Growing up, I spent weekends skiing and exploring the rockies in Canada. Living in Calgary, the mountains were close and irresistible in the winter and in the summer. However when we moved to Kentucky, mountains were switched for rolling hills and mild winters. Every time I have gone to the mountains since, it feels like going home. I am constantly drawn to the mountains because they are wild, untouched, and unkept. They don’t live in structured squares or plots or acres, they belong to no one. Yet we are lucky enough to get to experience their greatness. Mountains make me feel small, remind me of the beauty of the world and clear my head unlike anything else.
As I have grown up and started to explore places and hike on my own, I always come back to my dad and tell him about my hikes and adventures. Every single time my dads responds with, man oh man, I need to take you back to where you grew up, the Canadian Rockies. And guess what folks - my dad and I finally made it happen (thank goodness for a summer off). We spent 3 days, 2 nights backpacking the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park, 1 day driving the Icefields Parkway, 1 day in Lake Louise (where the best ski hill is), and one day in Banff National Park. It was an amazing 6 days full of so many insane views and endless mountains. Jasper and Banff felt like 60 national parks in 1, ridiculous!! And guess what dad - you were right!! I needed to come back to where I grew up. And 12 year old me was a lucky son of a beech to live so close.
My favorite part of the trip though was definitely backpacking the Skyline Trail. I love backpacking because it provides an escape from the typical touristy hikes, especially in an area as popular as Jasper National Park. It gives you the space to really appreciate mountain ranges and views as you have hours to explore every peak and to immense yourself and really feel a place. And the Skyline Trail did not disappoint - filled with breathtaking mountain ridges, gorgeous valleys, snowy peaks, hidden campsites and glacier streams. I felt like I was walking in a complete dream for 3 days. We only stumbled across 6 other people throughout the 3 days and my dad and I had so much time to talk and walk and enjoy each others company and the beauty of the mountains. What we thought was going to be a very rainy, cold trek turned into a sunny, only slightly rainy trek (thank you mother nature for proving the rain dudes wrong!!).
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip, that honestly do it no justice (musings continued after):
5 blue lakes, 2 campsites, 30 miles, 100 piles of bear scat, 5 mice eaten bags of chips, 6 lodges, 3 “not recommended” trails, 2 breweries, 1 insane drive, 1 bear in a tree, 6 friendly marmots, 2 pairs of hiking poles, 2 rainbows, 3 glaciers, 50 road side stops, 1 billion tourists, 3 near selfie poles to the face, 1 “small world” run in, 4 biscuits, 2 grilled cheese, 2 of the largest beers I have ever seen, 10 piles of snow, 2 rain storms, 3 snow to ass falls, 1 can of bear spray, 2 bags of camp cheesies and 6 magical days in Banff and Jasper with my Dad later - I am filled to the brim with love for the Canadian Rockies. Getting to spend a week with my Dad in the place where I grew up was so insanely special to me and I am so grateful to him and Canada. I can’t wait to go back and explore more hikes and mountains in the Rockies.
Cheers - keleniak
#heckya