The drive was a nasty 10 hours, winding through the rocky mountain ranges from the coast to Alberta province. The drive wasn't actually that bad, as on account of waking up at 3 am to get picked up by the other guys I managed to sleep through most of it. The car we rented was a sleek Chrysler, but not really designed to fit 3 large guys on the back seat.
Unfortunately winter has come early for Banff and we arrived amidst snow storms and sub zero temperatures. Luckily we had a short hike to the spectacular Wapta falls a few hour outside of Banff in good weather.
The next day was pretty dissapointing, as we kept getting glimpses of the colossal mountains towering above us, only for them to be swallowed up the next instant by clouds. The snow was unabated and our hike yielded a view of only grey. I also had only packed shorts for some reason, which got a lot of comments and strange looks from passersby. I deeply regret not bringing my hiking pants.
The next day made all of our troubles worthwhile though. The sky opened up and I can honestly say that Banff is one of the most beautiful places I have been. Nowhere in the world has terrain like it. I think the mountains trump event those in Nepal for beauty. We hiked as long as we could and it was worth it.
Every evening over the weekend we drove through scenic backroads to on the way to our hostel in an attempt to see a bear. Despite trying so hard and seeing many deer, elk and even a coyote, not bear. Luckily I have already seen one whilst I've been in Canada so I wasn't as dissapointed as the other guys were.
The drive back was unpleasant due to cramped seats, but we did see 50? 100? bald eagles along maybe 10 km of road outside of Kamloops on the way through, which was pretty bizare. Real life really caught up to me once I was back, but I think my time in Banff will be something that stays with me for the rest of my life.
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| Not where we stayed! |
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