As we drove from the Calgary Airport to Banff during dusk, it was easy to tell which direction to go. The mountains are in one direction and plains are in the other. Fortunately, it was light until 10pm so the mountains were clearly visible. We had nice sunny weather the whole time and I only remember it raining for 5 minutes. The air was very dry; a pleasant break from the hot humid New England air. We went on several short hikes and some longer hikes and my brother and I summitted a mountain well over 11,000 feet. Also, we went whitewater rafting and ate Fondue.
The first full day we hiked a loop starting up Edith Pass Trail and around Mt. Edith to Cory Pass. My luggage was delayed so no pictures for this hike. Fortunately my bags with my camera inside arrived the next day. After my camera arrived, I took 440 pictures. Here are some of the pictures.
Cascade Mountain. This is the view from the room I stayed at. You can't get this view in the northeast.
Lake Louise with my family (Me, my sister's husband Chris, my sister Nina, my mom,my dad, my brother Ed, my brother's wife Sarah)
Lake Louise on our way up to the Tea House with Chris, Nina, Mom and Sarah
Lake Louise Ski Area and other mountains from the Tea House.
Lake Agnes
Lake Moraine and Valley of the Ten Peaks (Left view)
Lake Moraine and Valley of the Ten Peaks (Right view)
Mt. Temple. I did not know it when I took this picture, but three days later I summited this peak.
My Mom at Bow River
Bow Falls.
Looking from Stewart Canyon to Lake Minnewanka
My sister and a big Glacier
Mt Athabasca.
Mt. Athabasca. This mountain looks so great it needs a close up. My parents climbed this mountain a long long time ago.
Columbian IceField
Crevasse. Don't Fall In!
Ice Field is long
Ed & Sarah (my brother and his wife)
My Dad
Mt. Athabasca from Parker's Ridge
Some more ice fields behind Athabasca
You don't need to hike to get good views in the Canadian Rockies, but you may want to clean your windshield.
Wildlife Bridge. They had bridges with grass on top for the wildlife to get from one side of the highway to the other.
Mt. Temple. Looking up at where we have to climb.
Halfway Up. Wow. We are getting high! Looking down at Larch Valley and Valley of the Ten Peaks
A French Canadian couple we met as we hiked Mt. Temple.
My brother and I at the summit of Mt. Temple. 11,625 feet. We are towering over all other mountains. Just for the record, the purple helmet belongs to my brother's wife.
Long way down. Lake Moraine is on the right. (that is where we started the hike, 5500 feet elevation gain)
Amazing View
My brother skiing down the mountain in his boots.
Jean-Pierre and Sonia, the French Canadian couple from Montreal we hiked with, as we were almost down.
Rafting on the kicking horse river. While it looks like we are paddling upstream in this picture, we actually went downstream through class IV rapids
My parents by Silverton Falls
Waterfall at Grotto Canyon
Grotto Canyon
My mom and a mountain.