Take a Hike

Banff Ave. (main street through town)

Greg took off for a short training ride and we took off for a short hike, or what we thought would be a short hike.

The day began with our free breakfast in the hotel.  Nothing is ever really free, right?  You pay for it somehow…financially, physically, gastronomically...  How about logistically?  Easily, there are over 100 people staying in this hotel and most are going to take the hotel up on their free offer, I would think.  We arrive to the breakfast “room” to find it holds, maybe 20 semi-comfortably (cramped) and it’s on the verge of overflowing.  Not a big deal…we ate in the lobby.  Greg on the other hand, having an empty chair at his table, shared it with an older Asian lady speaking no English.  After making an effort to be cordial, and we all know Greg knows no strangers, he buries his attention into Facebook on his phone.  Beth and I, on the other hand, take our food to the lobby and savor the quiet.

Now full, we head our separate ways, Greg to ride and Beth and I head out to take a hike.  Our destination, Johnston Canyon, here in Banff National Park, but first we swing by the Banff Springs Golf Course at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  We follow the signs to the club house and we are taken by Bow Falls on the Bow River.

Bow Falls on the Bow River in the Bow River Valley.

Sweet golf surroundings!

After snapping a few pics, the first tour bus of the day arrives and we hot tail it out of there, continuing the hunt for the golf course.  We meander around for a few minutes until it unveils itself before us, with the backdrop of sky-high jagged peaks.  On the off chance that it wouldn’t be busy, I run into the clubhouse to check on tee times and green fees, hoping for some kind of gift from above.  A couple of what appear to be college kids behind the counter ask if they could help me, as if I were lost.  I inquired for available tee times, of which there were plenty.  Then came the green fees.  When hearing the number 239, I reacted as though that kind of money, for roughly 4 hours of entertainment, would work for me, but would need to get back with them (when I won the lottery maybe!).  I slipped out the front door in search of oxygen to replace the rarefied air in the golf shop and fight the urge to empty my wallet.

With a successful getaway from the pro shop and money still in my wallet, we head for the Trans Canadian Highway (Canada’s Highway 1) and Johnston Canyon.  Arriving at the trailhead, you would have thought we arrived at a theme park parking lot.  Evidently this is the most popular trail we could have selected.  No worries…as the over used phrase goes…we grabbed our pack and proceeded on passed a row of RV rentals. 

The descriptions I’d read about the Johnston Canyon Trail, was easy in difficulty, was 2.4 km (one way) or 1.5 miles, for those of you who failed to learn your metric system conversions in school, and follows a cascading river to a lower and upper falls.  Sounds doable, right?  And it was!  The trail was actually asphalted and was cantilevered over the frigid river below with small I-beams coming out of the canyon’s rock walls.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it, but really liked it vs. a traditionally maintained trail, and quite exciting to walk over the water!

One of many falls in the canyon.

Our trail over the water.

Snapping landscapes...

...while Beth snaps other wildlife!

The upper falls.  Such little water makes such big sound.

Having made our way to the upper falls, we rewarded ourselves (and a curious chipmunk) with a snack/lunch…crackers and cheese with an apple chaser.

Our lunch spot.  Not bad, eh?

With rested legs and feet and a satisfied tummies, we head even higher to find the Ink Pots.  The Ink Pots are small pools of water with sandy bottoms, where water percolates up from below, creating a bubbling effect.  They were located close to the river that created the falls in Johnston Canyon, as the valley opened up above.

The Ink Pots.

A welcome time out.

Nuff said!

One last glimpse.

Our landmark for being close to Banff.  Not bad, eh?

All said and done, we hiked around 7 miles, round trip and saw some beautiful places, for sure.  From this hike I have two observations.  One, the number of foreign folks compared to those of us that live in North America, must be 3 to 1.  Everyone was just as nice as they could be.  Now let’s not confuse niceness with poor spatial awareness.  While heading down (or up) the trail, generally when approaching someone from the opposite direction, what do you do?  That’s right; move over to make room to pass one another.  Well, many of those we met on the trail missed that memo, whether it be with a stroller or just strolling back to the trailhead, had we not hugged the edge, we would have put our personal space bubbles in danger of popping.  Now that I think of it, that might explain some of the horrible traffic and driving I’ve see on TV in foreign countries.  Just sayin’!

Greg continues to pack and repack, getting organized, making lists and checking them twice.  Tomorrow the Tour Divide adventure begins!

 

My Zen from the road:  It seems as though when I hike, there is always an older couple on the trail that seems to have figured it out.  They seem in sync with each other, were prepared for what they were doing, and enjoying each other.  I saw this couple on the trail today.  Possibly in their 70’s or later, dressed appropriately, and enjoying the hike.  They just seemed at peace.  It’s all about relationships.