Annie and Fos in Canada 2023

The Lonely Planet guidebook describes the Prince of Wales Hotel at Waterton as like something from Hogwarts. It's a pretty good description. It was built in 1927 by a chronic Anglophile and named the Prince of Wales because the Prince was nearby at the time of completion and the owner wanted him to open it. Although the cad snubbed him and wouldn't come, the name stuck.  It is built almost entirely from local timber and very lavish. Naturally,  we booked dinner for 7.00. The waiters wore kilts and the food was very nice. We fitted in perfectly in our crumpled hiking attire.

 Well, today I met Bob. Bob is from Texas and had flown up to Montana to attend a bible group.  We are currently in Waterton National Park which is on the US border joining Glacier National Park in Montana. Bob had ducked over the border to have a quick look, although he seemed less than impressed “Better on the US side, more happening”. I’m not sure what he was referring to but I didn’t have time to ask before he continued. As we walked away from the toilet where we met, the conversation somehow moved on to guns, covid and politics. Now, some of you who know me will find this difficult to believe, but I swear I did not prompt, agitate or even encourage this line of monologue. This was all Bob. Covid was, and still is, a conspiracy by governments around the world to control their subjects. One example Bob knew of to prove this fact was that the government in America (he didn’t say which one) was paying families of people who died by other causes, $30,000 to have their death...

The drive south from Banff to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park followed the eastern edge of the Rockies. We haven’t seen the prairies yet but they are not far away. It was a lovely drive, the only interruption being a mob of Rocky Mountain Sheep on the road. This Park was established primarily to alleviate visitor pressure on Banff NP. It didn’t work. The scenery is just as spectacular but there are very few people here. We spent our full day here walking around the Upper Kananaskis Lake.

  Yellow bellied Marmot Golden mantled Ground Squirrel Columbian Ground Squirrel  Red Squirrel Hoary Marmot White tailed deer outside Waterton Visitor Centre Muskrat

 The road between Jasper and Banff, known as the Icefield Parkway, is touted as one of the top 10 drives in the world. We believe it, but I’m afraid, cannot confirm it, as although the weather was better than the previous few days, it was still heavily overcast, with some light rain in the valleys and snow on the ridges. Occasionally the clouds would part long enough to get a glimpse of the mountains, but they invariably quickly closed in again and we were denied. We were teased all day, we knew they were there but couldn’t quite see them. It was like going to see your favourite band play only for the power to keep getting cut. Off, on, off, on..... We stayed at Lake Louise town for 3 days and the weather got better everyday – no rain, less cloud and warmer each day. And we finally got to see those magnificent mountains and lakes. We spent one day hiking at Lake Louise which was stunning but crowded and 2 days hiking near Morraine Lake which was our favourite. The hike to Larch Val...

 At around midnight last night I woke and couldn’t hear any rain for the first time in more than 24hrs. Content with that good news, I dozed back off to sleep only to wake to Annie exclaiming “Holy shit it’s snowing!’. It is 19th June, 2 days away from the summer solstice and snow continued to fall until about 11.00am. Our campground and van were covered in deep soft snow and when we finally got our act together and drove into town it snowed all the way. We had planned to drive south into Banff National Park today but clearly this would not be a good idea now. So, we fell back to our standard operating procedure when unsure of what to do and sat in a diner and ate a lovely hot breakfast of french toast and pancakes while we gathered our thoughts and watched the snow continue to fall. So, we will now stay in Jasper today and drive to Lake Louise tomorrow, weather permitting, rather than split it into 2 days as previously planned. Luckily there is room at the inn. Max temp today has...

Although overcast and cool, the rain held off for our first 2 days in Jasper. The fist day was spent at Maligne Lake, another picture postcard lake. Sweet waffles for lunch. Two more walks on day 2 not far from town. One trail had a sign warning of a mother grizzly bear showing 'defensive behaviour' and 2 cubs on the trail. We avoided that one and rang our bear bells continuously.  Jasper is a nice alpine town located in a broad glacial valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and although tourism is obviously the main game, it retains its village vibe. Day 3 was wet and spent in town.  Day 4, when we had planned to head south to Banff National Park,  was another story.

As soon as we reached the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains we encountered heavy smoke from the numerous fires in British Colombia and Alberta, the largest of which was 450,000ha. It also rained for 2 days and the thermometer on the van didn't get above 12 degrees.  And the fires continued burning. So, on the trip south from Fort Nelson to Hinton, we couldn't see much more than the road ahead. It was a little surreal actually. Thick smoke, rain and mist all at the same time. The smoke finally cleared when we entered Jasper National Park, although cloud and light rain lingered. I walked the Sulphur Line Trail while Annie soaked in another hot spring. The trail followed a creek and then a ridgeline to a stunning lookout over the Fiddleback River. The last 400m was loose and exposed, each side of the trail fell away on very steep sides. It was like walking along the edge of a giant stone axe.