Canadian Rockies Day 7

Day 7 8/17/12 – Last day, Jasper back to Banff

A few pictures as we circumabulate Banff on our last day in the Park.

Canadian Rockies Day 6

Day 6 8/16/12 – Another gondola ride, Lake Edith, Lake Annette, Lake Beaufert

We got tired of eating overpriced and not too delicious lunch…so we made our own!

Walking along Lake Edith, with the golf course (hehe) in the background:

We took a gondola to the top of Whistler Mountain, where the air was clean and crisp. We passed by many a European family with kids aged 8-12 who were hiking along at quite a brisk pace. We also met older couples doing the rather strenuous hike also. There was a couple from Nepal (?) with two little kidlets and a third strapped to a hiking backpack. They zipped up the slope like they were just out for a stroll! We decided that it’s just a cultural difference (the altitude training also helps). But we were really happy mom and dad were able to do the hike also. Of course, once they got started dad and Bipin Uncle didn’t want to stop – they climbed to the top of this boulder on the way!

The view was quite nice from the top. Here’s the Jasper “J”

And after a long hike, who wouldn’t want to splash around Lake Beaufert’s crystal clear, zero degree water??

Five Lakes Hike

Jyo and I went on the Five Lakes hike. Each lake has a different color due to differences in flora/fauna and resulting composition of the water.

Lake 1 is a dark blue surrounded by a heavy wood:

Lake 2 is yellower, with a shallower shrubbery surrounding it and plenty of algae:

Lake 3 is greener and at elevated altitude:

Lake 4 is a clear turquoise blue with many fishies popping up and down:

Lake 5 is perhaps the most beautiful. But maybe that’s because it has a wonderful adornment ;)

Canadian Rockies Day 5

Day #5 8/15/12 – Jasper National Park, Lake Maligne, Medicine Lake

Daddy Patel showing off his mad balancing skills over a treacherous log in the lake

And then Jyo and I went on the Five Lakes hike. Descriptions to follow!

Canadian Rockies Day 4

Day #4 8/14/12 – Jasper National Park

Crow’s foot glacier along the way

Beautiful wildflowers growing on the side of the road

Rainbow over a frosty blue river winding through the park

And the seven bridges hike (bridge #2 collapsed, so we had to take the *long* way around!) to finish off the day:

Canadian Rockies Day 3 - part 2

When we got to Lake Louise, Jyo and I struck out to hike to the top of the ten glaciers:

And the sight from the top was worth it!

Canadian Rockies Day 3

Day #3 8/13/12 – trip to Lake Louise

We started off the day with a brisk, refreshing hike at Canyon Creek, which ended in a clean, cool pool!

Then, continuing the drive to Lake Louise we passed countless scenes worth clipping. But we spent the majority of time appreciating the beauty instead of chronicling it…maybe this means we’ll have to go back? ;) We did capture this wildflower/river/mountain shot:

Canadian Rockies Day 2

Day #2 8/12/12– Banff: Cascade Gardens, Gondola ride up Sulphur mountain, and Bow River walk.

Awoke to a beautiful day (really, every day, and every sight was beautiful, so the adjective may get redundant), and drove to Banff National Park, paying for a weekly National Park pass along the way.

A: haha, only one car! But we made up for it with the awful gas mileage on the SUV.

B: it makes so much sense to pay one fee for an all access pass! Then you don’t have to worry about which sites to visit, skip, etc. and you’ve already paid your dues…).

The gondola ride took up to the top of Sulphur mountain, from which there were views of Banff:

And then from there, Cascade Gardens, where we took a leisurely stroll around with many a photo op:

After lunch we decided to hike the Bow River trail, with these pictures supplanting a thousand of my words.

Canadian Rockies

Hi all,

I’ve been procrastinating for a few months now. But these pictures are just too good to stay away from! Let’s quickly go through the trips chronologically:

Trip #1 –

Where: Canadian Rockies

When: 8/11/12 – 8/17/12

Who: Daddy Patel, Mommy Patel, Pratima and Bipin Patel, Jyoti and Me.

Day #1 8/11/12 – Dead Man’s Flats in Canmore, AB

After a very early morning flight from Newark (and an only slightly sketchy parking lot close by) and a brief respite in Toronto, we arrived in Calgary and drove the behemoth of a truck that we rented (really, SUV) to Canmore. Here’s Jyo at the gas station/convenience store where we bought all our supplies.

We very wisely decided that we should get out and about, make the most of our day. We walked all over Canmore and saw an absolutely gorgeous lake at the top of a trail. Later, we walked around town and got some great pictures.