Travel Canada - Updated

Today my parents, sister, Jennie and I hiked 23 km along the Yoho Valley Iceline trail. This has always been one of my favorite hikes in all of the Canadian Rockies and was the thing that I looked forward to the most upon returning to Canada (well, not counting the Canadian Beer of course!). Here are some pics that do absolutely NO justice to the beauty of the trail. If this does not encourage you to want to visit Canada, then perhaps I should bring you back some beer samples instead!

Here you see our lovely hike route in red. It takes us from the Takkakaw falls parking lot up and to the right on the picture where we traverse along the toes of where glaciers used to be (but with spectacular views of the glaciers across the valley), then we drop back down into the valley where we can choose to climb up Whaleback mountain or detour around to Twin Falls.we detoured due to weather. After Twin Falls you follow the river back home.


This view is zoomed out a little to show just how majestic this part of the world is.


We start at Takkakaw falls, which is (arguably) the highest vertical waterfall in Canada. There is some debate as to whether or not the falls are one, or 2 seperate falls, but they are spectacular nonetheless!

Then we hike up to the iceline and get this totally ugly view of the Yoho valley. For most of our hike we were surrounded by millions of years of geologic mastery. We climbed ~ 2000ft at this point.

This is (from left to right) my dad, sister, myself, and Jennie enjoying the view that took ~ 1.5 hours to earn. Takkakaw falls is in the background. Hals glacier is at the upper left - this glacier feeds Takkakaw falls.

Jennie and I. She is a brave girl getting in and around my sweaty pits after all that climbing! (so fresh and so clean!)

Here we are starting our descent. Mom, myself, Jennie, sister (left to right).

The trail is littered with spectacular waterfalls. Here are Twin Falls. Back when Jennie and I were dating we camped close to here for a date. Yep, ours was not a typical romance - our first date was back country camping!

Then we stumble upon a wild daisy in the mountain meadows...

We followed the Yoho River back home... The blue/green color of the water is caused by "rock flour" created by the glaciers. When the glacier melts, the rock flour is added to the water. It is NOT caused by algae, which many people think. (See, going hiking with a geo-nerd is not only full of great scenery, but is educational as well!)

The final falls of the day are Laughing Falls. These falls are 3.9km from the trailhead. I suspect that they are called Laughing Falls because there is a little ledge ~ 1/3 from the top that sprays the water back up, which (to me) gives the appearance of a very jovial falls!

Days like today remind why I never could call myself a "runner" before I moved to Houston - living here I was too busy hiking and biking in the mountains. Can you blame me?!

Tomorrow is white water rafting down the Kicking Horse River. I am taking my parents so let's all hope that my next blog is as equally upbeat and is not a medical report about some seniors (i.e. my parents) breaking their hips!

Later, eh!