The summer of 2017 was hot, windy, and dry. Add a lightning strike and a 300-year-old spruce forest to the mix, and you’ve got fire.
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British Columbia
And then the rains came. Well, kind of. After last summer’s smoke and ash, a rainy forecast is a good, good thing. However, when rain is combined with getting booted out of the house for 4 days due to floor repair, it can evolve into something rather interesting. Our motto for the week was “just get into the Jeep and DRIVE.”
All kidding aside, the week went remarkably well. Monday was sunny, warm and spent in Canmore and Grassi Lake, a beautiful hike just outside of town. On Tuesday, we ventured up a loose gravel road to Spray Lake, followed by a tour of the Kananaskis countryside.
Grassi Lake
Trail-side at Grassi Lake
Signs of Spring, Kananaskis.
Upper Kananaskis Lake
Wednesday was cloudy with patches of sun. A stop at the Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park, was an unexpected pleasure. A hidden gem. We also passed through the Verdant Creek area to view the burn areas from last summer.
Natural Bridge, Yoho National Park
Verdant Creek area
However, Friday had to be the most adventurous day of the week. We traveled south, almost to the U.S. border, to Crow’s Nest Pass in a driving rain storm. Then, feeling ambitious, we took a short-cut on a one-lane gravel road (that had collected rain for the past three days) that created a mid-tire mud-fest. After sliding onto asphalt, we arrived at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. I think the last time i visited this site I was twelve. Times have changed. This World Heritage site, tucked into a prairie, is where indigenous hunters (if they were very lucky ) drove herds of buffalo over a cliff to provide for their tribe. Note to Hillary - This is the place that songs are made from. Right?
The Jump
Looking down from the edge.