to bag one of the last remaining campsites in Glacier National Park by 7:30 am.
Having made it into the park, we set off on a marathon 6 hour walk up to Cracker Lake and back. A tough climb in some quite serious heat, but worth it for the views at the top, and our first sighting of a Mountain Goat, perched high up on a ledge.
Monday we returned to Waterton Lakes (having learned our lesson and reserved a campsite this time!). We drove to Cameron Lake, and walked up the mountain to Summit Lake. We saw a very determined deer near the lake (determined to eat a particular clump of grass even though it was right by the side of the path and she was somewhat nervous about the two of us -
and to be frank, who can blame her...?). After a spot of lunch, we walked
up to Crandell Lake, which was a bit of a disappointment, and then checked into the campsite to shelter from a thunderstorm.
Today we left Canada again, and came back into Montana and the Glacier National Park, planning to drive the "Going-to-the-Sun" Road. Well that was the plan, until we discovered that vehicles over 21ft are prohibited. Actually, to be 100% accurate, that was still our plan even after we discovered this fact. We got about 1/3rd of the way along it before we were stopped and told to turn around - but at least we managed to escape without a fine! So we had to drive around the southern edge of the park along Highway 2; which meant that by the time we got to the other end of the "Going-to-the-Sun" Road, our (unreservable) campground was already full. So we now find ourselves in the quite charming little town of Columbia Falls. Tomorrow's plan is to head west to Idaho before returning back into Canada. But given our success rate so far this week, I wouldn't necessarily bank on that being how things turn out...
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