There are plenty of places to go in the world, and I have only scraped the surface, but it is much easier to go places where you know someone, and after two trips to Europe with recently graduated nieces, I planned my next trip with convenience in mind. In 2013 I went to Calgary in July while in tip-top physical condition, even for me, and I got a devastating case of food poisoning from a salad I ate at the airport that came as close to incapacitating me as is possible. I did manage to go to the Calgary Stampede (at that time only nauseated and sweating), the great Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller (now with a fever), and after a few days of severe symptoms, Banff. I was sorry to have ruined my friends' vacations as well. I met Belayneh and Yenu when I arrived in Swaziland in 2002 and was lucky to spend some time with them and their children. When I asked them if they would be willing to have me back and try to go to Yoho National Park, which I'd read about recently in National Geographic, they were eager.
It was scheduled for July, the time of the Calgary Stampede (again). I am an experienced day hiker, and, despite some annoying calf injuries, in pretty good shape, so I really wanted to do some of the highly regarded trails in Yoho. Belayneh and Yenu were game to come along. That was a bit of a relief as I have not hiked much in Grizzly country (one or two times in Alaska with Joe Morehouse would be it there, and he carried a gun) and there is safety in numbers for sure in that situation. In lieu of their companionship, I would likely have been able to go along with others since it is a pretty popular place, but we moved ahead with them coming with booking hotels, which were pretty full since it was Stampede time.
I arrived late on Saturday the 9th after avoiding anything uncooked at the airports. The weather did not look that great: lots of rain in the forecast, but I was prepared. After a good night's sleep and a run in their pleasant and well-pathed neighborhood of Tuscany, we caught a train from the new Tuscany stop to the Stampede. It turned out we got there about one hour too late for free admission for family day, so it was very crowded with lots of kids. We scoped things out more than we did the last time and got tickets for the afternoon rodeo and then started to eat. I am a vegetarian, but I have three oft-stated weaknesses: ribs, duck and pork belly. On this occasion, with few vegetarian options in sight (I don't recall seeing even fish sandwiches), we lined up for ribs and got a half rack each with some spicy baked beans. Everything was really good, and they had excellent sauce. We also snagged some poutine, which I'd heard many a Canadian comic joke about but had never tried (gravy and fries with cheese curds - overall pretty good). This healthy menu was topped off with a Hong Kong waffle and ice cream.
It was a pretty nice day despite a forecast for rain, and the rodeo afternoon went well - there is a certain blend of comedy, sexism, and machismo wrapped around perturbed animals at a rodeo, and it is entertaining even to someone like me, though I did some cringing. After that we made our way to a restaurant downtown for a good meal (salad!!) and a train ride back to Tuscany. A good day!
Monday was rainy, with the worst of it coming on my run around the neighborhood on their paths. We went to the new Museum of Music (it has another, less obvious name) in the city. It was mostly for Canadian musicians, but there were quite a lot of them enshrined there (the word "pantheon" was used), and there were some nice participatory exhibits (I noodled poorly on a guitar, a drum set and several pianos, but couldn't get the singing booth to work - perhaps a good thing since my thyroid surgery). We adjourned for lunch at another nice restaurant (vegetable risotto) and then took care of some items for our trip (bear spray, rental car) and took a walk on the very pleasant greenway along the Bow River near Tuscany when the sun came out later in the afternoon.
Tuesday was again touch and go weather-wise, but I had a decent run and we made it up and over the continental divide into British Columbia and Yoho Park only a little later than I'd hoped. It was a tough call for me with the timing of the hike. On one hand, I wanted to make sure we got in as much as we could, but it was late morning and we had no plans for lunch. I'd scrutinized maps given to me by my doctor and occasion running buddy, Ray Douglas, who surprised me when he said he'd been to Yoho in 2003 and bought several waterproof maps and a few books while there. It looked like the best option for the first day would be a fairly level walk in the Yoho Valley out to a few waterfalls. I guessed it would be between 5-8 miles depending on how Belayneh and Yenu felt, and then we could grab a late lunch and check in at the Great Divide Lodge, our base for two nights. After that there were a few nice, short hikes we could do later in the day before eating dinner.
It was cloudy, raining lightly at times as we arrived at the Takkakaw Falls after a short drive down the hill from the lodge (we didn't stop) and out the Yoho Valley Road, which is only open a few months a year. We first strolled up the walkway to the base of the falls. One could get pretty close, though that involved lots of spray and mist. The falls are the third highest in Canada at over 1200 feet, and just a bit from the top shoot out horizontally to great effect. They are fed by a glacier which is less than 400 meters from the edge of the falls.
Far enough from Takkakaw Falls that I was not getting wet. I don't remember being on stilts then, but....
From there we headed back to the car to get our packs and start the hike proper. Yenu asked me if I wanted any of their water or food, but I had my camelbak pack with about 70 ounces of water and 6 energy bars, enough for the three days we would be in the park. Belayneh carried their backpack and put on leather boots. Yenu wore some Nike running shoes. I was pretty sure they would be all right for the day.
One of my favorite photos, just off the trail, showing the Yoho River.
The first part of the trail is relatively flat and follows the Yoho River as it rages down to the falls and beyond. It was a lovely color from the glacial run-off and never wide enough I wouldn't have been able to throw a football across. It got warmer and we took off jackets and packed them away. I did get a little worried when Yenu complained about the first hill, which was fairly long but not all that steep, though it did have some wooden steps in parts. They both seemed to have no problem walking the day before and kept a good pace this day, so I tried to relax and not worry too much. If they were up to it, there were several harder options we could try that might take us to better scenery, though the river was nice.
Laughing Falls a the junction of the Little Yoho and Yoho rivers.
I think it was when we arrived at Laughing falls that we had our first troubles. It was well past lunch time, though I wasn't hungry, and after taking some photos, both Yenu and Belayneh said they were hungry and admitted they'd brought nothing to eat. Yenu said since I turned down their food, they didn't think they would need any. I gave each an energy bar and we moved on. About that time we were where I thought we might turn around, but after I reviewed the map with them, they wanted to take the trail farther out and connect with another trail called the Whaleback and take that back. I certainly was in favor of that, as it would make it a much better hike for me, but I cautioned them it looked like there was at least one really big climb and it would take much longer. They were again enthusiastic to try a different way.
We turned off as the main trail, which headed for the Yoho Glacier, and meandered through pine forests away from the stream. On a series of switchbacks an elderly woman suddenly appeared, walking by herself holding trekking poles. She cheerfully greeted us. Yenu and Belayneh were very surprised to see someone so old out there, and I think it gave them confidence to keep going. The woman, who turned out to be the owner of a historic back country chalet/guest house out there, asked me to stop by there and tell Gifford to put the muffins she'd just baked in a container for the guests to eat later, as she forgot to do that before she left. I promised her I would.
We continued to climb gradually on the trail, which was generally of good quality with reliable footing. I was the first to arrive at the chalet, and, after a brief reconnaissance, headed over to it. It was locked and had a sign up saying it was closed until 3 (it was about 1:30). I looked in some windows and saw a young man reading. I knocked on the glass and then the door and he opened it. It was Gifford, and I passed on the message. He was happy to hear it, and I headed back to B&Y, who'd taken seats on a log. I tried to go to the bathroom, but there was no toilet paper and I'd brought none. I had terrible gas and had to hold it as it seemed like some solids or liquids might come out with it, but I was taking no chances. My sphincter held.
Right near the chalet, and certainly one of the appeals of its setting, was Twin Falls. The falls could not be seen well from the trail, and we almost walked right past the trail to the viewing area. That would have been a big disappointment: they were really impressive.
Twin Falls. We would soon have a very different view of them.
From there we got on the Whaleback trail. I had some second thoughts, as there was a connector from the area of the chalet that was a bit shorter and more direct, but we went ahead. The trail actually went off the map for a while as it headed a bit north but then turned and headed back south and up a hill. We were walking quite a while before we started some switchbacks. I could tell there was a nice view to the right and hoped we would go there, but it just kept going up, only occasionally flattening out to cross a prior avalanche zone where the trail went through the rocks.
A view of the trail. I was starting to have trouble keeping them close.
The views started to improve and a vast valley opened up with some fairly high mountains on the other side.
The reward of a long climb.
We kept going up and up. It seemed to take a lot longer than the map suggested. A group of hikers came down and passed by us, but I didn't ask them how much farther. I could tell B&Y were having trouble, so I planned to take a short cut back once we reached a junction, but that junction was nowhere to be found. Things finally leveled off some, but only for a short while and then we came to a raging river with a small bridge across it. I thought this was the area where the shortcut should be, but after exploring, we couldn't find it. At one point, we turned back. I did not want to head all the way back - at the pace we were going, it would get us back between 7 and 8pm. There was another trail from the other side of the bridge, but it might go even farther into the mountains. I convinced them to go back, and when we did I realized where we were and it was not good: we were only a the top of Twin Falls. To go back would take about 5 hours, and to go along the trail I saw was going to be about 4 hours. We crossed the bridge for the third or fourth time (someone with anxiety would have trouble crossing it once - see video) and headed up the only trail there, which I figured was the continuation of the Whaleback trail. It climbed more gradually, but kept climbing, and I was very worried about how much longer Belayneh and Yenu could go. It was about this time I asked them what I was worried about: they had only brought a half liter of water each and were thirsty in addition to being hungry. I gave them another energy bar and ate two myself as we kept going, with me rushing forward to scout the trail and going back to encourage them. My only solace was I finally risked letting some gas out and was really relieved, though if you know me, it took quite a while for all of it to get out.
It opened up onto the top of a ridge with a glacier on the right and Whaleback Mountain towering over it. I later found out at that point we'd climbed 2200 feet in the last 2 hours. It was really very pleasant up there and I was having a ball except for worrying about Belayneh and Yenu. We met up with two older women (maybe even in their 70s) who were coming the other way and they said we had about 20 minutes to a very beautiful overlook and then it was still a ways but we were getting close to the way out.
We'd climbed up above 7000ft to where there was still snow/ice. Whaleback Mt. in background.
I still kept dashing ahead. It is much easier for me at that point in a hike to walk fast rather than try to walk slow, and my feet were starting to get a little sore. Finally I could see the scenic overlook, and, after I got there and checked it out, I found the trail from there was all downhill, though it was likely steeper than the way we'd come. This area was very pretty and is worth a short slide show:
The first photo shows the area where we have to go, down into the valley past the little trees. It was a nearly endless series of switch backs that likely took us down over a 1000ft in less than 30 minutes. The other shots are looking back into the valley, and there is a marker there for a woman killed in an avalanche.
After the switchbacks there was a more gradual downhill and, unbeknownst to me, at some point Belayneh's jacket fell out of his backpack. He noticed it and they had to go back for it. Some hikers found it and were bringing it along. The car keys and his wallet were in it, so it was pretty important we not leave it behind. We met a connector trail and headed back to Laughing Falls and then the flat section all the way back. They were beat. I don't know if they got anything to eat or drink right away, but we headed right to the lodge to check in and get dinner. I was not super hungry, but I'd run 5 miles and walked close to 15 miles and had only a bowl of cereal and two clif bars in 13 hours.
The people at the hotel were really nice and the desk clerk super cute, but they gave me the wrong meal. I ordered poutine again just for the calories and then vegetable primavera, but they gave me the chicken prmavera. I hate to eat chicken, but the thought of sending it back and waiting for them to make it right wasn't worth it. They didn't have dessert, either. But it was convenient.
I went to bed first in our suite - it was a small TV room with a few couches and chairs and bathroom near the door and a loft upstairs with 2 queen beds. I brought my noise machine which helped drown out Belayneh's snoring some, and I was able to get some sleep, but I woke up around 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I am often assisted in this by going to the bathroom, but that required getting downstairs, and it was so dark in there I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I got out of bed and headed for the railing. With that in hand I walked to the stairs and promptly drilled my forehead into one of the huge overhead beams I'd forgotten about. I didn't make any noise and managed to make it to the stairs in a crouch and down. When I came back up, after banging my toes in the dark into several things, I crawled across the floor to my bed and back in. It was worth it after all, as I slept well the next two hours.
Next came another test: trying to run in this area, with the possibility of literally running into a bear. I run frequently in the woods in Pennsylvania, where black bears are numerous, but I have never seen one. They stay away from humans, though I usually run very quietly (I often startle deer). Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to run only on the main roads and the wide unpaved roads in that area. It had just stopped raining and was cloudy, but I headed out cheerfully and ran to the east on the Trans Canada Highway. It had a nice, wide shoulder, so even though the speed limit was 55mph, it was pretty safe. There was a turn to the south heading for Lake O'Hara, a scenic area with limited access via a closed gravel road, and I took it and ran on that road a short way up a hill and then back to the lodge, stopping on occasion for a photo.
The top is a look down the hill as I was heading back on the Lake O'Hara road after being passed by two super loud dump trucks. The road was nice and wide and I felt pretty safe (I did have a can of bear spray with me). The second photo is the Great Divide Lodge. The third photo is the view across a small lake on the other side of the road from the lodge (Wapta Lake)..
After a big breakfast (I took a bunch of snacks for my hikes as well since I was out of energy bars), we headed down to Emerald Lake, the road to which was not that far past the road into the Yoho Valley. B&Y were going to hike around Emerald Lake and then do some sight seeing, since their legs were so sore. I planned to do a big loop at top speed up to the Yoho Lake and then across a ridge and back down a steep slope to Emerald Lake. It was not a nice day, raining steadily and only in the low 50s F. The peaks were shrouded again in clouds. I hoped there would be a lot of people about so I could join up with groups and find whoever was fastest to stick with until I felt safe, but there was no one around.
Emerald Lake on a rainy day, still pretty emeraldy. My hike was along the river to the left and over that mountain.
Emerald Lake is beautiful, even on a dreary day, and I enjoyed the early hike around it with Belayneh and Yenu, who kept a brisk pace despite their soreness. We parted ways after about a mile and I headed off at a brisk pace. Apparently they felt guilty and tried to catch me, even yelling for me to stop, but I was in my own world, focused on keeping safe and moving fast.
The trail was initially very flat, then started a very slight climb. It was often covered with water, some of it flowing briskly. I started to have second thoughts. At almost exactly two miles, the trail was covered by a raging water nearly a foot deep in parts. I pressed on, but finally decided it was never ending and turned around. I would hike back and take a few of the side trails to kill time until B&Y came back for me in 4 hours. I allowed myself one out: if someone came along (at that point, there wasn't a soul out there other than mine), I would go along with them. These photos show the condition of the trail.
Just as I was getting back to the connection with trail around the lake, I spotted two people. They were standing and looking in my direction and then started moving to me. I waited until they came up and we started talking. They were curious about the trail and I told them how wet it was, but I said if they wanted to, I would walk back up there with them and they might spur me on. They were not doing the hike I'd planned but were going up to Yoho Lake and back. So, we set off with me in the lead. They were well prepared with bear bells (not that helpful, but) and whistles, which they blew frequently (more effective). They were from Belgium, a pretty black girl and a stubby white guy with a beard who were camping in the area while trying to do a hike or something interesting each day. Their English was great. It didn't take long for us to get to the watery parts, but they kept going, worrying only about how bad it would be on the way back if it kept raining. Finally we got to where I'd turned around, and it was then I noticed, not 30 feet from where I'd stopped, the trail rising out of the water and on up the hill. If only I'd seen that, I'd have kept going earlier.
The lady was a good hiker; she was right behind me, and I felt like she was pressing me to go faster. We were starting a steady climb and I kept pushing with her right on my heels. I was starting to feel it; I was having trouble keeping up the pace, but still her walking sticks were clicking right behind my boots. I was just a few seconds from stopping and checking to see if they wanted to go ahead, as it was too much for me, when they asked ME to stop, saying I was going way too fast and there was no way they could keep that pace up! I had a great laugh internally and we stopped for a break. I promised to go slower, and did, for the most part, but from that point on it was a nonstop climb and we took many breaks, as the man was a smoker and not in top shape. Still we did well, but it reminded me of the day before as I kept pressing onward, leaving them behind to see if the hill stopped anytime soon to encourage them on.
Instead of going straight and through the trees, we went to the edge of the cliff and to the left around it and over the top.
It kept turning to the left instead of to the right, which was flat, and I finally realized we were not crossing over the ridge at its low point but going around the big mountain to the left into the pass between the mountains, which was not much below the top of either. Still, we finally made it to the flats at the top, a 1700 foot climb overall, and I finally found the trail I'd planned to take. We headed to the lake instead and found it not that long after, not as pretty as Emerald Lake, but a nice spot, though it was raining its hardest and quite chilly (I had a lightweight rain jacket and thin moisture wicking long sleeve shirt on - not enough). Just as I was going to encourage us to leave and head back, as I was feeling the early grip of hypothermia, an old man walked out of the woods to our left.
Yoho Lake is a lovely spot, but not a place to linger in the cold rain.
I was astonished. There was no way he'd come the way we'd come and he'd not come from any of the trails in the area. He must have been in his 70s, puffing a bit, but carrying a huge pack. He'd gotten off the trail coming from the Yoho Valley (not far) and had "bushwhacked" the rest of the way to the lake, where he planned to spend the night, but he couldn't find any shelter. I mentioned (tactfully) a few times he might be better off heading back down, but he was determined to stay there and was looking to camp under some trees. He told us it was much easier to walk back the way he'd come and hitchhike to Emerald Lake, but we were quite skeptical of that advice. We left him wandering around in the rain.
At this point I was past 2.5 hours duration since parting from B&Y and needed to be back to the parking lot in 90 minutes. I wasn't sure we could do it, and didn't want to go too fast, but we were off to the races, with me in front. I am not a fast downhill hiker, but I kept it moving and it was not very slippery, and I would have made it back in 90 minutes if I hadn't decided to go the rest of the way around the lake, which was an extra mile. My companions were going that way as well, and I started to walk with them, but they said they were going to take a much slower pace, and we said our good-byes.
I went pretty fast the rest of the way and still ended up taking over 40 minutes for the two miles plus as it was super muddy (B&Y had turned back fairly early because of the mud). there were still lots of people walking that part, and I worked my way quickly around them and was able to sneak up on B&Y as they stood and sat by the main sign for the trails by the parking lot. They were so happy to see me. I felt guilty for making them wait, but even though I was wet and cold, it had been a great adventure.
On the way back we stopped at the natural bridge (really nice - see the video), and where the spiral train tunnels were on the long downhill (to allow the trains to travel on a less steep grade. It was not that nice - you couldn't see much, and the toilets smelled terrible). I was quite happy to get back to the lodge and change into some dry clothes. B&Y had the excellent idea of going to a different place to eat, and we managed to get the super cute desk clerk to call and make us the last reservations available at the lodge at Emerald Lake.
We drove back to the same spot and had a great meal. I gave in to Caribou filets despite there being a vegetable risotto on the menu and it was really good (They said they were raised on a nice farm nearby and treated very well...I didn't ask, but I heard him tell others.). We ate our fill (all the meals and the hotel were on me while in the park, while B&Y paid for the car and petrol. It was close to break even).
I planned the next day out and somehow was the last to bed. It was a much better sleep with no trips to the bathroom. I ran the same direction but took a different road the the Lake O'Hara turn, following a seasonal road towards Lake Louise. It was not as wide as the other but didn't have a big hill on it, either. I was steaming along when I noticed a big pile of poop in the road, then another smaller one that was grayish and looked more like dog poop. I am no tracker, but it looked like mama and baby bear to me, so I turned around (as all the guides say) and headed back, diverting onto the Lake O'Hara road again to get enough distance in. I like adventure, but I am not stupid and will not take too many chances.
We were on the road after breakfast and heading back east to Lake Louise. We needed to get there in time to find parking, which is almost always full by 10am. It was still cloudy, but the area is very pretty almost no matter what. We did a walk I wanted to do the last time we were there and went past the other end of the lake a little way into the mountains, but not to the more scenic areas. Still, it was pretty and felt good.
The top is looking from the hotel side of the lake to the glaciers and mountains at the other end, and the next shot is looking back at the hotel from the other side, and the last two are early in the valley as it ascends.
After that walk we headed to Moraine Lake, which is a pretty lake a short drive out a side road from Lake Louise. I had not been there, and we had no idea it would be as crowded as it was. Cars were parked over a mile out, with people walking along the road. I jumped out with about a half mile to go and walked quickly down while B&Y inched towards the parking area. By the time I was done taking some photos, we were able to get a spot and they got out and took some photos. There were some trails, but we didn't have time. Nearby there was a mountain called the Tower Of Babel. You can see why in the second photo. People, especially kids, were walking across logs in the outlet of the lake and climbing a rocky, small peak next to the lot. It was the kind of thing I would usually do, but I resisted the urge, and we set off again.
It was nearing lunchtime, and I planned for us to eat at our next stop, the gondola up the Lake Louise skiing areas, which crossed a nature reserve where there were usually grizzlies and which had a restaurant at the top. It was a little hard to find, but after that we were quickly in an open three person chairlift up the slope. The views were nice and it was just a bit chilly, so I was glad to have put my jacket on.
The view at the top was nice even with the clouds covering the tallest mountain in the park. We had to walk a way downhill to the restaurant and wildlife experience, and Yenu barely made it with her sore thighs. We ate first, getting seats on the deck and enduring the great views and a rain shower (there was an umbrella) while we waited a bit too long for our meals, which were really good (I managed to find pork belly to keep up my meat eating streak).
I screwed up this gallery, but it takes so long to fix I will leave it. This is the view on the chairlift.
I am sparing you selfies, but here is one at the restaurant. Then views from the mountain looking back at Lake Louise.
They had a nice taxidermy exhibit of the various animals in the area downstairs. It was informative. We walked up to the gondola station and were able to get on quickly and head down. On the way, Belayneh had his binoculars out and I was looking hard with my camera to see a grizzly. We finally put them away and right away a guy coming up the mountain said there was a grizzly way to our left along the treeline. I only had time to spot it, as did Yenu, and Belayneh never saw it at all (he was sitting on the right).
Now we were off to Banff. If you've never been there, Banff is a very American town. It is very touristy, but that is because it is beautiful there and the shops and restaurants are good. We scoped the area out and I did a little shopping, getting some nice Lululemon things and looking at hiking boots (nothing worth it for someone as quirky as I am). It came time for dinner, and B&Y were used to eating at the same places there. I threw them a curve and wanted to eat at an Indian place. I'm not so sure they were as excited as I was, but the food was great. Then we stood in line at a popular ice cream place before getting in the car and spotting a rainbow on the way out of town (in the video).
It didn't take us long to get back to Calgary and it was nice to sleep in the excellent bed at B&Y's house. I got up a little later the next morning and ran a long run in the rain (off and on at first, then hard at the end) along the Bow River on the walkways and then through a neighborhood I thought would connect with Tuscany but didn't, so it took me a while and I ran farther than I wanted (10.6 miles). It worked out ok, though I was soaked, as the weather was terrible the rest of the day, with one thunderstorm after another, including two spraying hail. Fortunately the Open Championship was on for most of the morning. There was a big meal at midday for Christian, their son, who turned 19, but other than that we just relaxed.
The next morning we were all up early to go to the airport, and then I was off on a daylong journey back to Philadelphia which went well and ended with an uneventful drive back to Danville. It was a great trip, full of adventure and beautiful scenery. I am grateful for the hospitality of Belayneh and Yenu! They are wonderful friends and people.
https://youtu.be/FlHG4Hlh-dA is the link to my 7 minute youtube slide show, and this is the link to the 9 minute video
https://youtu.be/YSNZiXuPPk4