The Mountains Are Calling [Part 2]

Once we arrived in the pretty little town of Banff and dumped our bags at the hotel we went for a walk down town. You could tell that Banff was a place for tourists. 50 percent of all the shops were souvenir shops, 40 percent were restaurants and bars and the rest were art galleries or tourism agencies. Nevertheless, I somehow really liked this place. The houses were of a rustic wood cabin built, there were huge piles of snow in the road and the Rocky Mountains were overlooking the town. Because it was getting rather late and we were growing hungry we went looking for a place to eat. We found a traditional western-styled saloon that offered elk and bison burger. Yummy! The restaurant was really cosy and homely. The girls waiting tables were dressed in flannel shirts and blue jeans, the smell of burnt wood was coming from the fireplace and there was ice hockey on TV. I thought it couldn´t possibly get any more Canadian when I noticed that this bar even hosted a weekly line dancing event. Howdy cowboy, you´d better get your boots ready!

We went to pay for our park fee the next day. This fee is necessary for staying in the National Park and provides important funding to pay for maintenance and preservation of the park and its wildlife. After that we visited a museum about the First Nations of North America and especially Alberta. I was hoping to find out a little more about the history and culture of First Nations in Canada. Unfortunately, the museum did not really provide sufficient information. There were loads of traditional gowns with beautiful beads and fur lining and original trade coins from the Hudson Bay Company. Still, I was a bit disappointed about the exhibition. Thankfully, the highlight of the day was still to come. Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of a horse-drawn sleigh ride through winter wonderland. And today was the day this dream was to come true!

I wanted to leave extra early to check out the barn and maybe even cuddle some of the horses. At the ranch we were greeted by a huge shire who let me stroke his velvety nose. Soon our presence was noticed by the stable hands. We were provided with hot apple cider and got a tour de stables. I learned that the gentle giant I met at the barn door was called Sherman. Also, this farm seems to provide solely for the needs of horse-loving and adventurous tourists. With over 300 horses living here in summer people can book trail rides and get a guided tour through the Rocky Mountains. There are even cabins to stay at overnight and trail rides that last up to 4 days! I would love to do that one day! In winter the whole business is focused on sleigh rides. We boarded the sleigh and were wrapped up warm in wooly blankets. It turns out, that the guy who was taking us on our tour was an old-school cowboy. He was one of the kind you couldn´t quite tell how old he was with his weather-beaten face, bushy mustache and rough working hands. Still, he had a great ability of telling stories. While we rode through the snow with nothing but the open landscape, the Rocky Mountains and two huge horse´s backsides surrounding us he told us about the local history and myths. He told us about how Banff became a National Park when some people discovered the Hot Springs at Sulphur Mountain. He also explained why Tunnel Mountain is called Sleeping Buffalo and he said that the Grinch supposedly lives at the top of Mount Rundle. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to these stories!

We were more than lucky considering the weather. We were blessed with mild temperatures, blue skies and sunshine. All my worries of us freezing to death were totally unnecessary. Therefore, we drove into town and rented a pair of snowshoes each. Then, we drove to one of the many routes nearby open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. I felt a bit like a penguin with those snowshoes attached to my boots but after a while I got the hang of it. It was actually quite fun trudging through the fresh snow. I was hoping to see some wildlife out here so I kept scanning the surrounding hills and trees. There were plenty of footprints of various sizes in the snow but I couldn´t tell what animals they belonged to. Also, there were many scratch marks on the trees where grizzlies seemed to have sharpened their claws. It was really peaceful walking along in silence. There was a frozen river to our right and the branches of the trees were hanging low, heavy with the weight of the snow. Sometimes you could hear the snow drop to the ground with a muffled “whomp” or birds chirping in the trees. Unfortunately, we did not see any animals apart from a squirrel that was obviously very upset with us disturbing its peace and quiet. I was totally and utterly exhausted after a few hours walking around with snowshoes. It’s a whole different way of walking and with temperatures above zero I got really warm. The best place to go to after this kind of exertion is probably the Hot Springs. I mean, we definitely had to see what they were all about. The original Hot Springs are closed to the public because it´s home to the Banff Spring Snails. Those snails are very unique and therefore protected. Nevertheless, there is a public bathhouse that provides an open-air pool with water temperature around 39°C. It´s actually really fascinating when considering that it took hundreds of years for the water that´s in the pool to filter through the mountain. By the time we dipped into the water it was dark outside. This was the best time of the day to go swimming. You could barely make out the shape of the Rocky Mountains and the sky above was lit with thousands of tiny twinkling stars. While my head was sticking out of the water and my nose was all red and cold I loved to just soak in the hot water. This was great!

Originally, we had plans to go dog sledding the next day. I was totally devastated when the dog sledding company had to cancel our tour due to avalanche testing up in the mountains. Although we were able to reschedule we had to make alternative plans. Since the weather was still holding up we decided to drive to Lake Louise. It took us about an hour to get there. Again, the drive was really beautiful with different views that came with every turn of the road. Lake Louise is known for its clear blue water nestled in a chain of mountains. At this time of year, the mountains are covered in snow with little black dots of trees sprinkling the slopes and the whole lake is frozen solid. The whole place was heaving with people. I didn´t know but the annual ice carving festival was currently taking place. Participants from all over the world carve beautiful ice sculptures into massive blocks of ice. At the end of the week the best sculpture wins a prize. It was truly fascinating to watch those people carving the ice. My favourite one was a sculpture called “Fun” and it was a bear climbing on a tree. I later found out that the sculpture got the 2nd prize and won the people´s choice award. Also, there was an ice lounge that sold drinks, and something called maple taffy. Maple taffy is made by pouring a few drops of hot maple sap into the snow. The sap then creates a creamy toffee that is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. Although it was a sticky mess it was really delicious! After we enjoyed this little treat, Mummy and I went on a walk along the lake. I couldn´t get enough of the view. Up here there were more clouds and the tops of the mountains were hidden by grey fog. In the distance you could hear the bells on the horse-drawn sleigh ringing and cross-country skiers were shuffling past. Although this place was rather crowded I really enjoyed the magic of the ice and the endless mountains framing the lake. I bet Lake Louise is even more gorgeous in summer!

We spent the next day in town. I was still looking for the odd little keepsake to take back home with me. First, we stopped off at Canmore and later we drove into Banff. After we were exhausted from shopping and couldn´t take any more souvenir shops we decided to treat ourselves to some lunch. Because of the weekend, Banff was heaving. There were loads of people carrying snowboards and skies around or families with their children. Thank God we were done shopping already!

I was overcome by a little wave of sadness when I woke up the next morning. This would be our last day in Banff. The feeling quickly changed into sheer excitement at the prospect of finally going dogsledding today. I couldn´t wait to get out into the snow, cuddle some dogs and go on a true Canadian adventure! My mum and I wrapped up in extra warm clothes and waterproof pants before we went to Canmore, a little town just outside Banff. There, we were gathered together with other people and drove up the hills in a minivan. Despite the fact, that the roads up here were covered in snow, narrow and curvy our driver slammed his foot on the gas and sped up the mountains. Not only his driving was truly breathtaking, so was the landscape. We passed rocky slopes covered in snow, and lakes that were party frozen. The view from up here was stunning! You could see for miles and miles. When we arrived at our destination we were introduced to our team. We got to know every single one of the dogs that were to take us out today and obviously I had to give them a thorough cuddle before take-off. Then, we got a short instruction on how to work the sled and how to communicate with the dogs. By the time we were seated in our sled and wrapped in Pendleton blankets the dogs got extremely excited. They knew exactly that we were leaving soon and therefore they were barking and howling and pulling on their leashes vigorously. Finally, the magic words “Hike!” were spoken and off we went. We had a musher on the back of our sled driving us, so I was able to take everything in. It was amazing! The trees were flying by as we were speeding through the snow. The dogs were completely calm now and pulling along nicely. From time to time we bumped around a bit or went flying over a little bump in the snow. While my body was nice and snug the cold air and gusts of snow were blowing harshly into my face. We had to slow down every now and then to wait for other sleds to catch up. At one point the musher driving our sled asked me whether I wanted to have a go. Well, obviously! From then on we drove tandem, with one of us standing on either side of the skids. I was in command, calling out things like “Easy” to make the dogs slow down when the path got bumpy or “on by” when the dogs got distracted a little. It was pure fun! I loved how we flew past this lovely landscape with nothing but nature surrounding us. We even crossed a lake that was frozen and covered in thick snow. I had the time of my life! Also, I got talking to the musher beside me. He told me that the company he worked for owned approximately 190 dogs. They breed their own dogs, train them and work them for 3 years maximum. After that the dogs are put up for adoption and retire. I asked him whether there were still people who did this as a sport and competed against each other. Apparently, there still are many competitions for dog sledding. Unfortunately, dogs are often mistreated, worked too hard and often short-cuts are being used that are note safe. Although this is probably the most touristy thing one can do up here (and therefore money is the main focus of this business) I figured that these dogs didn´t seem to be too unhappy with their jobs. After about two hours we got back to where we started. My feet were blocks of ice and my nose was running but I couldn´t help but smile. This was so much fun! I guess you can call me a musher now. The dogs were fed and watered and every single one got a belly rub. I gave them all a little treat and a final cuddle before heading to the bonfire to warm up. While enjoying a cup of hot apple cider and looking across the valley I couldn´t help but think that this whole experience was truly magnificent. I love being around dogs and spending time in nature and somehow this was the perfect place for me to be. Naturally, I wasn´t looking forward to going home to Toronto. Although I love Toronto, I absolutely fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. This was another world. I felt like there was so much more to see and explore. I mean, I didn´t even get to see a moose, let alone any kind of wildlife! Still, it was time to leave. We drove back on the Trans-Canada Highway 1, this time heading East. Again, we passed the beautiful mountains, made our way around them and slowly drove out into the plains. I kept glancing back into the rear mirror, only to find the mountains getting smaller and smaller and smaller until they vanished out of view.