The Rockies

Mon 27th May

Today was another big drive through the prairies, though thankfully not as long as yesterday. I was aiming for Calgary today, with about 5 hours to get there. Though last week was definitely catching up with me, and I pulled over in a truck stop and had an 'accidental nap' for about 2 hours.

Driving into Calgary was a bizarre experience, and I feel like no one really talks about it. After driving for 2 days through land so flat you can see as far as your eyes allow with no interruptions...land so flat you can see the curvature of the Earth...land so flat that you think you the flat-Earthers might be onto something and that you could drive right off the edge...the city of Calgary kind of just pops up out of nowhere. And so do the Rockies behind it. It's an amazing view.

Once the Rockies come into sight you can't help be stare. They stretch as far as you can see in either direction, with Calgary a jumble of sky scrapers in the foreground.

Not wanting to really go into the main downtown area (cities are not for me), I selected a park that the famous Bow river ran through to spend my afternoon enjoying the sunshine before heading to my parkup for the night, a local brewery about 30 minutes out of Calgary itself. I went to bed full of anticipation, knowing that the following day I'd be driving into the mountains...finally!

Tues 28th May

For those tracking along diligently at home, it's officially been a month since I left Melbourne...where did that time go?! I woke early, excited and eager to hit the road. Family friends who live just outside of Canmore kindly offered me their drive way for the night – parking anywhere near the mountains is impossible to do unless you're in an official campground, and they book out for the season early, and are not cheap. While I'll be predominantly staying in campgrounds for the rest of my trip, I won't be turning down the offer of free and safe parking when it's available. I drove to Alex's house to meet him around lunch time, and after giving me a tour of his (insanely beautiful) house, I had a welcome hot shower and did some laundry before he gave me a ride into the local town of Canmore. I did some exploring (ok...Canmore is utterly beautiful. Seriously... I could live there), and then met the whole family for dinner at the local golf club.

Wed 29th May

I had a slow morning, enjoying the creature comforts of a big house, farewelled Alex and Co, charged up all my devices and then hit the road. I had intentions to climb one of the higher peaks near Canmore - Ha Ling - but on the advice of some friendly locals decided to wait for a better day, as the wind was intense. Instead, I headed for the Grassi Lakes trail. I feel like this was the first hike I'd done that was like the photos you think of in your head when you picture hiking in Canada...or the Rockies more specifically. Their lakes are famous and it is well deserved fame. Grassi lakes was a beautiful trail with the most rewarding pair of blue-green lakes at it's end. To make this moment even more story-book perfect, it started to flurry with snow right when I reached the lakes. Magic, I couldn't make this up if I tried. In the true spirit of an adventurer (and throwing caution to the wind of my many promises to mum back home about not falling off a cliff) I decided to explore further, passing a gate with a large and very clear warning sign about what lay beyond (do not proceed without a helmet, high cliffs, falling rocks blah blah blah), and found that hidden behind the lakes was a cliff you could climb up (and I do mean climb) that took you to a reservoir far above. The moment I got over the ridge I realised what everyone meant when they suggested I not attempt Ha Ling that day. The wind literally moved me back toward the cliff I'd just scrambled up. I stayed just long enough to brave taking a photo (sorry mum!) before I headed back down to the relative safety of scaling down what I'd just climbed. Spotting a mountain goat on my descent made it all worth it. Seriously...a mountain goat!? So cool.

I finished my hike and drove to the nearby (and perhaps more famous) town of Banff. I'd booked a campsite for the remainder of the week, and after a month of being on the road and in a new place almost every single night, I was keen to stop driving the van and be able to slow down. Instead of heading into town, I went directly to my campsite, had a shower, built a fire and just enjoyed being still.

Thurs 30th May

The first thing I realised this morning was that I didn't need to get up and immediately hit the road. And boy did I take advantage of this. I made myself a coffee, and sat outside at my table to enjoy it...it was minus 1, so admittedly this didn't last long. I even cooked myself waffles in my pink mini heart shaped waffle maker I picked up for $10 at the start of my trip. Heaven. I eventually got myself together and caught the free shuttle into Banff town (yay - no driving!) to explore. Look - don't yell at me, I get why Banff is famous. It's got a picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, it's centrally located, and utterly beautiful. But I have to say...Canmore has my heart. Banff definitely feels more touristy, and less "cosy small town vibes"... you could say it's Canmore's cooler older cousin. I'm a Canmore girly for sure. With that said, I loved walking around looking at the local shops, picking up some gifts, and found a fantastic restaurant to take myself out for a solo date that had a whole separate plant-based, gluten-free menu. I had a delicious meal, read my book, and left having made a new (Aussie) friend, who invited me hiking with him the following day. All-in-all, a successful outing, and no driving in sight!

Friday 31st May

Today did not go as planned...but it wasn't bad. I planned to go on 3 separate hikes today, one to Bow Falls, one up a large peak called Mount Rundle, and one up the iconic smaller peak, Tunnel Mountain, which is right in town and a tourist favourite. Bow Falls actually connected to where the Mount Rundle trailhead started, so I began with that, being treated to some baby Elk along the way (so cool!). Where things didn't go as planned was part-way along the Mount Rundle trail. Mount Rundle actually has several peaks to it, and you can hike up each one separately. Two of the peaks start with the same trail, and then split off.... you know where this is going... I missed the split. I walked several km's up a steep steep mountain before I realised. I also hadn't fully adjusted to the altitude yet, and was rapidly gaining more altitude with every step, so it was hard going. Sighing, I turned back, as the path I was on was much longer and I knew I wouldn't have time to meet my new friend at Tunnel Mountain if I kept going. Watching my map carefully, I came upon the spot where the paths should diverge... only to find... nothing. Not even the HINT of a path. Not even a suggestion of another path. Sherlock Holmes couldn't have found a clue as to where this path was. Now I would like to interject here to say, with pride, that I am not a casual hiker. I had carefully read all the information available about my hike, the path, and the terrain. Nothing said the trail was hard to find...and I'd go so far as to say that not only was it hard to find...it didn't exist.

Thankfully, while I was still standing in confusion, wandering up and down the path aimlessly, I came upon another hiker, with what seemed to be his younger brother. They paused, and looking confused, our eyes met. We established we were looking for the same trail, and commented on how strange it was that it didn't seem to exist. They decided to follow what appeared to be an old creek bed, and I (stupidly, or bravely) decided to follow. I quickly overtook them, and continued up the creek bed. And I had thought the other trail was hard - despite the incline, at least the first one was a path. This was decidedly not a path, and clearly not designed to be one. It was steep, with sections that required full on rock climbing up what would have only been small waterfalls once upon a time. Spurred on by the fact I could still hear my hiking companions behind me, I continued on. It was hard, and slow, but I was loving every second of it. My map and GPS were telling me I was in fact following the right path, and I made a point to regularly check it. I was also confident I wouldn't get lost, as I could simply follow it back down to the main path when I needed to. After 90 minutes, many cuts, bruises, splinters, and snags, I hit an actual waterfall. Sheer cliff, at least 10m high, with nothing either side that was remotely climbable. I checked my map. I was so close to the top it was infuriating. But I also heard mum's voice in my head, accepted that the 'sunk cost fallacy' was strong at play here, and accepted my defeat. I may not have got the view, but I was all but at the top, and I'd had a great time getting there - so I decided I'd chalk it up to a win, a good story, and a great adventure. I turned to begin my down-climb. It wasn't any easier. When I met up with the hiker and his little brother again I told them what I'd run into, and they quickly decided to turn back too.

Once I made it back to the main trail, I was bleeding from almost major body part, had several lumps swelling, too many splinters to count, an entire stick in my hair, and was drenched in melted snow and sweat. And the happiest I'd been possibly ever. I know some of my dear readers may not relate to that. But I felt like I had done something hard, and not given up (ok, you got me on a technicality because I did give up - but I didn't feel like I had. I hadn't quit. I had just opted to keep my head attached to my body... a decision I know that when mum reads this she will be grateful for). One of the driving reasons for doing this entire trip in the first place was to sit outside my comfort zone - not for a moment in time, but for an extended period. To sit outside it so long, that I'm going to blink and suddenly realise that my comfort zone has expanded and that I'm in it again...and then do that again and again and again. And that's why I felt like I had succeeded. I walked the long way back into town, and met my new friend at the base of Tunnel Mountain. Admittedly, the altitude was kicking my butt at this point, I'd done about 14km at this stage, of hard and steep hiking, and I was starting to think my legs may fall off. But I met him, put my smile firmly in place, and let him take me up Tunnel Mountain. To my utter shock we were passing people on the path... I could have sworn I was moving at the pace of an elderly snail who'd just taken a substantial dose of LSD, but there you have it. And I finally got my view! It was beautiful. You could look in every direction from the top, and I could even see the peak I had (almost) summited just hours before.

We climbed back down, went for a well deserved drink at the pub, and I returned to camp to a well earned shower (seriously.... I should say sorry to everyone on the bus back because I STANK), lit a fire and enjoyed camp for the night.

Saturday 1st June

How are we in June already? This trip needs to slow down. Seriously. I won't bore my precious friends with too many details of today. Anticipating I was going to be sore from the previous days adventures, I planned to take a rest day in Banff today, sit in the local Starbucks (hello free wifi) and apply for jobs. How normal of me. But that is precisely what I did. Shockingly, I ended up not feeling sore at all from my previous days adventures...with the exception of one hand, which at last count has 14 splinters lodged in it, with no way for me to remove them. I am one with the splinters.

Sunday 2nd June

It was time to depart from Banff's Tunnel Mountain campground, and head further into the Rockies, to Johnston Canyon. Alex kindly invited me for breakfast with him and the kids - he made [vegan] crepes (they were amazing), and I got to plug in the van and do some laundry. Talk about host with the most... I owe him big time for his eternally generous hospitality! After a lovely morning with friends, I planned to head to Lake Minnewanka for lunch, before going on to Johnston Canyon. This didn't quite turn out as I planned - when I arrived to the lake intending to do a short hike and explore the area, the carpark was full and I had to keep going. I found a spot to pull over (illegally) to make some lunch but didn't stay long as I was essentially on the side of the road. I will have to go back though, because the lake was utterly beautiful. I feel like I got my first taste of how busy iconic places in the Rockies can be, come the summer season - reviews online did suggest that you needed to get there early to get a park, but I had opted for crepes and friends instead (I'm happy with my choice). I proceeded onward to my new campground, Johnston Canyon. When I checked in, I was greeted with the news that 3 bears and a wolf had been seen in the campground over the last few days (including that morning) and was given an extra warning to be careful with keeping my campsite "bear safe" - for those playing at home, you have to keep a 'bare' campsite to be 'bear' safe. No food, or scented products (eg toothpaste) can be left outside or in a tent. I generally follow this practice anyway, given I don't have a camp stove in the van, so all my cooking takes place inside. I found my campsite, collected some firewood from the supply and spend the evening working on my knitting project (it's not improving), sitting by the fire, drinking wine and eventually got around to making myself some dumplings for dinner.

Coming next week...

Hiking Johnston Canyon, and the famous Lake Louise and Lake Moraine!