Trip Superlatives & Highlights

Opabin Plateau Circuit, Lake O'Hara, Yoho NP

Road Trip 2013 Hiking Summary: nearly 150 miles over 17 hikes in 29 days (15/17 hikes in the Canadian Rockies)

Best Hikes: 

• Cavell Meadows (wildlife and groaning glaciers), Jasper National Park
• Sulfur Skyline (amazing view), Jasper NP
• Wilcox Pass, Jasper NP
• Takakkaw Falls Area Circuit (waterfalls, rivers, mountain climbing), Yoho NP
• Opabin Plateau Circuit, Yoho NP
• Sunny Boom Lake, Banff NP

Best Nap: The Watchtower - no worries about being bothered by animals...great!

Best Hot Springs: Miette Hot Springs (Frank) and Banff Hot Springs (Susan)

Funny Occurrences: 

• Seeing the same hiker on two different hikes 4 days apart
• Dog bark echoing across Rockbound Lake
• Canadians really do say "Eh," ... a lot

Unbelievable Worst Driving: An RV stopped in the traffic lane on a blind curve with no flashers and no one in the car. Yeah.

Music for the Road: Jason Isbell's album, Southeastern

Entertainment for the Road: Top of the Lake and The Fall

Most Unexpectedly Delicious Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Franks Hot Sauce and Jalapeno Hefeweizen beer at Bowser Brewing Co.

Most Diametrically Opposed Simultaneously Overheard Conversation: Picture a tiny day hikers' hut with two people discussing peace studies and a hiker from Alaska telling the day hut worker guy about a strip club called "The Bush."

Back in Chicago

On Sunday we got great views of the mountains driving from Canmore to Great Falls, MT. In the evening, we enjoyed brews from Bowser Brewing Company in Great Falls. (We also had a lot of Frank's hot sauce..on pizza, on chips.... It must be made in Great Falls.)

On Monday, it was another long driving day from Great Falls to Fargo. What can we say, Fargo was a great cross roads for us. We enjoyed burgers at a great beer bar, JL Beers.

On Tuesday, we made it a vacation day by rollerblading near Chippewa Falls, WI, on the Old Abe Trail and lunching on Mexican complete with margaritas!

Or a Frozen Lake

Frozen Tower Lake on Rockbound Lake Hike, Banff NP

All week the forecast promised a sunny and warm Saturday for our last hike to Tower and Rockbound Lakes. Not so much. The hike, however, was unique. Tower Lake was frozen and thanks to one of the dogs on the trail, we got to hear his bark echo and echo and echo around Rockbound Lake. 

Sunny Skies Again - Finally!

Thank goodness the sun has arrived for our final two hiking days. Celebration below at beautiful Boom Lake!

Susan and Frank at Boom Lake

On Wednesday, we were pretty disheartened that by the time we got to Cascade Amphitheatre, it had gotten quite cloudy. Just a small patch of blue sky below. :(

Cascade Amphitheatre View

Banff NP Hiking Highlights

In Banff, we started out with the popular Johnston Canyon hike. The most amazing thing about the hike was the catwalk built by Parks Canada to take hikers through the canyon. As suggested, it was extremely well traveled. Even beyond the lower and upper canyon, there were lots of people on the trail! 

Ink Pots, Johnston Canyon Area

Two days later we hiked to Bourgeau Lake. We were the first car at the trail head. On the way up, we felt the solitude keenly; Frank saw a bear. As we descended, however, the trail had become a thoroughfare, and we passed at least twenty people. Bye, bye solitude! This is becoming a theme with Banff and isn't surprising given the fact that Banff has 3 million visitor's a year to Jasper's 1.8 and Yoho's 500,000.

Susan & Frank at Bourgeau Lake

With continuing snow, we stayed at a low elevation yesterday and walked the Spray River Circuit.

Spray River Trail Views

Canmore Views

Frank and I have been enjoying Canmore's truly spectacular mountain setting (...wherever you are...you have a great view...even outside the grocery store) and fantastic network of paths around town. My local foods reconnaissance work also uncovered an Alberta cheese plate at Mountain Mercato!

Mountain Views Around Town

Local Alberta Cheese Plate

Snow!

So, our weather went from unseasonable warm to unseasonably cool...and snow!

Yesterday Frank and I headed back to Yoho National Park to visit the fabled area of Lake O'Hara. We didn't get a seat on the bus in to Lake O'Hara, so we hiked in 11km. Once we made it to the lake, we lunched in the warm and toasty warming hut. And then, we hit the trails: Opabin Plateau Circuit and the Lakeshore Circuit. Luckily, we got the bus back out in the afternoon. 

Views from the Opabin Plateau Circuit Trail, Lake O'Hara Area, Yoho, NP

Morning View

The weather has been cool and even snowy in the Canadian Rockies, which is allowing for a couple of relaxing days. Yesterday, I thoroughly checked out downtown Canmore and found at the local coffee shop, Communitea, my favorite El Diablo coffee! This morning I'm working with this view out my window...nice.

Morning View from our place in Canmore, AB

Hiking in Spite of the Weather

So, yesterday's 12+ mile trek on the Burgess/Yoho Pass & Emerald Lake Circuit was...challenging...and without the benefit of truly amazing views after all that work, I have to say the hot chocolate that we packed in comes close to the main highlight. It rained; it iced; it snowed; our boots and socks got wet in the forest; a fallen tree attacked me; our fingers swelled up. Luckily, Emerald Lake looks pretty amazing from the trail. 

Emerald Lake, Yoho NP

Yoho's Takakkaw Falls Area & the Columbia Valley Wetlands

On Thursday, we set out a major loop hike that took us first to Twin Falls, over Whaleback Mountain, down to the other side of the valley and Celeste Lake, and finally back up to the Iceline Trail to come down at Takakkaw Falls. It turned out to be a 9+ hour undertaking. Dinner and Tall Timber ales from Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. at the Golden Taps Pub tasted all the better!

Views from the Takakkaw Falls Area, Yoho NP

Susan on the Iceline Trail, near Takakkaw Falls Area, Yoho, NP

On Friday, we were back on the water with Columbia Wetlands Adventures and canoed past a bear in one of the small trees by the river. No picture here. I expected him to bound into the river after us! Luckily, he did not. 

Frank & Susan on the Columbia River, BC