Chinook Winds - July 18-2013

Today was the day we loaded into the van, and along with the new addition of the teacher Amanda, we headed off to Banff National Park (Canada’s first) to climb Sulphur Mountain!  Banff is about 90 minutes west of where we are in Calgary, and it was a beautifully scenic drive as we went from prairie to foothills to the Rocky Mountains.  We could see the damage wrought by the flooding of the Bow River a mere 2 or 3 weeks before, but amazingly the Trans-Canada Highway was back in business and showed little sign of any damage itself. Upon arrival in Banff our group had a picnic lunch at the base of Sulphur Mountain.  It was great, the sun, the fresh air and the alpine scenery.  Many in our group noted that there was a gondola that went up the mountain; that seemed to be a popular option for most visitors to the park hoping for a mountain-top view.  However, the teachers in our group told a somewhat reluctant bunch of students that we would be hiking to the top as that was indeed part of the fun!  So, we set off, daunted at first by the hike (which actually wasn’t too bad) and became increasingly excited as we neared the summit.  When we finally made it to the peak, we were greeted with the spectacular sight of the aqua-jade Bow River as it made its course through the valley.  And, true to the cliches of the Canadian wilderness, we saw animals on the top of the mountain; ravens, a hoary marmot, a family of bighorn sheep, and chipmunks.  We snapped a few photos after admiring the view and then took the gondola down the mountain (our reward for climbing up; one of our teachers ran down the mountain) and went straight to the sulphur water hot springs that give the mountain its name.  Soaking in the hot water was the perfect cure for our muscles, which were so tired after our climb.  The water smelt funny because of the sulphur, but felt great on our fatigued bodies.  After a long day in Banff, we got home late after dinner in Calgary (pizza...).  Great day, great view!!