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Posts tagged ‘Alberta’

Banff

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The town of Banff is a juxtaposition I cannot capture easily.

It is typical of *destination* resort towns – small, absolutely packed with tourists, cars, & tour buses.

There no shortage of kitschy commercial offerings of all types.

Really, it is pretty much a shitshow.

However, with only the slightest effort – and the willingness to take any one of multiple uphill trails – it’s easy to get lost for hours and effectively escape the nonsense.

Having been here a few days, I am nicely settling into a cadence of morning hikes with Kelly followed by an afternoon spin on the bike while she does yoga.

We’ll make it work here.

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Rae Glacier

70AF1E9A-1098-41E8-A0C3-66372F155404We crossed into Canada a week ago with no issues and quickly settled into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  

Having found ourselves in south-central Alberta and nesting on the eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies, we celebrated the long and rained-soaked Canada Day weekend in a spectacularly beautiful area.

Mother Nature was not all sour grapes however.  In the windows free of rain, Kelly and I did find time to play outdoors.

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The hike to Rae Glacier was a wonder trek.  First, up and through an alpine lake campground and the free firewood pile, then onto a rock field, before a final steep ascent to the top.  The trail was nearly ours alone and lunch at the foot of the glacier, while quite chilly and windy, afforded stunning views.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t linger.  As we sat high above the tree line, we could see the next storm rapidly approaching, forcing us off the glacier.

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Kananaskis Fire Lookout

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The uphill was long and steep.

The views at the top were amazing.

The downhill was fast.

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