"There is something about travelling and road trips that makes me feel free. Free to be me. Free to live. Every time I find myself on the road, I instinctively reconnect with myself.
Nomadism gives my thoughts the power to move forward. They move with me, they evolve as I move through the terrain. The physical movement feeds this mental progression that nothing else brings me. When I live a sedentary life, I often feel locked up. I lack freedom. On the road, adventures, whatever they may be, bring me a sense of peace. On the roads, my solitude does not bother me. On the contrary. My high sensitivity becomes an asset. My differences are acclaimed by others. On the road, I live and dream, awake. On the road, I feel like I can be. On the road."
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Last month, after coming back from Quadra Island, I decided to hit the road for the Canadian Rockies. The Rockies are those crazy landscapes you probably think of when you hear about Canada. The emerald blue lakes, the steep peaks and summits, the wildlife and those sophisticated towns or villages. You've already seen some pictures of my previous visits to Banff and Lake Louise but always in the winter. This time, it's a summer & fall palette that I'm sharing.
A week of adventures, hikes, and discovery of that "somewhere else". Summits only 5.5 hours away from home and the realization again that in this life, everything seems possible.
Shall I take you along?
ADVENTURE #1 - CANMORE > BARRIER LAKE > KANANASKIS LAKES > SPRAY LAKE > CANMORE
While I was hoping to avoid the very thick smoke that had invaded Nelson on the morning of my departure, I had to spend my first day in the mountains with the same scenery. I woke up early in the morning, in the fog, and headed for Barrier Lake, for a short hike with a view on this reservoir. I'm not usually a fan of the smoke from forest fires, but that morning the fog seemed to add a little more character to this adventure.
The original plan was to hike in the Kananaskis National Park, but due to the air quality and my asthma, I gave myself a day to drive around. It brought back many memories of New Zealand with my Cachou, driving through these landscapes and being ecstatic, this time alone, in front of these peaks along the roads. I couldn't have dreamt of anything better: it was a perfect preparation for this week, full of emotions.
ADVENTURE #2 - LAKE LOUISE > DEVIL'S THUMB > BIG BEEHIVE
On the second day, despite the unpromising weather, I decided to head for Lake Louise for a hike I had been thinking about for a long time: Devil's Thumb.
After a 30 minutes ride, I hurried to pack my bag and set off towards the lake. And there, disappointment. The fog was so thick that I couldn't see anything. I must admit that I was close to turning back and cancelling my day. But a little voice whispered to me that if the clouds were so low that day, I might be able to get above them. So I started to hike, hike, hike... until I saw a bit of blue sky, then a few peaks and a first lake.
I continued to climb to the top of Devil's Thumb for a view, surely hidden by the clouds, but still breathtaking. I waited for an hour at the top in the hope of catching a glimpse of the turquoise of Lake Louise but in vain.
Since I was there and waiting patiently for the sun to chase the clouds away as the day warmed up, I decided to take on a second summit, smaller this time, the Big Beehive.
Same story, I waited a few long minutes in the hope of getting a clearer view and by the time I reached the end of the hike, the clouds had finally disappeared... Oh well... I surely left a bit disappointed but still very happy to have beaten the rain forecasted on all the weather apps.
Before going back to Banff, I soak up these landscapes one last time and wondered "Can we ever get tired of this colour? I don't know about you, but for me, there is something magical about this turquoise. When facing this lake, my thoughts are jumping like skipping stones. They float for a few seconds and then fade away. It's almost unreal to be faced with such intensity and beauty. There is nothing more soothing to the mind.
ADVENTURE #3 - KANANASKIS NATIONAL PARK > RAWSON LAKE > SARRAIL RIDGE
Day 3: After the previous day's beautiful landscapes and my love for the mountains of the Kananaskis the day before, I was super excited to return to this National Park. This time for a hike to Rawson Lake and then Sarrail Ridge.
The first part of the trail is pretty well known, so the path was super well marked. No struggle then to reach this first lake, which offered me one of the most beautiful mirror effects ever observed. I still remember the calm that invaded the mountains that day. I had not crossed anyone's path and I had this place all to myself. Apart from the sound of the Pikas* I could hear in the distance, it was sooo quiet. So much so that I felt embarrassed by the sound of my footsteps on the rocks. I felt like I was disturbing the mountains and the wildlife and breaking this magical moment...
* A pika is a small mammal of the rabbit family, which looks a bit like a mouse and lives in the rocks.
After enjoying the scenery for a few minutes, I decided to continue on a loop towards "Sarrail Ridge". As I climbed up the side of the mountain on very steep and slippery terrain, I kept telling myself "You can do it. Just keep going. One step at a time." Not only was the incline so steep that I was struggling with my asthma, but the thought of a sprained ankle, alone on that mountain, was not reassuring. I think that's when I thought I would have liked to have a hiking buddy for once.
What I didn't know was that this was only the beginning of the adventure...
Once at the top, or at least what I thought was the top, I settle down to have my lunch. I spent 20 minutes chatting with a little chipmunk who had come to steal a few crumbs from my sandwich before perceiving a silhouette at the top of the peak on my right. I then looked at the map and indeed, I hadn't arrived yet.
I watched a runner venture up the wall, which looked more like a rock climbing adventure than a hiking trail, before jumping in. "After all, if they did it, why not me." I then find myself climbing too, with my bare hands. This was the second regret of the day. Not only was the path completely unmarked, but the climb was even more difficult.
Once I reached the peak, the view was so magnificent that I quickly forgot what just happened.
Up there, the adrenaline rush was making me smile and breathe like never before. I took a selfie, walked along the ridge, took in the view and took deep breaths of fresh air and freedom before heading to the last part of the hike.
It was supposed to be a descent into the forest, which was supposed to be easier than the climb. The problem was, the trail seemed a bit blurry from the top. Convinced that once I would be in the trees I would find the way, I continued my descent. "It can't be worse than the other side," I thought.
In the end, I spent more than an hour (felt like 3) trying to make my way through dead trees, very soft ground and broken branches. I never really panicked but I must admit that I was well aware that the situation was far from ideal... Especially after having crossed some animal prints, the kind you don't want to see in Canada.
"there's an animal, there's definitely an animal. - stop I'm scared. - Hello?! Hello?! Who's there ?"
It was with great relief that I heard these words in the distance. Like a wild animal, guided by their voices, I jumped out of nowhere and finally found the exit of this Canadian jungle. This was enough to frighten then reassure this couple of tourists who will certainly remember this story as long as I do...
In the end, with hindsight, I did everything in my power to make this hike on the day. I had prepared the terrain, I had the map and GPS active, and I took as much care as I could at every twisted moment I went through. The one piece of information I missed was the fact that the trail is not maintained and no longer really exists despite being marked on many hiking apps. This means that in these cases, an adventure partner is more than recommended. Lesson learned :)
ADVENTURE #5 - CLIMBING SESSION IN BANFF
After my adventures of the day, I had to go climbing with Annie, who is one of the reasons I came to Banff in September. If you've been following me for any length of time, you've already seen her face in my Patagonia photos. She was doing the same training as me in Argentina and now lives here in the Rockies.
She took me 5 minutes by car from the city centre for a 2 hours climbing with a crazy view. The sunset was so beautiful and to complete the day, we ended up finishing the session in the dark, which made the moment even more special.
This added a few more memorable memories of my adventures with Annie, just like the good old days!
ADVENTURE #6 - GOAT CREEK TRAIL
After my adventures on Thursday, I was very happy to go hiking with a small group of friends on Saturday morning. We were hoping to see a few yellow larch trees, but in vain. I had no regrets because the mountains were majestic, like everywhere in the Rockies. And then I had the opportunity to meet my first "exercise induced asthma" friend, Maddy! Sharing our stories of adventures and miserable lungs will have finally allowed me not to feel alone with what I like to call my "sparrow's breath" and that is priceless!
ADVENTURE #7 MORRAINE LAKE > SENTINEL PASS
Last day, the grand finale : Lake Morraine.
I've been dreaming for years of going to see this lake that you've probably already seen on postcards or brochures from Canada. It is one of the most frequented and it is almost impossible to access it and to park there during the summer. So it was after a fairly short night, waking up at 3am to beat the crowds and a second night spent in the car until 6.30am in the car park, that the show finally started.
It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The only problem was the number of tourists who were also there to watch the same show. And I have to admit that it takes away a lot of the uniqueness of this place.
We then continued the day in the direction of Sentinel Pass, a not-too-difficult but also very busy hike. Despite the sometimes highway feeling along the path, I had a wonderful last day, in these landscapes. Each one was more incredible than the other. There would have been no better way to end this road trip.
AND... ?
Apart from the hikes and adventures I did during this week in the Rockies, I must share with you my love for the town of Canmore. If Banff has this too touristy and sophisticated side that makes it look like Disneyland, Canmore had something to charm me. Although it is located just outside the national park, it is still in the middle of majestic peaks. The valley is wide, much wider than in Nelson, where I constantly battle with a feeling of claustrophobia. The town is flat (goodbye to the steep slopes of Nelson), which makes it easier to get around by bike. It is also crossed by a river as turquoise as the lakes and nature is right in the middle of downtown. All this, in a very mountainous setting with very luxurious chalets style of architecture... I might as well tell you that I was really charmed by this place.
If I can't change province at the moment because of my application for permanent residence, Canmore has at least had the gift of reopening my mind and rekindling my beliefs: in this world, everything is possible.
In the end, I'm so glad I was able to take these few months off to simply live. It's in this kind of moment that I realize the beauty of the landscapes that surround me but also the generosity of people in general. I feel like I've lived so much more in the last 4 months than in the last two years in Canada. If sometimes I get panic-stricken because my daily life doesn't resemble that of others, when I think back to these photos, these adventures, all these discoveries, these encounters, and when I realize how far I've come in the last 5 years, that's when I say to myself that in fact, that's the meaning of life. And I swear that this is priceless...
See you soon.
Love. Co.
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