The day after our 12-hour lake excursion, another 12-hour outing commenced as we tackled the Icefields Parkway. At least this time, we didn’t hit the road at 8:30 AM; it was more like 11:30. I’m pretty sure the early bird gets nothing worth getting up for. The Icefields Parkway travels between Banff and Jasper National Parks. It’s one gorgeous lake, mountain, stream, glacier, and forest after another. We traveled along it until we reached the Athabasca Glacier, an 80-mile journey. How did 160 miles take us 12 hours? Perpetual gawking, climbing, and picture taking suck up time like a bulimic vampire sucks up body fluids.
We stopped to see Herbert Lake, Hector Lake, Bow Lake, and Peyto Lake. Surprisingly, all those stops did not lead to lake overload. At Bow Summit, we hiked about four miles to investigate the Bow Summit Lookout. This trail rose above the timberline into grounds already covered by substantial amounts of snow. The last 200 meters of the path were particularly vertical and icy. We were cursing our lack of crampons. Despite the trickiness of the terrain, this trek was our favorite part of the day. Maybe because it left the masses behind in favor of the whistles of hoary marmots. True to Banff’s volatile nature, during this hike the weather alternated between sunny and snowing at a dizzying pace.
Jason and I made it to the Athabasca Glacier just before darkness thwarted any further explorations. We walked across the lunar-like landscape left by that retreating giant. Although we didn’t get to touch the glacier, an undertaking too dangerous without a guide, we felt and heard it exhale cold rumbling breaths. In true Sabin fashion, we kept wandering around Athabasca until it was so black we couldn’t see. We wouldn’t want to waste a second- unless, of course, that second meant getting up earlier. We didn’t make it back to Banff until 11:30 PM.
The Icefields Parkway is extraordinary. Strange peaks line it on both sides like warped sentinels in some unhurried procession, each one a perplexing singularity. To me, one looked as if a colossal drop of water was rippling out its sides. Others seemed like parts of a Hollywood set, real from the front but thin and unsubstantial from the back. Along the Parkway, rocks ascend in layers so high you can’t even see where they end. Glaciers recline on and cling to these anomalous towers, over one hundred frock their cliffs and crevices.
The last day of our trip, we decided to take it easier, as in not traveling and hiking for 12 hours of the day. We went to Kootenay National Park, about a 40-minute drive. There, we walked through Marble Canyon and the Paint Pots. Marble Canyon, a picturesque fissure carved by two receding glaciers, is a perfect spot for shooting waterfalls. The Paint Pots are circular pools dyed red, orange, and yellow by oxide-bearing springs. The ochre they contain was once used by the people of the First Nation for ceremonial painting. Both of these paths were rambles more than hikes. Even with ceaseless picture taking, we got back to Banff in time to eat Canadian halibut and salmon at The Maple Leaf. Yum!
That brings me to where all meaningful conversations eventually go- food. If you travel to Banff, plan on sampling cuisine at its many stylish restaurants. Also, be prepared to encounter Australian, British, and Irish accents practically more than Canadian ones. Tourists aren’t the only foreigners that flock to the Canadian Rockies.
Banff was surreally stunning and shockingly cold. The sightseers were as ample as the curious crestlines but avoidable for those willing to do some footwork. Next time we visit Banff, I’ll be bringing six coats just in case.