The Wandering Koi

We got up to clear but cool conditions to break camp (hurray again for hot faucet water and instant coffee! Burn ban, remember?)

We missed Johnson Canyon twice on our way to Lake Louse, so we decided to stop on the way out of town. It was a gorgeous day, and perhaps we should have left camp earlier (Little Koi disagrees.) to have fewer people. It was still quite nice and a unique view, but it was the first hike for which Mrs. and Mr. Koi recalled standing in line to see an attraction.

A creek wound its way from the parking area up into a canyon, with the trail crossing the river and following along the canyon rim before veering onto scaffolded paths cling to the rock faces of the canyon walls.

The cool mist being flung up from the rocks and the brisk wind blowing down the length of the canyon straightaways created unique microclimates, especially in the areas shaded by towering conifers. Being suspended on the scaffolding path halfway down the canyon walls provided a perspective I had not seen before of the plants clinging to every shelf and crevice, taking advantage of the consistently cool, moist air.

We finally reached the end. After waiting in queue…

we turned the corner and were rewarded with a lovely waterfall.

Quite nice, but it’s difficult not to get jaded. This hike seems as if it is the “placefiller” in Banff when you have seen the main attractions (but would be the major draw in many regions).

We started our drive to Yoho National Park. The route took us over a pass. It was so steep that the railroad eventually built spiral tunnels where the train would loop over its path due to the severe grade that was too steep for even for a switchback.

We stopped to see the natural bridge on the Kicking Horse River (the river was named for an equine incident that happened to one of the early survey teams). The river courses through a narrow channel and carved out the bridge.

We kept driving to our campsite. With seeing Athabaskan Falls and the falls at Johnson canyon as well as innumerable small waterfalls, we were reaching that jaded stage I alluded to earlier. About two miles from the campground, we came around a bend in the road to see this…

So much for being jaded. I realize that a picture won’t capture the mood in the car at that instant, but keep in mind that we’re more than a mile away and those are full-grown spruce and fir trees on the mountain near that waterfall. FYI- you can’t see the entire height of the falls from this angle… that is Takakkaw Falls.

Be sure to tune in next time, same time, same station, for more pictures and adventure!