The Canadian Rockies – 2

I was back at Lake Louise early in the morning on my third day in Banff, now familiar with the area and some of the trails around. I had read a lot about the trails and was confused about choosing the right one for my abilities and the time I would be spending in the park. The plain of six glaciers was one of the best, just the name sounding so alluring. It is named so because you can view the hanging glaciers of Mount Victoria, Mount Lefroy, Mount Aberdeen, Pope’s Peak and the lower Victoria and Lefroy glaciers. Apart from the snow that covered most parts of the trail, many hikers who had been there that week alerted about a grizzly with her cubs frequently spotted near the end of the trail. Although that made me wonder if I should be going out there alone, I decided to start the hike anyway and see if I might be able to stay close to other hikers, if there were any.

 It was gloomy and drizzling when I started. I did see a couple hiking as soon as I started climbing up after going around the lake and tried to follow them for a while. However, once we reached the snow-covered area, I had lost track of them. I followed what I thought were their footsteps. It was starting to get sunny and I was enjoying the views of the glaciers as I got closer. Seeing the lake far away framed by the rugged landscape was enough to remind me how grateful I was to be on this trail. It reminded me why I loved hiking so much. Only a mile or so away from the shoreline of the lake, I had been transported to a world so different. In such a place to which millions of visitors flocked every year as the weather turned favorable, this is a simple way to have some peace and quiet amidst nature. And, it always rewarded me with a whole new perspective of the surroundings and sometimes, of life.

 I plowed through the slush and the snow, wondering if I might have to turn around just like I did the previous day. My feet were cold and I could not see footsteps ahead of me anymore. I finally decided to check if I was on trail and luckily, there was cell reception. I had deviated from the trail more than half a mile ago. I traced my way back, getting more snow inside my hiking shoes. I reached the teahouse soon and hoped to be able to eat something there. However, they needed cash and I had zilch. The rest of the trail was going to be the scariest with the most snow I had encountered so far, and the grizzly. I went ahead, wowed by whatever I could see despite the cloud and fog. I am not sure if I was sad or happy that I did not run into the bear and her cubs. I made it to the Abbott pass viewpoint which is the end of the trail. The immense Victoria glacier was right in front of me, only concealed by thick clouds. I may have been lucky enough to see it better if I waited for some time for the clouds to move but decided against it in light of the chance that mama grizzly might get agitated seeing a lone hiker encroaching into her space.

 I made my way down very quickly and was surprised to run into lots of people on the trail. They seemed to have chosen a better time though, since it was getting sunnier and the clouds were moving away. Or was it because I was losing elevation? Whatever be the reason, I hope they all could be in the presence of nature’s grandeur and admire it just like I did. The crampons that I now carried in my hands sparked quite a few conversations with fellow hikers and walkers. One of them told me that they had seen a bear right by the side of the lake, in front of the chateau, probably the most crowded place in the entire park. I seemed to have eluded the bear at the bottom and the one at the top of the mountain that day.

 Once back in my car after helping myself to the same sandwich that I had had the previous day for lunch, I noticed that the small crack on the windshield was now much bigger and might lead to the glass breaking. Worried, I made a trip back to the town of Banff only to be told by the guy at the car rental company that there was no chance that it would break and I would be fine as long as it did not obstruct my vision completely.

 Due to my poor, last minute planning or because summer was taking longer to come to this part of the world, there did not seem to be many more places that I wanted to drive to in Banff. On my friends’ recommendation, I decided to make my way to the Emerald lake in the nearby Yoho national park. I crossed the provincial border to British Columbia. It was cloudy and raining when I reached, in stark contrast to what I had just left behind in Banff. There were people kayaking in the beautiful lake despite it being quite chilly. After a short walk by the lake, I was ready to leave. I went back to lake Moraine since I had missed the views of the lake from a height, which meant my photos from the previous day did not truly capture its radiant blue-green color.

 On the day that I was leaving the hostel, I happened to have a rather eye-opening conversation with one of my roommates. She and her boyfriend were traveling from Toronto and they had chosen to hitchhike since they were both students and had some financial constraints. They seemed to be making the most of the trip though, with some help from strangers who offered them rides and also friends who picked them up. What I took away from it was that traveling did not have to be an expensive affair like I mostly made it out to be. If you really want to, you would find a way to do it. I think it probably matters where in the world you want to go as well since not everywhere was conducive if you want to stay in hostels and not have a car.

 I had only scraped the surface of the beauty of the Canadian Rockies in my three days in the Banff national park and was now ready to explore the more remote and rugged Jasper national park. I planned to spend half a day driving on the Icefields parkway from Banff to jasper with stops along the way. I was on one of the most gorgeous routes in the world, gasping at every turn, wishing I could stop everywhere. As the car trudged up to the highest point of elevation on the road, there was a pall of gloom. There was heavy cloud cover and I skipped the viewpoints that I had planned to stop at, hoping that the weather would be kinder to me on my way back on the same road a couple days later. Soon, I was astounded to see snow on the road, and a little while later, I realized that it was snowing. I had booked tickets to go on a glacier adventure to see the Columbia icefield that feeds six major glaciers. I arrived at their office which was hardly discernible in the blinding snow. A couple of hours later, I decided to give this a shot on my way back as well and continued my journey to Jasper, glad to not be driving in the snow anymore.

 I was introduced to the Jasper national park through the Athabasca falls. As I walked around, I appreciated how massive it was, the water gushing through in all possible directions. I drove over to the valley of the five lakes to end the day with a short hike. It was a pleasant walk and I found some of the five lakes to be worth the walk and some others, not so much. I would probably go here only if I had nothing else to do in the park and had quite a bit of time to while away.

 I was staying in a hostel here as well, albeit in a hipper downtown hostel. The room that I would be sharing with seven other ladies was full. I made myself comfortable and listened as a few of them were chatting away while packing to leave the next day. A couple girls had chosen a hike in Banff that was incredibly hard due to the sheer elevation gain and had successfully completed it. One of them was so proud since her dad had attempted it many years ago and given up while she had done it on her first try. I opened the reviews for the trail to see that most of them mentioned that they had given up after a certain point and would be back to do it some other time. She talked about how doing something like this gave her the confidence that she was worth something and that she could achieve whatever it is that she put her mind to. It was inspiring. Even more so was another lady from Illinois who was here on her motorbike. I mustered enough courage to tell her how awed I was with her story and she shared more with me. She had taken it up a while ago simply because she wanted to do something challenging and exciting in her life. She had biked across the USA to the west and made her way up north, aiming to go all the way up to the Arctic circle. She faced unique obstacles related to the road, the motorbike and her body on her rides across the world and said it had transformed her, making her stronger and much more independent. She was not sure where she would rest at the end of each day, but knew that she would be fine. It was heartwarming to hear that her husband had suggested riding as something she could do and also supported her every step along the way. I hope I do not forget these amazing women I had met who made me wish I could do something like that in my life and be an inspiration to many others.