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| TIME TO LEAVE LAKE O'HARA |
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| LAKE LOUISE |
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| DOWNTOWN BANFF |
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| BANFF FROM SANSON PEAK |
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| DIORAMA AT BUFFALO NATIONS MUSEUM |
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| NEED TO HANDLE THIS AGWA BOMB CAREFULLY |
It was time to say farewell after 9 days together. I was lucky to have such great hosts to show me around Vancouver and share a camping trip with me in what must surely be one of the most beautiful places in the Rockies.
Back on my own again, I looked around the geology displays in the Lake Louise Visitor Center and booked tomorrow's bus journey to Banff and another from Banff to Calgary in three day's time. By the time I'd wandered round the Village shops and had lunch, it was early afternoon.
Lake Louise itself is about two and a half miles away from the Village so I caught the shuttle bus. The lakeside is dominated by the huge Fairmont Chateau Hotel and was crowded with people who, judging by the attire and languages spoken, must come from all over the world. From the footwear, I would say that many of them were here just to enjoy the views rather than go walking. The view over the Lake was truly magical, but I did find the bustle of people a little irritating after the much less crowded Lake O'Hara.
I didn't have a lot of time left for walking, but managed to climb the steep path up to Fairview Lookout which overlooks the Lake from the south.
Afterwards the shuttle bus took me back to the Village where I bought the ingredients I needed to cook supper at the Hostel. I was sharing a dorm with three Italian ladies who were exploring several National Parks in the Canadian Rockies over 15 days.
Next morning I had 'blog' writing to do and repairs to make to my clothes before the Brewster Bus picked me up and took me to Banff. I was a little early to check into my Hostel in Banff, so I filled in the time by exploring the town.
Banff is a bit of a 'model' town and it reminded me of Jasper in Wyoming (not to be confused with Jasper National Park in Canada). Everything is clean and tidy and new looking. However, it has charm about it and there is plenty to do - walking, cycling, kayaking, river trips, glacier tours, museum visits, etc. I felt that I had made the right decision to leave Lake Louise and come here.
After checking into the Samesun Backpackers Hostel I visited the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies which told me a little about the history of the area.
I then went for a walk, theoretically following the Tunnel Mountain Trail, but in practice creating a brand new route that I shall call 'Steve's Woodland Wander' since somewhere along the way I took a wrong turning and ended up just wandering around for about two hours. My unplanned route did take me to some spectacular viewpoints, so I was quite happy to have made my mistake. I eventually used the sun to guide me back to the town.
The Hostel was offering a Supper Special of 'Pulled Pork Tacos' and a cocktail called an Agwa Bomb, both of which I enjoyed. Agwa is a herbal liqueur made of Bolivian coca leaves (with the cocaine removed). To make an Agwa Bomb pour Red Bull into a (ideally specially shaped) glass, then pour the Agwa on top of it. After two glasses I slept well.
I think I was sharing a dorm with five other chaps, but I am not sure because they were still buried under their blankets when I got up.
After taking advantage of the Hostel's 'free' breakfast, I caught the bus for a 12 minute ride to Upper Hot Springs, the starting point for a hike up Sulphur Mountain. There is pool here where, for a fee, you can bathe in the hot spring water. The name of the mountain derives from the vapours emanating from the water.
The trail was steep and it took me about 75 minutes to get to the upper Gondola terminal - the Gondola being an alternative way up for those who preferred not to walk. A further 5 minutes took me to Sanson Peak at 7,401 ft, where there is a disused observatory and a platform offering excellent views over Banff.
I had planned to return via the Gondola rather than descend using the same path I hiked up on. However, once at the top, I discovered that there was an alternative path down and took this instead. This path eventually intersected another path leading to Sundance Canyon, so I took a detour around the Canyon before I continued down to Banff. A further aside was a visit to the Lower Hot Springs at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. These springs are part of the same system as the Upper Hot Springs.
A little further along I came to the Buffalo Nations Museum which had some really good artefacts and displays about the Plains Indians of Canada.
It was past 6.00pm by the time I got back to the Hostel. I had been out for 9 hours and had walked about 14 miles.
The Hostel's Supper Special was Columbian Pork Curry (probably the same pork as used the previous evening). Given my energetic day out it wasn't quite enough for me so I supplemented it with some Wonton veggie rolls. Add two beers and an Agwa Bomb and I was ready for another night of peaceful rest...zzzzz.
