A day with grandma and grandpa

Recently Katie asked if she and Scott could have some mom and dad time to go for a bike ride. Would you look after Megan for a few hours, she asked? No problem, don't hurry and don't worry, we will have a great time.
Megan visits quite often and loves doing crafts with grandma Christine or going to the park or duck ponds with grandpa Ed.

Today a pond visit was on the cards. We took a few crusts of bread and set off for the short walk to the water. As we got closer to the ponds, Megan started calling "Are you there duckies, we are coming?"

Megan checks her pack for stale bread and maybe grandma has packed a treat for her too. Nice surprise - Smarties!!!

The ducks must have heard Megans' call - they are ready and waiting

When we got back to the house it was time to have fun with the side walk chalks. Afterwards Megan thought it would be fun to "clean" the drive way.
Grandpa gave her a basin of water and some camping pots. Megan says "I might get wet, can I take my dress off ?" Kids do not care and have so much fun. So precious.

Soon it was time to go indoors for lunch with a big treat if you finish it all.

 Total concentration on what needs to be done - mmmm!!!

Thanks Megan for a fun visit - G & G xxx

Damian and Ed - Day 7 - last day of a summer adventure

Sunday day 7 - the last day of a great trip and a wonderful adventure.
Damian was a great help as we broke camp and loaded up the vehicle. He jumped to folding and packing our tent, sleeping bags and stuffing all the sundry bits and pieces into every last little space.
We stopped in Canmore and had a light lunch courtesy of "Tim Horton" and afterwards made our way to Grassi Lakes. One last hike is planned to break our journey home.
The hike to Grassi Lakes is short, popular with families and the trail is often busy, but Damian was not sure he had been to the lakes before. I wanted him to see the pictographs painted by local natives many years before Europeans settled the west - so we agreed we could ignore the crowds and enjoy the walk.
This area is also popular with rock climbers as the cliffs are fairly stable and there are a good variety of climbs. We opted to keep our feet on the ground and observe from below. The thought "don't let go" springs to mind.

There are several pictographs which depict various aspects of
pre-settler native life. The rock paintings are also used to deliver messages and tell stories.

It appears this picture shows a warrior with his shield and spear. It is quite amazing that these paintings have survived for hundreds of years, particularly in the harsh environment of the Canadian Rockies.

The water in the lakes above continually pours out over a cliff and creates a very impressive cascade. Many people miss this view opportunity because the trail to this point is an alternate route down from the lakes and is described as difficult. Damian is always up for a bit of adventure and this route also gave us an opportunity to get away from the crowd.

This is the last pic of a great trip and a wonderful week in the outdoors. Damian and Ed both enjoy adventure, physical activity and nature, and this trip has given both the opportunity to enjoy all of this together. Damian described our week together as "Awesome, fantastic, where are we going next year?" We will start planning in the early part of next year when Damian has his wish list ready.

It will be difficult to better this trip but we will try and are both looking forward to next summer. We will not waste the time between though, and will take every opportunity to have more fun together. Stay tuned.

 





Damian and Ed - day 6 - Lake Louise

Today was plan B - original plan - hike to Rockbound Lake behind Castle Mountain - 2 hours each way. The Bow valley Parkway was closed today for a charity bike race and we could not access the trail head - we will make this miss an opportunity for another day out together in the future.

A quick review of options and a hike around Lake Louise looked like an interesting day out.
Shortly after leaving the parking lot we headed up the Tea House trail for Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes shortly after.

Damian on the shore of Agnes Lake - ready to go again after our snack and lemonade. The challenge is at the head of the lake - up and around the back of the Beehives.
Damian and Ed along the trail on Lake Agnes shore.

Damian at Chateaux Lake Louise with glacier behind him.

Chateaux Lake Louise from the glacier.

 

Superman!!!!! quite the hike up high above Lake Louise.

 

A glimpse of Lake Louise as we make our way to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House.

 

A good haul but we made it to our destination - very close to the glacier at the head of Lake Louise. Way to go Damian - you are full of energy and it is fun to be out and about with you. Million $ views today - yeah!!!

 

 

At the end of a hot and strenuous day a welcome soak in the "cool" 4 degree C water of the lake - guaranteed no aches and pains tomorrow though. Brrrr!!! 10 to 15 seconds before bone ache sets in - much worse than brain freeze from ice cream.

Today we have hiked close to 20 km which included many elevation gains and losses - a tough hike but great fun and fabulous views.

Johnson Canyon - day 5 continued

After eating lunch at the Columbia Glacier interpretive centre, it was time to  return to the Lake Louise area. The return drive was much nicer than the snow and wet we experienced earlier in the day - the sun was shining, the skies clear and the scenery absolutely fabulous. We took our time and enjoyed the view - Damian was convinced he would see a bear - he was not disappointed - he saw three. The first sighting was of two black bears fighting over a berry patch - there were lots of berries every where - go figure - maybe these were just a little sweeter. We watched for a while and continued our journey when the bears moved out of sight. We were so excited. A short time later, eagle eye Damian spotted another black bear.
As we approached the Lake Louise area the plan was to follow the Bow Valley Parkway and hike up Johnson Canyon to the Ink Pots. Shortly after hitting the Parkway, even more excitement - a family of grizzly bears foraging in a meadow - mother and two well grown cubs.
Seeing six bears in one day - amazing - awesome.

Mother grizzly on left, cub at right under fallen log and other cub far right under tree.

 

 The mother grizzly bear - a majestically beautiful animal

Johnson Canyon is a special place, very scenic and known for the several water falls.

The forest in the canyon is also quite unique, somewhat like a rain forest with lots of moss and fungi.

 Fungi on a tree stump

This young raven looked a little bewildered - lost might be more appropriate - we did the right thing - said hello, took his photo and quietly left so his mum could bring food and get him flying.

 Damian had a lot of fun in the dead fall - definitely brought out the "monkey" in him. He tried to tempt his grandpa Ed into the 'pick up sticks maze" but Ed gracefully declined and mentioned the risk of a broken leg or something. Reality - not quite flexible enough these days to wiggle through tight spaces.

Eventually we arrived at the open valley and the Ink Pots. The pots are small pools of spring fed water and are slightly different colours depending on flow and depth of the spring. The many inukshuks along the upper creek side have been built over time by visitors to the area. Rocks and water provide natural toys and provide hours of fun for many folks.

Time to head back to camp and still enough energy to jog down the trail to the car.
On the return to camp - more fun - we saw a full antlered bull elk - stopped the car and he wandered slowly across the road in front of us. Damian is convinced he turned to look at us and stuck out his tongue in contempt.

Today is a day to remember Ice Fields in the morning and numerous wild life sightings in the afternoon - we will sleep well tonight.

Damian & Ed - day 5 - Columbia Glacier

Today we were up and out at 7:30am for the 150 km drive to the Columbia Ice Fields. It was a cold and cloudy morning with a light rain - we were hoping for a sunny cloudless day to be able to get the best view possible of the glaciers. As we drove north west towards our destination the rain turned to snow and all of the surrounding mountains had a light covering of the white stuff - yes it is still August believe it or not. A little after 9:00am we arrived at the visitor centre and checked in. Because Ed had pre-booked and paid on line, we were directed to the VIP line and got on the second transfer coach of the day - there were only 10 passengers including Damian and Ed.

Very soon we were at the transfer station and boarding our snow coach. These vehicles are enormous with very large diameter balloon tyres. As the snow coach approaches the edge of the glacier the driver takes it through a deep pool of water and slush - this is to ensure that no stones and dirt are transferred to the surface of the glacier and cause melting of the ice. Shortly after boarding we were quite far up the surface of the glacier and at the point where we could get out and walk. The area is marked with cones and we were warned not to go beyond as we could disappear down a crevasse - never to be seen again.

Damian sampling the super clean glacial melt water

 

We threw snow balls at each other to celebrate a wonderful summer day in the Rockies and as we played, the sun started to break through and burn off the clouds. Slowly we were presented with a view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains - very spectacular.

This visit to the ice fields has been a very special experience and something we will both remember for a long time.

Stay tuned there is more to follow.

Damian & Ed - Day 4 - Mount Bourgeau

 

Hurry up grandpa I've got the gate for you - Damian is all fired up and ready to go.

Today's outing is a hike which is a bit more strenuous than others we have done recently. We are making our way to Bourgeau Lake on the flanks of Mount Bourgeau. We ate breakfast at camp to ensure we had a good supply of calories on board for the steady two hour plus climb. In Banff National Park the highway is lined each side with a high fence to keep animals off the road and minimise accidents with vehicles and animal fatalities. At the trail head there is a gate to allow hikers through the fence.

 

Damian below the falls from Lake Bourgeau

 

The trail winds through the forest and elevation is gained steadily until the trees begin to thin out. Soon after a water fall appears and the creek must be crossed. Not a big problem at this time of the year and boulder hopping without getting wet feet is quite easy.

Eventually the valley opens up and a beautiful lake appears. At this point we have gained over 2000 feet of elevation since leaving the parking lot. The mountain summit can be reached by staying to the right side of the lake and navigating around the back of the cliffs in the back ground. The summit is at the left rear of the photograph after a further two hour strenuous hike - not today though. This will be a future day out for Damian and Ed.

Damian on top of the world - almost, but feels like it.

 

We had a lazy lunch at the lake shore and did a little exploring, skipped stones across the water and looked for marmots which began their alarm calls as soon as we arrived in their territory.

This big fellow is the alpha male of the marmot colony and sat above us on a large rock and watched us eat lunch, and all the while calling to his clan to let them know that intruders were around.

Another great day out in the back country and back to camp for a hearty meal and another sound sleep.

More adventures will be posted - stay tuned.

Damian & Ed - the camp site

Check in at the Lake Louise camp site was very easy - Ed had previously booked and paid via the internet and on arrival we were quickly directed to our site. The whole camping area is surrounded by an electric fence to ensure there are no visits from unwanted wildlife - a nice touch when an old guy needs to wander to the toilet block in the dark of night - minimal chance of bumping into Mr Bear.

Each site is a clearing in the forest with an elevated sand and gravel pad. This ensures the site is always well drained and not subject to flooding. There is a stock pile of cut logs to use as required. Each site has a fire box and the only requirement is that the fire remains in the firebox.

This is a typical morning at breakfast, usually between 7 & 8 am. We are in late summer but also in the mountains, where days are warm but night time temperatures drop to 8 degrees C or below. The photo above was taken on a 2 degree morning - 5 minutes earlier, Damian had been cocooned in his sleeping bag. His is wearing two hoodies a jacket and a toque, long pants and his hiking boots. He is a real soldier and even though he did not appreciate the cold mornings, he didn't complain and was up and ready whenever I called him. Well done Damian your grandpa is proud of you - no wimps in our tent.

More posts to follow.