Sunday, October 13, 2019

Glacier NP, Canadian Rockies and BC July-Sept 2019

Running Eagle Falls, GNP

Beaver pond, GNP

Moose, GNP 

After leaving Glacier NP, we spent three weeks in Fernie at our place there. We had to return to Montana to get meds from CVS. We returned to Glacier NP, but this time we stayed on the east side of the park. While in the Many Glacier area we watched a moose grab some lunch while he cooled off in a beaver pond. We reserved seats on a boat cruise across St Mary’s Lake to a trailhead at the end of the lake. We were surprised the trip was not cancelled when the wind gusts reached 50 mph. It made for an exciting ride, although the boat captain could not drop us off at a trail head because that boat dock was recently damaged by the waves. 


St Mary's Lake, GNP
Cascade Gardens, Banff NP
Bow River, Banff NP
Rock Island Lake, Sunshine Meadows, Banff NP

On July25, we drove from Glacier NP to Banff NP which was very crowded. Some of the hikes we wanted to do were restricted to groups of four or more hikers, due to grizzles in the area. We were kept off these trails, but parents with small children were okay to enter! We escaped the madness by taking a $43 gondola ride to Sunshine Valley. This is a beautiful alpine valley full of wild flowers and scenic lakes. We even saw a grizzly bear there. 


Grizzly Bear, Sunshine Meadows, Banff NP
Peyto Lake, Banff NP
Moraine Lake, Banff NP. 

We didn’t realize how crowded a park could get until we got to Lake Louise. There was a two hour wait just to get on the shuttle bus, so we walked. We were told by the Ranger not to try to get to Moraine Lake before 7 PM. We waited until 7 and still had to wait in a long line of traffic before we could access the parking area. Jasper NP, not to be outdone by its southern neighbors, closed its largest campground for the season. We had to stay at a KOA in Hinton, 43 miles from Jasper. No tears were shed when we left the Canadian Rockies. Our advice - avoid these parks in July and August and make reservations six months in advance.



Maligne Canyon, Jasper NP

Grouse, Yoho NP

Once we left these overrun parks, we enjoyed hiking in Yoho NP and we spent several nights camping in Glacier NP (the one in Canada, not the one in MT). We camped at Radium Hot Springs and Kimberly on our way back to Fernie. On Aug 15 we returned to Fernie and met up with Lois and Eldon. They related their experience of how Delta messed up their travel plans on both ends of their trip. This and other personal factors led to a decision to put their quarter share of our unit up for sale at a discounted price. Any takers? Lois and Eldon’s presence in Fernie will be missed. They were a major factor in our decision to buy in Fernie.


Canadian Timeshare

Big Horn Sheep, Radium Hot Springs
Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies
Tom, Julie and Mimi

On Aug 17, Tom, Julie, Susan, Windsor, and Mimi flew in to stay with us. We did many hikes during the first week, including our favorite, the Old Growth Trail with 800 yr. old cedar trees. Returning from a hike, a large Black Bear was spotted, right across the road (on Fred’s field) from our place. Everyone enjoyed the Mountain Market on Sunday mornings and our dinners out. Susan, Windsor and Mimi returned home after the first week. 


The Gang

Black Bear
Tom and Giant Ammonite


During our second week, the four of us took the Ammonite Trail. This five-foot carnivorous cephalopod is the biggest complete ammonite fossil ever found in Canada. A second giant ammonite was recently found in the Sparwood area, but it is smaller than the Fernie ammonite. We also went to Crowsnest Pass area and hiked to Allison Creek Falls. Tom and Julie flew home after the second week.


Susan and Windsor

Allison Creek Falls

Tom and Julie
I strained my back moving a heavy suitcase, and spent most of our third week resting my back. Pat did more hiking and we were able to catch up with some of our friends in town. When we left Fernie, we drove to Elkford. We were going to use this as a base to explore Elk Lakes Provincial Park, but due to my back we ended up doing a few easy hikes nearby. From here we headed back to the USA.





Happy Halloween
😀

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