Day 11 – Monday, 16th
September (‘A Change of Plan’)
I woke early, so as to leave
for my hike at 9. All through my getting ready however, Tom remained sound
asleep, so I resigned myself to setting out alone – despite reading about the
dangers of bears in one of the leaflets. Not walking as part of a group, or
carrying bear spray (which I didn’t know existed, in fairness), I consoled
myself by praying for safety during my hike.
On leaving the campsite, I
started to walk towards town, passing the start of the trail which I would
join. Or at least that was the plan. Before I knew it, I had arrived in the
high street, with a confused feeling of “how did I get here?” I decided to try
for a better map at the visitor centre, and recalculated my walk to take me to
the trail on my return journey, all the while keeping an eye on the time, which
was passing quickly. As I counted the roads, I soon realised that I was
actually heading in the wrong direction, so I stood more of a chance if I headed
back along the familiar route to the campsite. It wasn’t long however, that I
gave up the idea of my hike altogether, and thought it best to go back to my
tent and relax. Time was too short now, and my horseback riding would start at
2. Before getting back to the tent, though, I got lost again, as I didn’t
recognise the turning to the campsite. Misleading signage, I think! Well, my
prayer for safety had been answered – no bears; mind you, I never left the
roadside!
I was determined to have more
success with the afternoon’s plans, but first I set to finding myself A good
lunch. A group of us decided to have brunch in town, and we came across
Tooloulou’s, a restaurant on the main street. I ordered the New Orlean’s Hearty
Breakfast – my first taste of pancakes (American style), maple syrup, and
Canadian bacon for breakfast; something I could grow to like. As I sat and
enjoyed my food, and made conversation with my companions – Anna and Patrik – it
occurred to me that I should enjoy the moment and see what happened, rather
than stressing about making plans for my riding trip. A break from the busyness
of the past days would be welcome, and there was always tomorrow. Why not just
take a leisurely afternoon? This turned out to be a good idea, as it had just
started to rain. I didn’t fancy an afternoon in a wet saddle.
So instead I accompanied
Patrik and Anna as they browsed the gift shops. Although I didn’t intend to buy
gifts, I considered getting international stamps, so I could write and send my
postcards after all. After exploring several shops, we met David, Sascha and
Sabrina, who had also had a rather unfortunate day in that during their bike
ride Sabrina’s chain had completely broken, so they had ended up pushing the
bikes and eventually got a lift back to town with a park ranger. Once I got
back to the campsite, to write my postcards, I heard from Christof and Melanie
that their mountain trek had also ended prematurely due to wet conditions. It
was evidently one of those off-days.
We enjoyed an evening meal in
a Mexican restaurant, and I tried a buffalo burrito for the first time – again,
the most expensive choice on the menu! I enjoyed good conversation, trying out
some German phrases on Sabrina. Before the meal, a few of us had enjoyed drinks
and a friendly game of pool at a nearby bar – the girls, Sabrina and Melanie –
were set on changing the rules every turn, but in the end the lads won!
We set out on the road again
today, to see some sights around Banff, starting with the Johnston Canyon. We
saw the lower and upper waterfalls during our walk, and as I read the
descriptions by the path, I appreciated the evocative nature of the powerful
flowing water, and how it could influence emotions. Still, no wildlife to be
seen.
As we travelled away from the
canyon, James told us to keep an eye out for wildlife, and he would stop the
van if we saw anything. We noticed two animals feeding by a stream. On closer
inspection, they looked like deer crossed with donkeys – big heads and long
legs. Not having antlers, we determined they were female. This was my very
first sighting of moose (as for James also). Not quite a bear, but no reason to
complain.
Later we visited Banff Hot
Springs – first the museum with the original pools, then the ‘actual’ springs
where we could actually take a dip. Unlike Jasper, there was only one big pool,
and we would all have to share the space. And it was already rather crowded!
Once in the pool, we found we had enough room, and soon Tom and I headed to a
smaller inner kidney dish-shaped area to lie down and cool off. At one point,
as we made our way back and forth between the two areas, Tom decided to ‘bomb’
into the water to annoy the lifeguard – I’m not sure of the overall reaction,
but it was probably just as well that he didn’t do it again!
When we got back to camp in
the evening, James outlined the plan for the next few days. We would finally be
visiting Lake Louise tomorrow, the most famous lake in Canada, named after
Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter.
As I woke up this morning I
could hear the rain pattering on the canvas of the tent. I didn’t really want
to leave the comparative dryness of the tent, but Tom assured me that it
sounded worse than it was. After putting on as many layers as possible, I
decided to brave the weather. After an indoor breakfast In the shelter, we
hopped into the van. First stop, Tim Horton’s, for a second breakfast! Sabrina, particularly, seemed very pleased
with this idea.
Not far from our new campsite
at Kicking Horse in Yoho National Park, was Takakkaw Falls, the second largest
waterfall in Canada, at 340m (the largest being on Vancouver Island). Looking
at the waterfall, I began to appreciate its enormity, and couldn’t be sure
whether I was getting wet more from the rain or the spray given off by the
falls.
Then Wapta Falls, after a
short walk. Nothing in comparison to Takakkaw, but still a worthwhile sight.
The final outing of our day
was to the wolf sanctuary in the small town of Golden. We heard a very
enthusiastic lady give a short talk about wolves and their habits, and we
enjoyed seeing some of their adopted residents. I found it interesting to learn
that there are only two species of wolf in the wild (grey – canis lupus; and
red – canis rufus) and that they are actually an endangered species. As such I
signed a couple of petitions before I left. Two final thoughts on the subject –
attacks by wolves on humans are rare if not non-existent, and they don’t howl
at full moons (or rather, the two events are not directly related).
As we arrived back at camp,
we were treated to five elk wandering through the site, so photos ensued. We
enjoyed pumpkin risotto for dinner, and then Tom and I made a start on the
washing up. What fun.
This morning I woke just
before 9, as Tom and I were on breakfast duty. However, I soon realised that he
was already up, and had since prepared everything, so I enjoyed a relaxed
breakfast – although I did try to pour bran flakes into my mug, before I
realised what I was doing!
Soon we hit the road – today we
would finally be visiting Lake Louise, but that would come later. Our first
stop was Moraine Lake (named after the terminal moraine it created when it was
formed) – unarguably beautiful, and considered by James to be more picturesque
than Louise, although she is still the most famous in Canada. Having not seen
Lake Louise to compare, I felt inclined to agree with James’ statement that, “if
nothing you’ve seen on this trip has impressed you so far, this will” – such a
vivid, deep blue, perfectly framed against the backdrop of ten mountain peaks. Here
everyone had the opportunity to take plenty of photos. One had us all pointing
in the air like Usain Bolt (I faced the other direction for comedy value).
When we had exhausted all the
photos at the lake, we got back on the road, to a part of the trip I had
particularly been looking forward to – our visit to Lake Louise… at last! (1731m
above sea level.) When faced with our options for how to spend our afternoon by
the lake, Tom and I decided we would go on the four hour hike around the lake,
along the Six Glacier Trail. I certainly felt up to an energetic walk, so it
seemed like the perfect option. The hike would take us 5.5km each way, up an
elevation of 365m.
It turned out to be just Tom
and myself on our particular walk, which enabled us to have some quality time
to chat; our first real opportunity since meeting up with the group. All the
while marvelling at God’s creation, Tom got some good pictures of the lake,
from various viewpoints along the way. Eventually we made it to the coffee shop
at the top of the path, and I ordered myself a well-deserved hot chocolate. On
the way back, Tom and I made the walk more interesting by placing a wager on
how long it would take to get down to the meeting point – the winner getting
bragging rights for the rest of the day, and not having to cut the chillies
later. Tom suggested we’d be back by 4:45, give or take five minutes, and when
we arrived at 4:49, I conceded that he was the victor. As we waited for the
others, I admired the beauty of the lake – the sun now positioned directly
overhead, giving the scene a faint orange glow.
After about ten minutes, the
others arrived. Now came the long-awaited moment of truth – would James
actually take a dip in the lake? (The agreement made earlier on the trip was
that if someone swam in Lake Louise, James would do it too.) David had come
prepared to throw down the challenge, but would James accept? After a brief
photo shoot, they plunged in – all the while I recorded a series of photos on
James’ iPhone, as my way of proof. It was somewhat satisfying to see James’
reaction, and I totally understood his need for putting the heating on full,
during our journey back to camp. A new experience for him, and the honour of
being able to say he’d swum in Lake Louise for the first – and possibly last –
time!
Back at camp, Tom and I (with
help and direction from Adrian) set to preparing our stir fry dinner. Once
vegetables were chopped (Adrian cutting the chilli), and the chicken was diced
and marinated, Tom was put in charge of stirring the pot of vegetables, and
likewise I kept an eye on the noodles. It was all a matter of knowing the
specific timing. As I watched the noodles simmering, however, they produced a
consistency somewhere between mushy porridge and mashed potato, and lost next
to no moisture when we dried to drain them. Despairingly we had to make do,
although the chicken stir fry and vegetables more than made up for our fail.
Overall, our dinner was a success, and I made sure to thank Adrian for his
help.
As the high spirits around
the campfire came out, I found myself struggling to maintain conversation with
the group, and also assist Tom in preparing our chocolate fondue dessert. Thus,
as I rushed back and forth, I left my empty plate and cutlery on my seat.
Having helped Tom, I pulled up my chair by the campfire, and promptly sat in my
stir fry. It took me a moment to realise it was my own plate, so I was able to
blame no-one but myself! I disappeared to change. Later we enjoyed David’s
Swiss-style mulled wine with rum, with an abundance of fire in a fantastic
light show, before some people went off to their tents. Those who remained
enjoyed rather lively conversation around the fire. I stayed as long as I could
to socialise, but soon even Tom seemed past making coherent conversation, with
constant talk of marshmallows – not to mention the crazy dancing that followed.
At this point I quietly made my exit.
Today was mainly a day for
travelling, as we’d be leaving Kicking Horse in Yoho, for our final camping
ground in Kamloops. It was noticeably colder this morning (some sources said 2
degrees), and as I ate breakfast my hands were shaking. Furthermore, ice had
formed on some of the tents, and on the windows of our van. The real test of
endurance came when we had to take down our tent – holding the cold, metal tent
poles with my bare hands was not nice.
As we travelled, we passed
through Glacier National Park , and stopped briefly at a roadside museum
focusing on endangered wildlife, and efforts to control avalanches in the area,
through the building of ‘snowsheds’ over the main road, and using artillery to
manually cause snowfall in a controlled, safe way. Interesting stuff.
After having lunch at a
picnic area – with an area of protected woodland exhibiting huge cedars (such
as I saw in Vancouver) – we continued on the road, trying to get to the site as
soon as possible, making the final two hours in one leg. We ended up going
rather off the beaten track, definitely getting more and more rural as we
progressed. Eventually we reached the ‘resort’, a site with a homely, family run,
farm feel to it. After pitching our tent, Tom and I joined the others for food.
The only downside to the site was that we weren’t allowed our own personal
campfire. There would be a communal bonfire which we could visit later, if we
wanted.
As dinner was being prepared,
James informed us that our spending for food supplies had been under budget. As
a result, the remaining money was split between us, and we all got $1 back! A
good use of money (despite the abundance of tortilla wraps left over), and some
wonderful meals to remember. James, for one, was totally in awe of the standard
of the meals that we had all prepared for the group. Dinner tonight was
Bruscetta and salad, followed by ravioli/tortellini with a cheese sauce,
followed by fruit salad, courtesy of David and Sascha, with some assistance
from Sabrina and Melanie.
Taking the opportunity to
speak while we were all gathered together, James now thanked us for all our
hard work, and for being such an enjoyable team to be with. He even concluded
that we had given (him) the best trip of the season, and we were definitely a
special group.
Looking back, I found it hard
to believe that two weeks ago we were all total strangers to each other. Now we’re
getting on so well, but we’ll be splitting up so soon. It had to happen
eventually, though I’ll try to value every last minute we share as a group.
Saying goodbye will be the hardest thing about this trip – it is certainly
these people I have been with who I will miss the most; people whose paths may
never have crossed, had it not been for this adventure. Yes, more so than the
lakes or views, I would undoubtedly miss the company. To make the thought of parting
easier, Christof said he would send us all an email in about a week, with our Dropbox
email addresses so we could share photos (and keep in touch).
Eventually, when washing up
was finished we all went down to the communal bonfire, where we all engaged in
good conversation – not just with each other, but also with the other visitors
who were also camping at the resort. It was interesting to hear from one man
about the joys of living as a Canadian, and I began to understand why Canada
was such a positive and friendly place in which to live, as well as being
supremely picturesque – even now we were sitting in front of a lake, with the
clear full moon reflecting off the still water. I would definitely love to
return to Canada one day, now having had this ‘taster’. After this
conversation, I got into an interesting discussion with James and Sabrina. As I
wasn’t really a part of the other conversations, shortly after they left the
fireside I followed suit.
It had rained again last
night. However, on leaving the tent, it wasn’t as bad as it had sounded, and
my waterproof trousers proved unnecessary. Tom was still finding clean clothes
in his bag to wear, while I was having to wear my shirts for the third or
fourth time. Clean clothes would be a luxury! Darin informed me that we’d be
going out for breakfast, a pleasant treat. As such, packing up seemed much
quicker, as it was simply a matter of packing up our bags and tents.
When everyone was ready, we
hit the road. Our destination was Denny’s, a Canadian roadside diner chain.
When we arrived, we announced that we would like seats for fourteen. After a
few minutes waiting (understandably), the manager (at least I think she was)
enthusiastically seated us on a group table and we started to order. I was
taken aback by the friendliness of the staff (and the amount of food on offer,
particularly for a breakfast – I even saw a T-bone steak on the menu). Why
couldn’t things be like this back home? I ordered a good, old pot of English
tea and the Lumberjack’s breakfast – eggs, bacon, ham(!), hash brown, sausage,
toast and two pancakes. I only just finished it, but I was determined not to be
beaten! Given time, I could eat that again.
The rest of the day was spent
travelling back to Vancouver. As time passed, I found it increasingly difficult
to find a comfortable way to sleep, so eventually I resigned myself to staying
up. Adrian was the first of our number to leave us, so he and Darin (who was
going to help him on his way) were dropped at the airport with barely five
minutes to spare – something of a mad rush for James! Sascha and Anna also left
us here, but we would see them again later. Those of us who were able to meet
would come back together for a final meal. I returned to the hostel for a
couple of hours, to relax and freshen up. It suddenly hit home, with a twinge
of sadness, that my adventure was almost at the end.
With Tom’s help I managed to
formulate a plan for tomorrow – my last day, as my flight would be leaving at
quarter past eleven that night. I decided to visit Stanley Park in North
Vancouver, and then maybe some museums later on.
At 7:30 we went out for
dinner in the Yaletown district, where we’d previously eaten out as a group on
our first night. Unfortunately our restaurant from before was fully booked, so
we found a table in the one next door. There were nine of us tonight – Sascha,
Melanie, Sabrina, James, Tom, Christof, Patrik, David and myself. As we ordered
drinks, I noticed two things – firstly, they were showing Diamonds Are Forever on
the big screens, albeit silently (which was a bit strange); secondly, it was
the second time during the same day that we had been served by a brunette
waitress called Jessica. James was running late, so we held off on ordering our
food just yet. I sat next to Patrik, and (as always seemed to be the way,
thinking about it) opposite Sabrina, which made for some enjoyable evening
conversation.
After a very satisfying meal
we eventually moved on for drinks at an Irish pub, where we had agreed to meet Anna,
John and Dan. After having one last drink, I decided to make the rounds and say
my farewells, tying things off. John, Sascha, Dan, Christof, Sabrina, Anna,
James, Patrik, David and Melanie. I made a mental note to give the girls a call
if I ever found myself planning on going to Switzerland, and soon returned with
Tom to the hostel.
Day 17 – Sunday, 22nd
September (‘That Rainy Day Feeling’)
So this was it. From here on
the fourteen of us would go our separate ways (even Tom was staying on for one
more week). With Tom’s phone not working, and with my phone not having any
power, I began to feel rather lonely, as I suddenly realised that all my
connections with the people with whom I’d spent the last couple of weeks were
gone (until I got on Facebook anyway, but that would have to wait). What’s
more, it was as if the weather knew how I was feeling, as it was now pouring
down with rain.
After a quick breakfast and
check out, I borrowed an umbrella and wandered off to Stanley Park, keeping to
my original plan – though any enjoyment I may have had yesterday when I planned
this trip, was all gone. I wandered around for a bit, but finding nowhere dry
to sit outside, I popped into a Starbucks, and relaxed for an hour with a chai,
banana bread, and my book – a chance to dry off. Then back to braving the
weather. The hostel had said there was a
free ‘covered’ (indoor) trip to Granville Island, leaving around 1, so I had it
in mind to join them on this. As such, bringing my plan forward a bit, I headed
over the bridge leading to the museums. However, once I’d got there, realising
it was actually a lot further than I’d thought, I noticed how short my time
was if I was to make the tour, and thought it best to turn around. Due to the
rain, my enthusiasm was not what it was, and being Sunday, the museums would
probably be closed anyway. As I walked back, memories of my friends and the
past weeks filled my mind, along with Coldplay’s song, ‘Viva la Vida’, a sort
of melancholy theme tune.
As I made myself reasonably
comfortable in the draughty hostel reception, catching up on writing my musings,
I felt a tap on my arm with an umbrella. After another tap, I looked up to see
Christof and David, who had also been staying the last night at the hostel.
They too were wondering how to pass the time. Soon David disappeared to do his
laundry – not a bad idea.
Feeling more cheerful now, I
chatted to Chris and we remembered our past experienced. Having now moved away
from the door (which always seemed to be open, despite the lashing rain outside),
I felt I could potentially stay here until dinner. I didn’t particularly want
to go outside again until I had to, and in the end I didn’t go for the tour of
Granville Island as it was just too cold and wet.
Shortly, Chris’ cousin
arrived and he bade me a final goodbye and left. Once again I was alone in the
big city. The next main event would be dinner, but what would I do until then?
As I waited until they started serving dinner, I could almost hear Tom’s voice
saying, “so much for your plan of exploring the city, and not killing
time!” – though I’m sure he would understand my present predicament. As the new
travellers arrived in the hostel for their first night, my thoughts wandered
back to the time we had all sat around the table and introduced ourselves. That
seemed like an age ago! Sadly, I thought, it seemed unlikely that the fourteen
of us would all be together in the same place again (if not impossible), but
then that adds to the unique quality of the trip. It’s partly because of this
that keeping a daily account of events has been so useful, but this is only
half the story – the photos from everyone will give a more complete picture.
After finishing my dinner,
and trying to take as long as possible over it, in order to pass the time, I
noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Patrik had stopped by for some food! As I
was in no particular rush, I kept him company while he ate and we chatted about
our experiences from the holiday.
At 8 o’clock, I shook hands
with Patrik, and said goodbye. It was now my time to leave - he would be flying
back to Sweden tomorrow. The rain had cleared by now, and I walked off with my
bags to the station. I was finally on my way home – it felt like rather a
sudden change, one moment being in Canada, the next I’d be arriving in London.
All a bit of a shock. I arrived at the airport with two hours to spare, so
decided to get some food while I waited – rice, served by a Japanese lady,
seemed to be the best idea!
The first leg of my journey –
to Toronto – passed relatively uneventfully, my travelling companion this time
spending most of the four hours asleep. I watched a film, but found myself
feeling tired towards the end. Still one more flight to go.
As we approached Toronto it
was early morning, and I could clearly see a band of red sun on the horizon,
out of the plane window. On disembarking
I made sure to head straight for baggage reclaim, before making my transfer. The
minutes passed as I stared at the carousel, with no sign of my luggage. An
attendant later told me that my bags were being transferred straight onto my
next flight, and I would get them In London. If only I’d known sooner; the next
queue (for security) seemed almost interminable by the time I joined it. I
boarded by next flight, to London Heathrow, just after 7, Toronto time.
It was seven hours on the
plane, starting with breakfast, but I was to arrive in London around 9 in the evening.
A very strange day followed, foreshortened because of time changes, with all
the daylight hours spent in the air. Sleep escaped me, so by the end I was
exhausted. Just as well I had planned an extra day to recover, before starting
back at work. My Canadian adventure was finally over.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.