Happy Campers! A week of camping in Kananaskis
July 11: Leaving Calgary in the afternoon, our camping adventure began with our fun bus ride to Kananaskis country, which involved breathtaking views of the mountains and wildlife, which led us to our beautiful group campsite. After pitching our tents that all featured views of the mountains and rivers, campers were welcomed to the area by a lovely summer sunset after dinner and before bed.
July 12: Waking up to the magnificent views of the mountains will never get old! We started the day off with blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes before playing soccer and volleyball in the expansive green space at our campsite. Following these activities, everyone took on the challenge of hiking at Rawson lake! The trail up the mountain was filled with laughter and chatting, which eventually brought us to a lookout over looking the lake. Lunch was served at the top of the mountain along with refreshing water and juice which refuelled our bodies for the hike back down! After taking in more of the views on the way down and relaxing by the lake after our big hike, we made our way back to our campsite to rest, prepare supper and to get a good sleep.
July 13: Day three was full of fun in the sun during our lake day! After bacon and egg breakfast sandwiches, our sports activities for the day began with soccer and football matches, which made our campers excited to get to the lake as soon as possible to cool off in the water! But first, lunch! An assortment of fruits, vegetables, salads, and barbecue was served before heading to Panorama lake to swim, stand-up-paddleboard, and kayak. Kayaking was very popular as pairs of friends got to explore the lake from the water and gain a different vantage point of the lake and surrounding mountains. Many campers were also brave enough to swim in the cold waters of the lake! Brrrrr!
After the eventful day at the lake and under the sun, a big dinner was enjoyed back at the campsite followed by some relaxing activities and sports activities to choose from before bed time!
July 14: A day trip to Canmore was on the schedule today!
Hopping on the school bus after breakfast towards the town of Canmore was exciting, as we were gifted with beautiful views on our way to the aquatic centre in the town. Excitement was brewing to go swimming and the excitement never dissipated as laughter was all that was heard throughout the pool as campers enjoyed the wave pool, lane swimming, and playing water basketball. Sadly we couldn’t stay all day, so we jumped out of the pool and headed to a scenic park for lunch. After eating, campers had the opportunity to play in the park on the playground equipment or on the soccer field. You couldn’t go wrong with either option!
Upon returning back to camp, supper was prepared with the help from campers, which was greatly appreciated throughout the week! Following supper, guided walks were given around the expansive campsite, to explore the rivers on the outskirts of our campsite and the forests with squirrels, marmots, and more before heading to sleep!
July 15: On this eventful day, half of our campers chose to attend the ice fields while the others stayed at camp and would be participating in horseback riding the following day. Therefore, those not attending the icefields, were engaged in friendly competition at the campsite while playing camp Olympics. Games included a water gun fight, archery, tug-a-war, and a three-legged race with campers working hard to bring home the gold medal for their team!
Meanwhile, the ice fields crew hopped on the bus towards Jasper National Park where the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefields are located. Our drive was a scenic route through mountains and lakes as far as the eye could see, with beautiful views at every turn.
Once we made it to the park, we barbecued sausages and had an assortment of snacks and desserts while excitement loomed for our tour of the ice field. The wait was certainly worth it as we got on our tour bus which took us to the ice explorer vehicles that would take us through the ice field. The ice explorers at the ice fields are one-of-a-kind vehicles that are only permanently stationed in Canada and Antarctica. The wheels of these vehicles were taller than some of our campers!
As the tour began, we were met with views of rock slides, the glacier, and of course, the icefield. Our enthusiastic tour guide informed us about the Indigenous origins of the ice field and just how large it is! we eventually made it to a special spot on the ice where we had the opportunity to disembark from the ice explorer and explore the ice field for ourselves! We enjoyed fresh water from the glacier and gave our face a wash which is coined a “glacial facial”. This was many of our campers first time seeing snow and ice making it an unforgettable experience with friends as we soaked everything in while playing in the snow and ice! We wished we could have stayed forever, but as the tour drew to an end, we climbed back into the ice explorer to take us back to the park as the gift shop was waiting for us! Many souvenirs were purchased to remind us of the special day we had altogether!
On our way back to our campsite, a surprise stop at Peyto lake was in store for our campers! We jumped off our bus and took a short walk to the viewing platform with Peyto lake below, with its signature light-blue waters and mountain backdrop making for a perfect photo opportunity!
However, the day was not over yet! For dinner, we stopped in iconic Banff, which is a famous, picturesque mountain town. Bellies were filled with chicken and French fries then we got back on the bus for our last time of the day, to get a good nights sleep under the stars at our campsite.
July 16: Today it was the horseback riding groups’ turn for their big adventure while the ice fields crew participated in the competitive camp olympics.
After breakfast, the horse crew loaded the bus on our way to Banff National park which houses Lake Louise and our horse friends! As if the scenic drive towards Banff wasn’t rewarding enough with all the views, lake Louise stunned campers with its beauty.
Lunch and views were served upon arriving at the lake featuring appetizers, sausages and lots of snacks while taking in the scenery.
After lunch, the horses at the lake Louise stables were waiting for us to ride with them. We embarked on a wonderful trail through lush forests, rivers, and roads overlooking lake Louise with our horse companions and tour guide leading the way. A special bond was formed between the campers and horses, making saying goodbye tough!
However, we didn’t need to say goodbye to lake Lousie just yet, as we had time to relax by the lake and enjoy its beauty some more before heading to our next stop of the day: Banff!
Banff was another hit with campers as we walked through the stunning town on our way to a delicious supper. Following our supper, it was time to head back to our campsite to sleep and recharge our bodies before another big day!
July 17: Sadly the 17th was our last day at the campsite. Campers were efficient taking down their tents, rolling up their sleeping bags, and packing up their bags to head back to the big city! Brunch was served before the fun bus ride back to SAIT which included bus games and snacks to pass the time. Being back in Calgary was exciting but the calm and quiet of the wilderness was missed!
