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Sometime last year when we had decided to add Canada to our list of destinations and I started to do a bit more research, I came across one picturesque photo of the country after another and another. It was the colours of the country that excited me the most and I was so looking forward to the day that I would see the vividly bright blue and green lakes in the Canadian Rockies. The vast beauty of the national parks in the Rockies looked absolutely stunning and I was full of excitement and determination to keep working hard to save money for our trip, and sometimes it was images of the countryside like this that helped with my determination. There was a big wide world out there that I had only seen though pictures, movies and documentaries. Within in time, I would be seeing these places with my own eyes.
Today is our last day in the Rockies after having spent the last eight nights here. We have made it to Jasper where there is more snow than anywhere else we have been. Our journey started in Calgary where we picked up our hire car and made our way to Canmore. The air was fresh and snow had fallen over the city and covered more of the ground the further we travelled. This small town is about fifteen minutes out of Banff and is just as charming, accommodation is cheaper and things are a little quieter. Our lodge was great value for the price and we were upgraded to a two bedroom suite that was almost bigger than our house back in Melbourne. It had the same feel as a two story townhouse that you would find in Kensington, Australia. With our little electric fire place and all the comforts of home, we were feeling very relaxed and started to plan our activities for the next ten days. That night when we looked out the window, snow was again spiralling down, this time even more than what we saw in Whitehorse.
The next morning everything was covered in snow. Our car had a thick layer all over it and we had to brush it all off before we drove around. It has been a novelty to experience this much snow, but with the mass of white clouds hanging around for days and days, we didn't see much sun during our visit. Sometimes it would shine through for an hour or two, but most of the time there were thick clouds and my vision of the Rockies was a little different to what I had been imagining.
It has been refreshing to be in the great outdoors again, discovering adventurous walks through thick pine forests with thick layers of snow under our feet. The snow here is very soft and fine and is referred to as 'champagne powder.' Our feet have carried us through layers and layers of the stuff, but it doesn't melt too easily and our shoes have remained dry most of the time. The pine trees build up clusters of the powder in their leaves and it can be fun to shake them and watch it all come smashing down to the ground. This much snowfall has been a bit unexpected not only us by us but the locals too. I wasn't even expecting to see much snow out this way at all, and this amount of snowfall this early in the fall has been unusual.
This is also the shoulder season so things are naturally a bit more quiet and accommodation is that little bit cheaper. That is an advantage but the disadvantage is that many of the activities this area is famous for, are out of action. There is too much snow for mountain biking but not enough for snowboarding. The lakes have started to freeze over limiting the water activities, and some of the waterfalls have also turned to ice. So with Mother Nature changing the landscapes through to the next season, our adventurous activities were a little more limited. But with a little imagination and an abundance of maps, we ventured out each day and soaked up as much of the atmosphere as we could. I now have an elaborate collection of photos to sort through, most of them mountains. Yet pretty much all of them are still fine examples of this beautiful country. Even when there is no sunshine, there is still something spectacular about this landscape.
Highlights of the trip would be spending so many hours each day outside and taking in new scenery day after day. Despite the chilly temperature, we faced the elements with plenty of layers of clothing and all the walking helps to keep you warm. With the snow covering everything, all we could see was a white ground and a white sky with pine trees lining our path, also covered in white. With little sunshine seeping through the clouds and so much snow everywhere, we didn't quite get to see the rich colours of the landscapes that you often see on the postcards. So the next day we decided to take another route and headed off down the road towards the 'scenic wildlife drive'
With a little guidance from the lady at the information centre and with our guide booklet and map in hand, we were assured we would be spotting elk, deer, mountain goat, big horn sheep, bears, coyote and caribou along the drive. The windy road would lead us deeper into the forest where we would be crossing right into their habitat. The drive lasted about three hours and how many animals did we see? None. I was peering out the window searching far and wide to spot anything, but there were no animals in sight. Perhaps the bears have started to hibernate but where were all the other creatures great and small? Not even a chipmunk popped out to say hello.
So with no animal sightings for the day, we soon made our way back home with a camera building a library of mountains and lakes. That day we had come across a few lakes, some of them still shimmering in colour. Shades of green and blue glistened through the layers of ice and looked so cold. Within time they would all be frozen over. As we walked around the edge of the lake, thin layers of ice cracked under our feet. Parts that hadn't yet frozen over were filled with crystal clear water so clean, that it looked like glass and you could easily see the pebbles and rocks at the bottom. For fun we threw pebbles into the middle of the lake and watched the ice crack as the pebble smashed through the layer of ice. When you stood still and made no noise, you could hear nothing at all. It was absolutely silent as everything around us stood still.
Later that evening I checked the weather forecast again in hope of a sunny day. One of my biggest hopes was to see the water at its brightest colours of blue and green. There is just nothing quite like that back in Australia and Lake Louise was on top of the list and probably one of the most famous. However it was her neighbour Moraine Lake, that I was more excited to see. Here you will find a big beautiful lake untouched unlike Lake Louise, which has a giant hotel built near the waters' edge. With more clouds and flurries predicted across the week, it didn't look like we were getting a sunny day anytime soon, so made plans anyway to visit the lakes the following day.
The following morning as we chipped the ice away from the tires and I dressed myself in two layers of clothing again, we made our way to the Lakes. We passed through the town of Banff and followed the road out of town to Lake Louise. Along the way we passed the sign for Moraine Lake with a big sticker across it saying 'closed'. Disappointing but not much we could do about that so we continued on to Lake Louise. As we walked down the path through the thick pine forest, we soon came to the waters' edge where we were greeted by large mountains sprinkled with snow and the majestic lake below. There she was reflecting the pine trees from above, looking spectacular but not what I had been imagining. The bright blue didn't shine through for us at that moment, but with a little imagination you got the idea. As we walked further around and up the side of the mountain, we got a few glimpses of the water which became more of a vivid green the higher we walked. As we walked further around the mountain, we passed a few more lakes that had all frozen over and were completely white.
The reason why the lakes here are so blue is because of the minerals the come from the glaciers. A fine powder called 'rock flour' is formed in the glaciers and washes into the lakes and rivers. When mixed in with the water, this powder absorbs all colours off incoming light, except blue that is reflected back into our eyes. During winter most of the rock flour settles at the bottom of the lake, so I guess it wasn't just the sun that can bring out the bright colours. This water is also very cold and even during the summer months it is only around 10 degrees. During the winter it freezes over and a thick layer of ice forms the surface almost a meter thick. If we were here during the peak of winter, we would have seen ice sculptures carved into giant castles and people ice skating. During the summer months you can hire canoes and during the shoulder season, there isn't really much else to do other than take in the scenery and walk along the trails. The advantage is that it is a lot less crowded.
There are many walking trails spread all across the Rockies and some of them lead to not only lakes, but waterfalls and canyons. We hiked along the Johnston Canyon that led us through a river of water rushing through a limestone canyon. Walking along the rugged path we had to watch our step along the slippery icy surfaces. The waterfall here plunged down into a big pot hole and there was a cave you could walk through to get a closer view. The waterfall was starting to freeze over and large icicles dripped down the limestone. Walking further along the trail we spotted a chipmunk chasing acorns, and soon we came to the Upper Falls with a landscape like nothing else I have seen before. Even more of the water here had turned to ice dripping down the canyon, where the running water was still bright blue and the orange minerals in the rocks could be seen underneath. Walking back we heard a tapping noise and little wood pecker was busy searching for dinner.
Driving back from Johnston Canyon, we spotted some more wildlife, this time an Elk grazing along the road side. I had caught a glimpse of the Elk on our way out to the canyon, but we were not able to stop suddenly along the icy road. On our way back we kept a look out for the Elk and sure enough it was still there! This time we were able to slow down safely and watch the animal graze away on the mountain. It was so big and its antlers just at impressive. The day we spent at the Wildlife Preserve in the Yukon was really amazing, but when you spot just one animal in the wild as fascinating as the Elk, you really are blown away.
As the days went buy and the clouds still lingered above, we slowly started seeing more and more colours in the landscape around us. Walking on the Grassi Lakes trail in Canmore, we came across a lake that was so green it looked like food dye had been poured into the water. We climbed a mountain nearby that gave us a great view of the lake and town below. This area is also a popular spot for rock climbers. On our way back we decided to take the more difficult route and we rewarded with more spectacular scenery. The sun was just starting to go down so we started to make our way back quickly. Reaching the bottom of the mountain we stopped by the lake where the sun was setting and casting a magnificent sunset over the mountains and water.
Our last two nights in the Rockies were spent in Jasper which is about a three hour drive from Banff along the Icefields Parkway. The highway is referred to as one of the most scenic drives in the world and we wanted to make the most of it, so allowed a full day to reach our next destination. This road stretches over 200km through the heart of the Rockies, passing through ancient glaciers and two national parks. There are many places to stop along the way including lakes, waterfalls, picnic spots and camping grounds. As the road curved around the valleys and led us to higher ground, we arrived at the Columbia Icefield. It felt like we could have been driving to Antarctica as the mountains had become completely covered in white, the ground was covered in snow and there was no sign of life around us. As we stopped the car for a bit and looked at the bright white landscape around us, a raven approached us and we thought he must have been hungry. Turns out Ravens like pringles, but only a few as it is not recommended to feed the wildlife. It didn't look like there was anything else you eat out here though.
Normally there are adventurous things you can do in this area such as glacier walks, but there was no sign of anything like this happening when we were there. Our next stop bought us to the Sunwapta Falls where more blue water, pine trees and snow surrounded us, but this time the snow was falling more than it had before. Snowflakes landed on us, and if you looked close enough you could almost make out little crystal shapes in their clusters. After Dustin had made a few snow bombs and the chill was getting to chilly, we were back in the car again. We had already driven through some spectacular scenery, with mountains so big they made us feel quite small in our little car. Jasper was just around the corner and we had already been driving for most of the day. We made one more stop, for some more waterfalls and were glad that we did. This time the water was so bright and probably the brightest blue we had seen while we were here. We surely have seen a lot of waterfalls this year (and as I write this we are actually at Niagara Falls which we will see tomorrow), yet each and every one of them is spectacular. We have learned that waterfalls actually travel upstream as the wash the rock surface away, and millions of year ago they would have travelled down a different path.
Feeling tired we decided to keep going and made our way into town. The next animal sighting for the day was a mountain goat somehow managing to keep their balance on a steep slope along the roadside. This slope was very steep, yet the mountain goat stood there like it was no problem. Just as were arriving into town, we spotted a few shapes in the middle of the road further ahead and as we got closer, three white tailed Deer darted across. A few minutes later we arrived in town and checked in to our hotel for the night.
Jasper wasn't quite the town we were expecting and the temperature was dropping more and more. It didn't have the same charm as Banff or Canmore and as the snow started falling more and more, we decided it was time for some food and a beer. That night when we looked out the window, we could see the snow falling down and we also spotted a coyote running along the path. Unfortunately many of the things we had wanted to do in Jasper were closed because of safety reasons. There are meant to be some beautiful glaciers here that you can walk right into, but the timing was not right for us.
As time passed, our time was more concerned with how we would make our journey back to Calgary. That morning when I woke up and looked out the window, all I could see was a sea of white. So much snow had fallen that the road and path was covered in snow. The roof of the station across the street was also covered and the snow was still falling. It looked like there as a blizzard outside and soon the idea of driving back along the Icefields Parkway didn't feel like such a good idea. Wild weather had struck the east coast of North America with hurricane Sandy raging through, and heavy snowfall had hit many parts of Alberta along in the west. With a six hour drive and a flight to catch the next day, we had a bit of planning to do. Parts of the Icefield Parkway had been reported with poor road conditions, so our safest option was to take the alternate route around the Rockies. So the following day we got up at 4.30am and drove the 700km along the safer roads towards Calgary. With patience and concentration, we made it safe and sound and although we didn't get to drive back along the scenic route, we were very happy to be returning the car in time for our next flight.
Our Rockies experience surprised us from day one with the amount of snowfall and continued to surprise us and reward us along our journey. Words cannot describe the vast beauty of the mountains, lakes, rivers and wildlife that make up this part of the world. We have seen many mountains this year with some of the most striking being the Andes in South America, but the mountains out here take on a life of their own and the scale of them is just amazing. We travelled through here in the shoulder season and still found many ways to fill our time, yet to be a local and experience the fours season of the Rockies must be a wonderful way to live and I am a little envious of them. Everywhere I have travelled this year, I would love to come back to and see it again and relive the adventure. Coming back to the Rockies in the peak of summer or early fall to see the full colours of the country would be inspiring and to snowboard down the mountains in winter would be out of this world. I am so grateful we were lucky enough to experience this part of the world, and it has made our time traveling in Canada even more memorable.
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