I decided that I like Canada, probably because I always visited in the summer. The sceneries are beautiful and people friendly. English works and stores accept US dollars. Where else can you find wild blossoms with glaciers as backdrop?
People are surprised that I visited Banff in August. If those slopes are meant for skiing, they would rate nothing less than double black diamonds: way out of my league. One of the local waitresses said she never went “up there” except for skiing.
The lakes are breath-taking, glaciers stunning, and hiking trails very satisfying. This is heaven for landscape and wild-life photographers. I can imagine its winter to be even more beautiful. The temperature, however, can go as low as -50°C, indoor.
Click on any picture to see the whole set. (This photo, and some others, are taken by my daughters.)
| Day 1, Aug 20th |
Arrived Calgary. Rented car and headed west. Instead of rushing to Lake Louise, where we will stay, we Turned into Hwy 1A after the town of Banff for a more scenic route. We had several short stops and took a short hike at Johnston Station; it was like an appetizer for the ensuing 3 days feast. I was stunned when I walked into the hotel room. The window framed the view that stopped all other thoughts and activities. Kids produced their cameras and started clicking. When we realized that there are still daylight to catch, we threw down the bags and ran to the lake side. Days end around 8:30pm here. |
| Day 2 |  Started the Plain of Six Glaciers hike around 9am. It was a strenuous hike to reach the teahouse at the top. After a simple lunch, we continued to the lookout point: another more strenuous 1.3km hike. The surreal closeness of the glaciers was worth the work. Hiking back drained all our energy and cold beers was soooo good at the hotel’s Lakeview Lounge. |
| Day 3 |  Woke up early and headed Jasper. An hour and half later, we stopped at Columbia Icefield: a chunk of ice big enough to cover the city of Vancouver. A special huge-wheeled bus took us onto the Athbasca Glacier. It was out-of-worldly to walk on 300-meter deep ice. Remember to wear good traction shoes and bring a jacket. The glacier gust was not forgiving.
Forty-five minutes of drive later, we stopped at the Athbasca Fall and turned into Hwy 93A. That led us to Mt. Edith Cavell. There an amazing Angelic Glacier, a huge, all-white, winged entity, floated in the mid-air and right in front of us. As we walked closer, we found what seemed like dirt and gravel was actually nearly 20-foot of ice lightly covered with moraine. Several ice caves were at the foot of the glacier. They lured us like honey for bees. Inside the caves was dark and cold. Droplets fell into my collar and I realized this thing was MELTING. I thought of glacier avalanches “Good thing that my remains will be well preserved.” |
| Day 4 |  The last stop before leaving the Lake Louise area was Moraine Lake, a preferred alternative many who wished to avoid the crowd and commercialization around Lake Louise. We hiked an easy trail to Consolation Lakes. This less traveled trail passed through woods with a torrent stream on the side. There are sections completely covered by boulders that required careful negotiation and footing. An hour later we arrived the mirror-like lake and understood their namesakes. The serenity was soothing.
By mid-afternoon, we came to the town of Banff: charming with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. I can see brisk business and rowdy crowd in the ski season. |
| Day 5 | What to do for half a day in Calgary? Hmm…
We chose Calgary Tower, Art Central, and Eau Claire Market. They are all in the City Center and within walking distance to each others. Honestly, none of them are tourist destinations but interesting enough to hang around. Many buildings in Calgary are connected with a +15 system that allow pedestrians to walk about without getting outside or crossing streets. It also effectively moved the foot-traffic related businesses, café, gallery, bakery, etc., inside. The streets of Calgary are really indoor and on the 2nd floor. |
“Would you go back again?” asked one of our house guests several days later. That question seemed more real to him than “Do you recommend it to me?” I blabbed out, “Of course I would!” We probably explore less than a tenth of the park and they all seems worth lingering for hours. “Maybe Yellowstone first,” I thought. “Since I also promised to go back there.”