O Canada - The Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway - May 16 to May 25

Monday May 16 to Wednesday May 18

On Monday we kitted up the van and headed off early in the morning for the long drive to Kamloops.  Poor Rolo was at the wheel for nearly 11 hours driving from Rockaway Beach, back past Seattle and deep into British Columbia.

As soon as we crossed the US/Canadian border we saw snow on the mountains - at only two weeks before the start of the northern summer this was odd to me.  I was grateful for our stops in Seattle at Outdoor Research and REI and for my new collection of icebreakers and snow gear.

We headed through the rain and up through the snow into Kamloops where we'd booked a room for the same price as the Rockaway Beach place, but possibly only1/3 of the size... Jono was heard saying that we were on bedside table away from a foursome... 

On Tuesday we were back in the car again to head north east to Jasper.  After a movie and a good dose of How I Met Your Mother on the laptop in the back of the van we were just about in Jasper when we saw our first bear, just mooching along on the side of the road.

We hadn't booked anywhere to stay in Jasper, so our orientation of the city was based around the pub, the train station and the info centre.  We had no luck at any of these places, so backtracked towards the way we'd come into Jasper to take a look at some B&Bs.  Success!  There was one going for $50 per room per night with en suite bathrooms that was only half a block from the main drag.  Mountain Memories was only half a block from the main drag and we could come and go as we pleased making it a really easy stay.

That night we headed to Earl's for some dinner and as we walked home late that night marvelled at the sun still being up.

After just about maxing out the wifi at a local cafe on Wednesday morning we all headed out to Maligne Canyon for a walk along the falls and then had a picnic lunch under the sun.  Later I played The Blitz  for the other guys as I looked for accommodation in Banff and they spotted THREE bears while out walking.  Aw man!

Jono and I headed out for a date night before we hit the bush, with a movie (Water for Elephants, the book's better than the movie) and a Chinese feed.

Thursday 19 May to Sunday 22 May - The Icefields Parkway proper.

Thursday - From Jasper it took all of 15 minutes before we were on the Parkway and then the hunt was on for our accommodation.  Lucky for us, it didn't take long to find something and we quickly stumbled across the Hostelling International Wilderness Hostel at Beauty Creek.  To our absolute benefit the place was run by a young Aussie who told us that we'd turned up a day early and that the season hadn't begun yet.  Not to mind, we struck a deal in which we did a spot of cleaning in return for a night's accommodation.  

Before long the place was spic and span, our beds were made and the fire was going.

The hostel was in a great spot, right on the water with snow capped mountains rising up across the creek.  Being a Wilderness Hostel some of our creature comforts were missing - running water and electricity being the two most noticeable, but there was gas heating and lighting and you could always just jump into the glacial-fed waters if you needed to freshen up!

That first night we shared our dinner with our new Australian friend and sat around the fire with some other early arrivals.

Beauty Creek Wilderness Hostel

Friday - we didn't venture far, maybe 200m down the road some time after breakfast.  Destination - Stanley Falls.

Stanley Falls is a route that follows eight or so water falls up into the mountains.  It's a stunning and not too difficult walk, but the conversation did revolve around the absent bear spray and bells.

Somewhere at the top of the walk, where three waterfalls come together we lost Rolo.  One minute he was there and the next not.  Soon after that he reappeared half way up a rockface scaling his way past a waterfall.

That night we decided to stay on at Beauty Creek and made friends with a couple of Canadians and three German girls, sharing our meals and drinks across the communal table.

That was the last time we saw him alive

Until we saw him again here... He's at the bottom of the top third of the picture on the sheer face of rock next to the ice.

Saturday - My first glacier!!

We ventured a little further this day and headed to the Athabasca Glacier for a photo shoot before going in search of mountain goats and bears on a nearby trail.  There was far more snow on this trail than on the Stanley Falls walk and while it was pretty patchy some of it was waist deep.  Different techniques were employed to cross the snow and because not all of us have the legs of Gigantor my favourite ended up being something of a crab walk.  Everyone had a go, with varying success. We made it as far as we could without snow shoes and then, wet and tired, we turned back.

Sunday - Farewell Beauty Creek.  We pack our bags today to head further down the Parkway in search of greener pastures.  On the way we stop to check out some waterfalls and go in search of more glaciers. As we climb higher there is more and more snow and just before lunch we pull up to take a walk to a frozen lake.  The snow is piled high beside the car park and when we start walking we have to shuffle along in single file along the packed snow so we don't fall deep into the soft stuff.

On our way back to the car it starts to rain and we get separated on the walk home.  I get lumped into a group of tourists wearing socks and sandals in the snow and we have a good laugh at each other as we one by one fall off the packed ice and into the melting powder.  By the time I get back to the car Jono's made friends with the people parked next to us and is sharing a beer with them.  Then we pull out lunch and eat it al fresco from the van - one tub of peanut butter, a packet of rivettas, some Happy Cow cheese triangles and the alpine air.

From here we venture on to check out stunning Lake Louise.  It's just like the pictures, only we make the mistake of assuming the water will be that amazing blue.  Instead, when we round the bend in the path we discover (surprise!) it's frozen!!  As we take in the view we watch some of the melting snow cascade down the mountain across the water, what looks like just a gentle waterfall of snow makes a thunderous noise that ricochets around the valley.

From Lake Louise we backtrack a bit along the Icefields Parkway to the Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel.  Here there is snow everywhere but while the facilities are more modern (sauna, indoor fireplace, glass on the windows) the welcome isn't as friendly as at Beauty Creek and Hans, or Fredrick or whatever his name is shows us around, collects our money and then disappears into the forrest.

We celebrate our Icefields journey with gnocchi, booze, sauna and scrabble.. not necessarily in that order.  Next stop Banff.

Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 May - Banff and Calgary

Monday -  There is no way that any of us are going to brave the waters of Mosquito Creek and the knee deep snow leading up to the water's edge to bathe, so we head back to Lake Louise where we can use the showers at their Hostelling International hostel.  It is a worthy shower and I emerge squeaky clean.

We're a pretty dusty bunch after the previous evening's celebrations and we're all glad to discover a local shop selling sausage rolls.

On the road again, we head for Banff!  Haven't spent this much time in a car for a few days.  Granted it's only a couple of hours, but I was just getting into a routine!  We're booked into stay at the Holiday Lodge Bed and Breakfast, but I haven't had the internet for a while and don't have their address so we make a bee line for Starbucks and free wifi.

It's Banfftastic

By the time everyone's caught up with the news of the world the team's getting a bit hangry.  Thank goodness the Best Authentic Canadienne Poutine is served in Banff.  Time for a culinary adventure!  Once the balance of good and evil is restored in our stomachs we make our way to the Holiday Lodge and discover that it's literally at the back of Starbucks!  Doh!  But on the way to the car we bump into some German girls we met at Beauty Creek, which distracts everyone from the fact that the car is on the other side of town while our accommodation is just around the block.

The accommodation is great, we get to do some washing and we're really close to town.  We're recommended to head to the Elk and Oarsman for dinner, so that's where we go.  You'd have thought that the boys had been in the wild for weeks, not days because Rolo ate two main meals and they both had their eyes glued to the tv throughout dinner.

And the girls entertain themselves....

Ahh McDonalds, we can always rely on you ruining a good picture of a mountain shrouded in cloud and for your toilets.

Tuesday - an amazing breakfast is laid out for us in the morning, with home made croissants and other baked goods plus cereal and toast.  Despite the spread it's a slow start for all of us.  Rolo and Ella at least go for a run, but we only get through a sushi train and some tourist shops (we're hunting for some belated 30th birthday gifts for Rolo and Ella that commemorate our time together.. fudge, chocolate coated coffee beans and booze should do it).

There are some semi-important hockey playoffs that night, which coincide with $10 steak night at the Elk and Oarsman, but you can only book a table for groups of six or more... if only we could bump into those Germans again!  Well the hockey gods come through and the girls are keen to watch the game so we book the table (which the pub loses in the end anyway, but we somehow get to elbow our way onto a table) and we watch the game and get our steaks and Rolo eats two.

Wednesday - the end of an adventure.  We have a flight booked out of Calgary for the following day, so we check into an airport hotel and Rolo very kindly drives us there even though he and Ella are going in the opposite direction to Vancouver that day.  Now it's like I'VE been in the wild for weeks as I feed my face with TV and we soak up all the luxury that a hotel room has to offer... tea and coffee making facilities!  Wifi!  En suite bathroom!  Chairs!  Ahh the things you miss in hostels!  We give the Calgary sights a miss in favour of doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day, only venturing from the room at dinner to check out the in-house restaurant: Monty's Crab Shack!  

Monty's