Learning to Let Go, On the Go.
We checked out the free GPS unit to look for the cache in our campground. We tried to find 2 of them and only found one(Scott is good at this, kids and I did one by ourselves and just could not locate the cache-it was somewhere in the middle of a wood pile). After lunch we headed to Maligne Canyon(really it is a gorge). It was so calming and peaceful with the sound of the water rushing through the canyon.
The drive from Banff to Jasper is spectacular! We drove down to the Columbia Icefields and took a bus up onto the Athabasca Glacier(it is the most visited glacier in North America, probably because it is one of the most accessible). This glacier has been shrinking for the past 125 years and has lost half it’s volume and receded 1.5 kms. Athabasca is 6 kilometers wide and 1 kilometer long. The Columbia Icefields behind it feed this glacier and 5 others. This is one of only 2 places in the world where there is a triple continental divide(water flows north to the Artic, east to the Atlantic and west to the Pacific). It was very cool to be standing on a glacier ice that is thousands of years old, but wasn’t quite worth the money.
We loved Jasper National Park so much that we stayed an extra day with no hookups. We were dry camping in Jasper at Whistler Campground. Wonderful campground! We biked to town after we got set up and kids had ice cream by the visitor center while we used the free wifi. Cute little town! Then we headed home for dinner and a game of Settlers Jr. Kids love this game(Scott and I love the adult version: Settlers of Zarahemla).
Our last day in Banff, we decided to go to Emerald Lake. It is located in Yoho National Park that bumps up to Banff NP. It was about 40 minutes from our campground. Emerald Lake was gorgeous! The blue of the water is caused by the glacial till. It makes you think the water has to be warm like the Caribbean. Unfortunately, just the opposite-it is freezing! It was a cloudy, gloomy day. We got rained on halfway around the lake, but were thrilled to try out our rain gear we brought. The kids and Scott were really excited to rent a canoe, so we did. I was a little stressed out about what happens if the canoe tips in the middle of the lake(the water is freezing-can the kids make it to the side of the lake?). Well, it all worked out and we did not tip over, thankfully! It was pretty cool being out in the lake with a slight rain coming down. Kids loved it!!
Kids were excited to hike to the Plain of Six Glaciers at Lake Louise even with it being 7 miles round trip. Want to know why? There was a Teahouse at the top. Nothing like a little tea and cookies for motivation! 🙂 We were really proud of them. They did not complain at all. I truly was shocked. The first mile was pretty flat, the second was a slow incline and third told us we were climbing a mountain. The views were spectacular!
Banff! Were we excited? Absolutely! Scott asked me as we were driving into Banff National Park, if I was tired of the mountains yet. No way! The scenery soothes my soul!
We stayed at Lake Louise campground in Banff NP. We had electricity, but no water hookups. Lots of biking paths and unlimited hiking possibilities. I was a little worried about our campground, because some of the reviews I had read were not good. People had complained about 2 campers right next to each other and it being really tight. It was totally fine for us! Campground was wooded with creek and biking trail nearby. We got set up and headed to Lake Louise Visitor Center. Kat was not in the mood for biking, so we drove and the boys biked. After dinner, we drove up to Lake Louise. I have to say, I was pretty excited to see it, especially after I watched the episode of The Bachelor in January that took place here. 🙂
Last night, I did laundry and picked up 2 free books in the laundry room(at many of the laundry rooms, you can leave a book/take a book). Made my night! I also spent some time looking at what we should do during our 1 day in Calgary. We were really tempted to go Calgary Olympic Park. It looked really cool from the highway and online, but budget wise, it just didn’t make the cut. I found Heritage Park Historical Village which looked awesome. It is located on 127 acres, partially surrounded by Glenmore Reservoir. It is Canada’s largest living history museum! It was divided into 4 distinct areas reflecting different time periods: 1864-Hudson Bay Fur Trading Company(Did you know it only took 5 beaver furs to trade for a gun?), 1880s-Pre-Railway Settlement(we learned they started training the Blackfeet Indian boys at a early age to buffalo hunt. They would use games up until ages 9-10, then they could start hunting elk, and be ready to buffalo hunt by age 12), 1910-Railway Prairie Town, 1930-1950s-Heritage Town Square. It had a cool small 4 ride amusement park also with rides from early 1900s(Kane really enjoyed!). Swings, Caterpillar, The Whip(which was risque at the time) and the Ferris Wheel. I convinced the family and off we went! It exceeded our expectations! Here are some pics:
Kane and Kat were so excited to step onto Canadian Soil! While Scott handled customs, we ran over to the Alberta sign. We are on our way to Calgary for 2 nights on our trek to Alaska. 
We moved to the east side of Glacier on Tuesday. I thought I had booked our site for 3 days, but realized when they put the check out notice on the window, that I had looked at my excel travel log wrong. Ohh, we were disappointed! Fish Creek is just beautiful!! Then when we got to the east side(2 hour drive) to St. Mary’s campground, there was a problem with our campsite. We ended up getting spot that felt like we were in the high desert. Stark contrast to the other side. It all worked out, because we were closer to the most breathtaking scenery!
We hiked Hidden Lake Valley Overlook Hike at Logan Pass. Kids were so excited to hike through SNOW in July! So weird seeing snow and actually walking through it in some places. This is one of our favorite hikes we have done. At the top, we were at the Continental Divide. We saw mountain goats, bighorn sheep and marmots. We wished we could hike down to the the Hidden Lake, but the fish were spawning and bears were there feeding, so they closed the trail. 
We headed to lunch at Two Sisters
Cafe in Babb, Montana on the way to Many Glacier(part of Glacier). We split a piece of huckleberry pie! Huckleberries are popular here. There was a dog outside the restaurant that loved me! Tried to follow me in the restaurant, and we were leaving followed us to the jeep and hopped right in the front seat. Kids laughed so hard! That’s him at the window when we were getting ready to pull out.
Then we headed to Many Glacier(unfortunately, there used to be 150 glaciers in park, but now only 25. They say by 2030 there will not be any glaciers left). The ranger said they classify a glacier by: ice 100 feet thick and 25 yards wide and it moves. We hiked the Swiftcurrent Trail to Lake Josephine. We were able to see Gem and Salamander Glacier. Leaving Many Glacier, we spotted a big grizzly bear up on the side of the mountain. It is so incredible to see animals in their natural habitat. Headed home for dinner then to the Native American Dance Program. It was a tad busy that day! So much to see and so little time!! 
We tried to do the Avalanche Lake Hike, but we could not get a parking spot. This place was packed! So we went down the road to the John Lake Hike, which gave us woods, lake and waterfalls. What more can we ask for? Ate lunch in the woods, I lost walkie talkie(Kat found it), kids had a blast playing in water and fishing(no fish caught), and got in a 3 mile hike.
