Could I move here forever?
Have you ever visited somewhere so unique, beautiful, and peaceful that you told yourself, "I could move here forever?" Banff is one of those places for me.
They were founded in 1887 as Canada's first National Park and the world's third national park. It was initially named the Rocky Mountain Park and was later renamed the Banff National Park.
There's a feeling in this special place, the air is crisp, and everywhere you look, you're inspired. Raw beauty was protected by forward-thinking leaders in the late 1800s and visited by millions of visitors worldwide annually.
We arrived on October 12th after a nice visit with family in Calgary and planned a ten-day visit. This was the only phase of our trip that I was worried about; it was getting late in the year, it had already snowed, and between Banff and Vancouver was a mountain summit and the famous Highway Thru Hell (Coquihalla.)
Our time in Banff was filled with outdoor activities, hiking, visiting Lake Louise, Canmore, Peyto Lake and some photography missions at sunrise, sunset and in the pitch dark. Did I mention that there are bears in Banff? Did you know there was such a thing as bear bells and spray? We had them both and walked down the trails sounding like two elves preparing to load Santa's sled (thankfully, we didn't have to use our spray.)
My passion for photography was rekindled when we reached the mountains. I was studying some online resources and picked up a few pieces of used gear along the way. It felt so important to me that we document the beauty and experiences. Attempting to put the lesson to use was a lot of fun, and it became clear how difficult it could be at the same time. Here are a few of my favorites.
There's a lake outside Banff toward the highway, and I set my alarm early for a few attempts at sunrise. It was freezing, and I still felt the pain in my fingers as I tried to set up my pictures. It's dark, of course, and there's an uneasiness for me as I drive down dark roads, climb over hills and do my best not to fall into the icy water. These missions can be hit or miss. If you become impatient, you can miss the shot, sit through an entire sunrise, and have mediocre results. It is the quest to capture something beautiful that I enjoy most. Thousands of pictures and that particular shot brings a smile to your face.
The following picture is from Two Jacks lake, a ten-minute drive from our campground. We visited both at sunrise and sunset. The first picture was taken late at night, and it was pitch dark when we arrived. We had been reading about bear bells, and I was stepping out in the middle of an open parking lot. Was I scared? Yup. Was It worth it? You bet. I had never taken pictures before at night and had a new camera that I was trying to figure out. This was my attempt to put my lessons to practice.
This was such a beautiful location that I decided that an early morning visit for sunrise would be worth the cold trek out over the next few days. While the sunrise was overwhelming, I decided to wait and see what might happen. This is the picture I shot.
In life, we never know when something beautiful, life-changing and coincidental will happen. There was one experience that we had been talking about since we arrived in Banff that we had not yet had, and that was to see Elk. I had arranged to meet someone in Canmore to buy a piece of camera gear, and Patti and I played our would you rather game. Do you want to go back on the highway or take the old road through Canmore? Patti chooses the old route.
As we made our way toward the town and arrived at the bow river, Patti looked to her right, and the river was full of Elk. Chatting with locals as we took in this magical experience, they mentioned that something had likely spooked them down from the mountains and that there were probably three different herds. I would guess that there were upwards of one hundred in total.
Staying in the national park in our RV was fantastic. Waking up in the morning and looking out at the mountains melts all your worries away. We knew life all around continued to be complicated with Covid, uncertainty, and many challenges. While we are not immune to struggle and challenge, each kilometre, we travelled and experienced presented us with new opportunities to reflect on what matters most.
Gus was a massive part of our trip, a fantastic traveller and a constant companion. If he were with us, life would be good.
By the time we left Banff toward Vancouver, we had been on the road for a month, had already had so many fantastic experiences, and we're excited for what lay ahead. Most importantly, we were decompressing and having critical conversations about what we wanted, what brings us joy, what scares us, and what we hoped for in the future.
Here's what the mountains tough me.
- Never underestimate the positive impact of a beautiful place on your mind, body and soul.
- Hobbies can bring you great joy.
- There's a lot more to life than work.
- Be curious and adventurous.
- Bear bells sound very funny when you walk, and bear spray is a thing.
- Once you get exposed to beautiful places and experiences, you want to have more of them.
- We're in control of our lives, the choices we make, and how we react to things that happen to us outside our control.
Whatever you dream about or what your unique adventure looks like for you, go for it.
Recently I became aware of Ben Nemtin from the show buried life and ordered his journal so that I could formalize my bucket list. I think the question he asks is essential, and I encourage you to start your bucket list too.
"What do you want to do before you die?"
Thank you for coming along with us on our adventures.
Don, Patti, Gus and now Kona.
