The last day of our discoverying Road Trip in this hidden and amazing place called Canadian Rockies, has arrived. We are obviously a little bit sad for the end of this adventure, but really satisfied and happy too.
We wake up just come kilometers from Banff, under a sky which seems a little bit better than the past days. This morning we are trying a real local breakfast: oatmeals, actually dehydrated oatmeals already prepared in single portion and mixed with whatever you can think about – we choose the nuts and banana one. We mix them with hot water since we totally forgot to buy milk, and as for our first time, it is a nice way to start the day: really tasty, light to carry in the backpack and full of energies.
Then, we head towards the town of Banff, again under a pouring rain, for a hot coffee and to think about a plan for today. Without even thinking about it, we enter the Evelyin’s, one of the best coffee shop in Banff.
When we are done with it, we start towards today first goal: we are going to visit the Johnston Canyon and the Ink Pots…and who know what else, our hikes usually always have some unexpected and amazing detour.
We begin to drive along the A1, the Bow Valley Parkway, and shortly we are at the parking lot, the start for our new adventure.
Another parking lot – Norquay Ski area – another hike, a short one this time, but anyway another peak conquered!
Once we are back, totally satisfied no matter the big crowd we met along the way, we can just think of how incredible are the places here around. But today is still not ended, there is still light in the sky and it seems we will have another couple hours of dryiness, so we have to put to use those.
We pack again, just a light backpack with a bottle of water and a jacket, and we head towards the Norquay Ski Area, to hike the Stoney Squaw Trail.
Less than an hour walk and this is the show, an open window facing Banff
It is a little bit more than 2 kilometers in the dense forest, walking over roots steps and little rocky meadows, and then you are up to the Snow Peak, something more than 1.800 meters high – it is so irrelevant, is seems, that it is not even signaled, we let our intuiton to guide us and to understand where the real peak point is.
In less than an hour, way less, we are on top: just time for a sip of water, a couple minutes sit to admire the landscape from this window peaking through the trees over Banff area, then it is time to head down.
The way down is so easy and fast, in 30 minutes more or less we are sit in our car again, and we think it can really be enough for today.
There is just one last fhing to do before going to the campground: a slightly clear sky and the right sunset light, let us finally replay a photo seen many times on the internet, which fascinated us a lot. It is a dream come true, one of the many lines of our wishlist that can finally erased.
Dream come true in Banff! The inspiration is below and the upper one…its fulfillment!
Then, we head back to the campground, quite tired, for our last camping night: to celebrate it, we let ourselves have a nice dinner, on a Bud Spencer and Terence Hill style, directly from one of those western movies. Beans and corn, with grilled wurstels, all plunged in some good beer and topped with the now unavoidable roasted marshmellows.
Last dinner of our Road Trip, but we will have others really soon
And after, it is time to begin to make order in the tent – and in the car, after a wandering week there is a bunch of crap all over it – pack our backpacks and trolley and be prepare for our last night, together with our fellow camping friend Luca.
Tomorrow morning we will wake up early, pack the tent and then head towards Calgary Airport, where we will give our goodbye to Luca, who will go back to the hot italian summer. As for us, we will end our first exploring week, and a new period will open, a period of real…
…CANADIAN LIFE!
Keep on following us, you will have fun for sure!
AP
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