Rocking the Rockies in summer with Mum and Sis - Part 1


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North America » Canada » Alberta » Banff National Park
August 20th 2015
Published: August 21st 2015
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Nothing can explain the nervous and excited energy I felt while I waited at the airport for mum and sis to walk through the doors at arrivals to collect their luggage. This was more special than just the usual airport pick up as I had not seen anyone from home in person for nearly 7 months and in this case it was my family coming to visit. It was great to have a familiarity around again, but as I found out as our journey goes on that having them for a short time may have reminded me what I left behind 7 months ago, what I am beginning to miss a lot more.



CALGARY

The journey to that climax started with a couple of days touring around Calgary. Feeling like a minor expert of the city I tried to show them around to as many attractions as I could, but unfortunately I didn't quite get to show them everything. From 17th Ave to the Olympic Plaza, to the Bow River and Pyramid Island we traveled with little stops at the Lindt chocolate story, lunch at the Barley Mill in Eau Claire, coffee in memorial park and journeying to the top of the tower to show them the variety of landscape that circulated the equal 5th best livable city in the world to live in. Ironically, it shares this position with my home town of Adelaide which I am not surprised about as to me the is a similar feel and comfort to both places, while Mum had thought that Calgary was more like Canberra. We also ventured to the Calgary Zoo where they have a number of great little exhibits such as the Rhino enclosure, the Prehistoric Park, Destination Africa, Botanical Gardens, the Canadian Wilds, the Penguin exhibit and many other interesting sights. The one that amused us the most was the two humped camel who had one hump that was limp. Through reading the information on the board that supported the enclosure this meant a lack of food and water which probably wasn't the best advertisement for a zoo. If you like butterflies, you get surrounded by them in the Botanical Gardens as well as so very interesting and unique plant life. It was good to see the Canadian wild and finally see a Grizzly (which I thought I had seen before but I was wrong) work out the difference between a deer, caribou and elk, and the Prehistoric Park has a number of Dinosaurs that come to life when people pass them by (only the noise they make and a slight movement of jaws and head; they don't actually come alive!!) I will mention now that once we returned from our Rocky Mountain Adventure we did see the outside of Heritage Park but we had decided to save our money and not go in. It will be something I might at some stage and have been told well worth a look.

DAY 1: JOHNSTON CANYON, CASTLE MOUNTAIN, BEAVER TAILS AND CANMORE

I had a week to try and show mum and sis the beautiful wonders of the Rockies and hoped that what I had planned would do it justice. A mixture of hikes, attractions, delicacies and even a little adventure into BC to explore the Okanagan region for bit of wine tasting. The weather had been kind to us as my first point of call was to visit Lake Minnewanka. Interestingly enough I probably found that Two Jack Lake was more the spot within this region I would prefer to visit. There is also Johnson Lake which both areas are known for camping and aquatic activities. Our visit was short but the views of Minnewanka were quite nice and would have been good to explore it by walking around its rather large perimeter.



Onward to Johnston Canyon which I had already seen in Winter but thought it to be a great and easy hike for mum and sis to enjoy one of the many natural wonders of the region. We were lucky it was even open to the public as a few weeks before a tree had fallen down in the area and landed on a ten year old boy. As far as I am aware the lad was fine but the safety checks had been done to ensure that the area was once again safe for exploring. While still beautiful and green and also very well populated with tourists, you can tell why this canyon is more recognised for its appearance in the winter months. The power of the rushing water that explodes into the flowing streams at the Lower Falls was quite cool to see and the path was alot easier to walk along than it was in the icy cold winter months earlier in the year. At the Upper Falls, where I had seen ice climbers enjoying the strong ice walls to climb was replaced by a golden rock. The twenty metre waterfall was also again quite powerful, and good to see in its own right, but again I found the icy appearance so much better to view and explore. One part of the Johnston Canyon I had decided not to do in winter was the Inkpots and was very much looking forward to seeing them.



I had been told by Shannon, one of my co-workers at Fairview Junior High that they were a nice easy hike to get to. Well, weren't we in for a surprise! While the continue, moderately steep incline didn't bother me, since I had been hiking so much in recent times and adjusted to the altitude, my mum and sis had great difficulty battling the unexpected climb, one I had told them it would be flat and easy. Both had interesting techniques to battle this hill, with mum stopping every once in a while, setting herself little goals while my sister, just plotted along, with a determined look on her face as if to say 'you won't beat me hill'. The walk was mainly surrounded by trees but also had its moments where the trees would allow a sneak peak of the amazing views beyond them. The last 800 metres we were greeted by an equally steep down hill, which did not impress my sister at all as that meant we had to go up it, and in the back of my mind I really hoped that the Inkpots were worth it. The Inkpots are a very interesting as Spring water percolates up from under the sand and river gravel to form these blue, green coloured pools of water. As you take a closer look into the crystal clear, blue water ponds, you can see these air and water bubbles popping up from the underground springs. The green coloured ponds tend to fill more slowly and are not as clear due to the concentration of fine minerals in the water.



Not only were the ponds quite stunning to observe, so was the view around it as we had stumbled across a large valley surrounded by mountains covered in green trees and the flowing waters of the river split the region in half as it found its way to the falls below. People were there having picnics on the rocky banks of the river and enjoying the sunny weather that had stayed with us pretty much all day. To me, it was worth the work and a nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon with a nice picnic lunch, that's if you are willing to carry it in your back pack. While mum and sis were impressed by it all, I feel the long hike back had clouded their minds and the fact that it looked like it would be 4:30pm before we had a bite to eat had not impressed them either. I had been so used to just nibbling on some nuts and bars on much harder hikes and not knowing the incline we had to walk had definitely made me a little unpopular and I was quickly told of how the walker's group back in Adelaide were much better prepared with first aid, food and water.



We drove up the 1A to get a view of Castle Mountain which is named as such since it looks like a castle has been naturally carved into the rocky surface. If you take a closer look, it does indeed have the appearance of a mountain and I believe you can walk it and work your way to the top, but this may not be a hike I will experience on my travels. This was followed by a quick drive into Banff as mum and sis had been eagerly awaiting the taste testing of a Beaver Tail. Not to mention they were quite hungry from and needed to refuel the energy they had expended on the 10.5km return hike they had just completed. I think for my sister, it was love at first bite. There were too many choices for her and she was quite excited about hearing the news that our travels would take us into Banff again tomorrow, so there would be another opportunity to try this Canadian dessert.



The day was completed in Canmore where, after enjoying the views of the mountains that circled the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge we went shopping for some nuts and bars for food bags in preparation for future hikes and then spent forty minutes walking around the picturesque town looking for a restaurant that mum had picked that seemed to have disappeared. It was like it had a special secret location like in Harry Potter where he catches the train on platform 9 and 3/4 and only those in the know knew where it was. Mum and sis hadn't realised it but they had actually explored the town but didn't get the chance to truly enjoy its beauty when we were there which was something I regretted.



DAY 2 - GRASSI LAKES, TUNNEL MOUNTAIN, SULPHUR MOUNTAIN, BANFF

I had been advised by Dave, the PE Coordinator at Fairview Junior High, that Grassi Lakes was nice, easy hike to take mum and sis on where you got some stunning views of Canmore. Well, he was right. Not only were the views pretty amazing but Grassi Lakes at the top were spectacular. There are two choices when you get to Grassi Lakes on which way you chose to go. The easy way or the more difficult way. Now this cross road had no questions in my mind, we go the more difficult way which was shorter but I thought would have better views as we walked. Mum and sis were not convinced I had made a good choice and I think would have preferred at the time to go the longer, easier way but they followed their tour guide on the shorter path. The path started off quite easy, but then once it opened up into the views, the path became a rocky staircase, in some parts quite narrow and slippery as run off water from above tricked down the edge of the mountain across the path. The views on the way there were pretty awesome and we were also greeted to a view of a waterfall as we approached the top. A rocky, steep spiral stair case was our last hurdle as we got to the top and observed the beautiful blue green, crystal clear lakes at the top. The amazing colours were well complimented by the trees that surrounded them and the wild life of little squirrels also had mum and sis quite entertained. There were even people rock climbing (also used for ice climbing in winter) which I know my mate Andy Temple would have jumped at the chance to do. If you are in Canmore, this little hike is definitely a 'must do' and make sure you take the 'more difficult path', especially if you are adventurous, as we walked down the longer path and the views were not quite as good. It is definitely alot easier track as it is more like a road which may be advised for less adventurous people and also if you fear that you may run into a bear.



Mum had heard about Tunnel Mountain and was very much looking forward to this hike up a the 250 metre hill. As you may remember from previous blogs I had already walked this continuous, fairly steep incline so no need to go into the beautiful details of the views of the town as you walk up and the golf course and river on the other side. My sister stuck to her hill climbing technique while I made sure mum was alright as we slowly ventured to the top where they both enjoyed the views and were once again entertained by a squirrel or went from person to person searching for a sneaky bite to eat. I had planned to walk Sulphur Mountain with mum and sis as well, but time was ticking away from us and knowing it was a much longer and steeper walk it didn't look like it would be something on the day's agenda. It was a hike I was very much looking forward to but it seemed that it was best we did not do it. This is where a win/win situation was presented! Mum and sis spent the next two and a quarter hours exploring the main streets of Banff while I drove up to Sulphur Mountain to do more hiking. Well, I had thought it was a 3km hike up to the top. It was a 5km, continuously steep incline hike to the top. It was probably a 3 hour job really and since mum and sis had no way of being contacted it looked like I was going to either have to take the Sky Rail down or be horribly late. Or, I could hike like a mad man up the mountain and then run down. Well, if you know me well enough, you know which choice I took. I hiked at speed up the 5.5km, 700m elevation to the top. The walk itself was quite beautiful and it was cool to see the Sky Rail fly past above you. There was even a little side trail to visit a waterfall, one a lot less noticeable than the one at Grassi Lakes. It was indeed really steep and I could feel the lack of food intake, a desperate need to go to the toilet and time or trying to cloud my body and mind from its intended purpose.



The views from the top of Sulphur are just amazing. It was as impressive as I had seen in its own right. The view of Banff is just brilliant as is the green, mountainous valley on the other side. You do need to walk a little further than the main tourist spot to get to the top view but it is well worth the hike. I was amazed how many tourists flooded the walk ways, the toilet line ups and the food outlets at the top but could understand why they had paid the $19 (one way I believe) Sky Rail ticket to experience another Rocky Mountain phenomenon. Unfortunately time was really against me and I ended up running most of the 5km down hill to get back to the car and meet mum and sis at Beaver Tails. The drive on the way back, I was lucky enough to see a couple of either deer or elk (even though the zoo showed me the difference, I was to excited to tell what it was at the time) on the side of the road. It just happily grazed and caused no danger to the road, like the number of tourists who had stopped to take a snap shot of this awesome natural moment. I never get tied of seeing the wild life on the side of the road as it just shows you that you are really in a national park and you get a taste of the hidden beauty the trees and the mountains can hide. As it turned out I managed to meet mum and sis 15 minutes later than we had intended and they had a great time walking along the bow and exploring the shops in the main streets. After I got an Ice tea from a tea shop that smelt amazing (far better than I did), and had hundreds of different flavours of teas for hot or cold beverages, we ventured back to Canmore where we rested up for the next day's itinerary.



DAY 3 - LAKE LOUISE SNAP SHOT, MORAINE LAKE, PEYTO LAKE

We were greeted with our first batch of bad weather which, pardon the pun, looked like it was going to put a dampener on exploring my favourite place in the Rockies - Lake Louise. I had yet to see blue sky dominate the clouds at the Fairmont Chateau and when we arrived, it was fair to say the rain was coming down quite hard. We did a quick walk to through the Chateau before we quickly got back in the car to do another part of the adventure I was yet to experience and eager to explore - Moraine Lake. I had been warned by Laura, another one of the marvelous PE staff at Fairview Junior High) that you should get there early otherwise you could park a mile up the road. She wasn't lying! Even on this miserable day, the car park was full and cars had already started parking along the side of the road to explore this beautiful lake. The rain had softened, allowing us to go for a 2km (one way) hike around the amazingly blue lake. We were able to just see the mountains though the grey clouds that circled the area like seagulls hunting for a chip at the beach. Even the glacier was starting to appear as we went to the far end to appreciate the view of the blue river, green trees and mountains. While the trickling waterfall at the end of the lake was good, I found the walk through the trees was quite cool, the experience particularly enhanced by the trickling rain. One thing had me puzzled though! Where was the beautiful viewing point that I had seen in the many photos of Maraine Lake?



It was only by accident that we found it as on the way back towards the car, we saw people heading along a couple of hikes. One was only 500 metres so I was able to convince mum and sis to do this one. The others, mainly leading to Consolation Lake were a bit long. Lucky we had decided to do this small hike, as after about a hundred rock formed steps, the view I had been searching for had appeared. The sun had also come out and shone the brightest it did all day as mum, sis, a what seemed like a thousand tourists, and I battled for great views and photo opportunities of this beautiful lake (in some ways much more beautiful than its famous and more advertised neighbour) and spent a moment just enjoy the another one of Mother Nature's truly great creations. There are a number of great hikes in the area as well, some leading to hikes from Lake Louise and are part of the 2000km of hiking trails I have mentioned about in a previous blog. Unfortunately I probably won't get to explore these hikes but if you are into the great outdoors, make sure you get a chance to do so if in the area for a few days.



After a quick stop at the bakery, I took mum and sis off to Peyto Lake, another destination I had seen in my travels to date. We drove past Hector and Bow Lake giving mum and sis a small tease of the great highway 93 that we would be driving along the next day as we arrived arrived at the car park at Peyto Lake. It seemed like any tourist who was not at Moraine Lake was at Peyto Lake. The 750m, 100m elevation hike to the main view point was packed, but had a number of signs that discussed the tree and wild life in the area, which mum enjoyed reading. It also gave her a quick chance to have a rest break. It was also at this time that the clear weather that braced our presence for a short time had disappeared and rain once again drizzled its way from the heavens above. The view of Peyto Lake was spoiled by the cloudy skies as the amazing blue water I had seen in the pictures is much stronger on a bright day, but the view was still quite spectacular none the less. It was only a short stay and we were unable to really enjoy the views and other walks in the area due to the extremely large population of people and the rain that had decided it would settle in for most of the remainder of the day.



The last treat for mum and sis on this, our third day of travel was to return to Walliser Stube where I had enjoyed their amazing Fondue and Schnitzel on my Spring Break holiday. There was a moment of anger or a hint of a threat from my sister earlier in the day when she basically gave the impression she would not be a happy camper if I didn't deliver on my promise of the Fondue. After talking to a concierge at the Fairmont that it was quite rare for guests not staying at the Fairmont to be able to get a table and depended on the bookings on the day from guests staying at the famous hotel whether or not we could get a table. Well as luck would have it, I asked the lady at the Front Desk of the Deer Foot Lodge, a nice, oldish hotel with an amazing hot tub area (and where we were staying for the night) to ring up and see on their availability. She advised me, that there was very limited availability so if we headed there early we could probably just get in. Well that's what we did and we were treated to a 3 course dinner of cheese fondue, a tender beef roast with nicely cooked vegetables and a chocolate fondue that definitely satisfied the taste bugs and filled the gaps in our stomachs.



The Journey was not yet half way completed. Our drive to Highway 93 awaited us, but not before a few more adventures were experienced in Lake Louise, followed by a drive along the amazing highway 1 and staying at the amazing 3 Valley Gap Chateau. Even a wine tasting at the beautiful Summer Hill Winery in Kelowna in the Okanagan region was on the agenda. However, the delight of sharing these experiences with my family were overshadowed by an evilness and a fear that made me feel angry, frightened and concerned about the future of my immediate and long term stay in Canada!


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