It’s always worth talking to your neighbours. Emma talked to Carl who was in the best spot beside the river so when he was about to vacate he rang Emma and we moved. What a superb spot beside the river - whose level changes during the day as the meltwater increases with the sunshine and decreases overnight.
Having moved by 9am it was off to do the Perley Rock walk. The walk is graded as ‘tough’ and it was! After a short distance which was fairly level the trail started to climb and climb. Up through the forest then out onto a massive boulder field/lateral moraine interspersed with glacial rivers and waterfalls. Rivers are spanned by crevasse ladders so not so bad. But after 3 hours of continual climbing enough is enough especially for Alex’s little legs. The views are fantastic as is the retreat of the glaciers due to climate change. We were probably within 2km of the end but another 600 feet vertically - and of course we have to come down!
We are proud of what we have done and Alex had outshone us with his efforts, xx. That was the hardest walk we have ever done.
Returning to the campsite we find a little rockybeach beside the river so Emma has a quick icy dip and Alex finds enough energy for a water pistol fight! Icy water but hot sunshine means the fight is enjoyable.
We have spaghetti bolognese for dinner - divine, and we would have eaten just about anything after all that exercise. We meet Terri and Steve from the opposite campsite and end up chatting the night away around the campfire (allowed here).
Sleeping beside a rushing river, with the occasional clunk of boulders moving, we have the best nights sleep after such exercise and wake with the promise of pancakes made by Steve. They prove to be delicious and enhanced with Saskatoon berries (a local form of our native bilberries perhaps?). Steve educates Alex with his collection of fishing flies and we pack up ready for a more moderate walk today.
We chose to walk the Asulkan Ridge walk, passing the remains of Glacier House, an old railway owned hotel. The walk is long but not as hard as yesterday, following a river upstream until we meet a lateral moraine. We stop short of the final steep climb as we are tired from previously, but still put in a 4 hour walk finishing with a bit of fun and a water gun fight in the glacial river to cool down. The evening is spent talking with our new friends.
After a later start we say goodbye to Steve and Terri and Steve gives us a copy of the book he has written - talent will out! We move on to Golden on the Colombia river en-route to Yoho National Park. A short stroll through Golden reveals a beautiful wooden bridge across the Colombia River which was built by the local community instead of a steel one and Alex has a little paddle in the fountain. We have a late lunch by the river watching paddle boarders drift downstream on the Kicking Horse river just before its confluence with the Colombia river.
Then it’s on to Yoto National Park and the Kicking Horse campground. The evening ranger show is all about invasive species and fishing and is funny. Alex participates and helps remove invasive species from clothing and watercraft but there is a ‘ringer’ of a park ranger helping the other side in a quiz, competition is here!
Alongside our site we talk with Marc, a “digital nomad” before its campfire out and bed.
The next day we head up to the Takakkaw Falls. The road is easy with one exception, a set of two hairpin bends which are so tight Guy has to head in at the first bend, then reverse uphill to the second bend then drive out forwards again! There is a warning and a strange road sign about this for Motorhomes but it is doable - some tour coaches are allowed to do it as well.
The falls are magnificent and also popular. We see Marc there at work connected via a Starlink satellite dish and terminal - a pretty good view out the office window!
We undertake the walk to Laughing falls and then on to Twin Falls. Alex does exceptionally well with this 13.5 mile round trip. He's turning into a great little hiking adventure bean.
We even find some "boobie" mushrooms on the trail!
And I manage to negotiate the hairpins downhill without the reversing manoeuvre.
After such a long day the prospect of cooking does not thrill us so we head to the nearby town of Field and get a table at the ‘Truffle Pigs’ for a yummy dinner and no washing up (thanks for the recommendation Rae!) Beside the campsite are the ‘spiral tunnels’ on the railroad and we manage to see a freight train coming out of the top tunnel whilst it’s back end is still going on the bottom tunnel - bit weird!
Of course we have to do the ranger show at the campsite, all about Burgess Shale fossils which Alex just laps up, he has to draw what he though the creature would've looked like he can see in a fossil and does a fab job of drawing a worm that eats other works with big sharp pointy teeth! Our new campsite neighbours are a lovely Dutch family so we share wine and a campfire until late, looking forward to heading to Canmore tomorrow.
Guy
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