Terry, my husband, and I joined the Canadian Rockies hiking trip in July. We spent a day and half in Calgary, which turned out to be a city with the third largest China Town in Canada. We had so much fun hitting Chinese restaurants with varied and authentic provincial cuisines that we don’t find in DC. This set us in a happy mood for the Rockies.
Things only got better from here! The two lodges where we stayed exceeded our expectations in every aspect. Lodge staff were so welcoming, attentive, and helpful. We enjoyed the sauna, steam room and hot tub after a day of hiking or climbing.
Ha, hiking! That’s what we came for, right? The Rockies’ views were stunning. Sometimes we passed by a symphony of wildflowers of every imaginable color along a babbling stream and sometimes we walked to a gapping crevasse on a glacier. Yet other times we found ourselves on a via ferrata, hanging on a cliff by our fingernails or walking on a tightrope over a raging river. Not to worry though, on the via ferrata, everyone was securely attached to cables and closely watched over by Canadian Mountain Guides.
All these were accompanied by the views of the mountains high and low, far and near, snow or vegetation covered, and by the vast sky blue or gray. On a sunny day, the beautiful white clouds cast their shadows over the mountains. Sometimes we hiked above tree lines. All we could see were rocks and rock mountains. One would never think that rock formations (mountains) could be so magnificent and regal!
The only thing we regretted slightly (not really) was we ate too much because the food was irresistible. Literarily. If you ever fancy going on this trip, losing weight should not be one of the goals.
We came back refreshed and rejuvenated. It was truly a memorable trip!
Photos courtesy Ines Fraile, Bonnie Galat, Kusum Wagle
