As indicated in the previous post, we hadn't quite gotten the Canadian Rockies out of our system after a week at Jasper, so back again we went--this time to Banff, lake Louise, Kootenay, Yoho and Assiniboine.
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| Johnston Falls |
We flew into Calgary and spent a night in Canmore at the Paintbox Inn. Canmore is a Nordic skiing Mecca, so don't be surprised if you see a winter post from here.
Banff is a fairly typical mountain resort town in many ways, but it has a nice museum, the Whyte, and also the adjacent library had a fun puppet exhibit. It is also the home of Canada's first national park area, Cave and Basin, which is home to the Banff spring snail and many bitterns (not pictured).
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| Cave and Basin |
There are several advantages to traveling in fall. First off, the crowds are a lot smaller, and the weather is cool but not yet cold. Also, the larches and aspens turning yellow adds color to the mountains.
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| Wapta Falls |
Although the temperatures remained moderate, only 2 of the 5 hiking days were without rain. Getting a little wet was a small price to pay for having the trails to ourselves.
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| Plain of Six Glaciers |
It would be hard to name a highlight, but our early morning sojourn up to the Plain of Six Glaciers
with a return through the Big Beehive and Lake Agnes certainly makes the short list for best day hikes, especially when you throw in a couple of mountain goats.
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| Mountain Goats |
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| Lake Agnes |
The denouement hike in the Sunshine Valley was wet, windy, moody and without another person in sight--in other words, perfect. We even found a single wild strawberry growing on the trail!
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