At the end of October, we were en route to go and explore the beautiful island of St.Lucia. We were excited to hike in a tropical paradise, and also do a bit of diving. It wasn't meant to be: the Island had been hit by a hurricane when we were in transit from Calgary to Toronto. Upon landing to make our connection, we were advised of the situation. After spending a night in Toronto, we were told no one was flying in or out of St. Lucia, apparently the damage much worst than we thought.
We decided to fly back to Calgary and reschedule our holidays.
On our way back, we started to think that we were still free to use some of that time to have some fun, and since Banff was on our way home, we decided to spend a night or two there.
It was the best decision ever. We woke up on November 2nd in Banff to blue skies and fairly warm temperatures for that time of year. We decided it would be a perfect day for a hike. We didn't have much warm clothing with us or gear so we decided to stay close to the area.
What we like about Banff is the access to trails without having to drive very far. On our first hike, we did the easy and popular Tunnel Mountain Trail. Although it was in low season, the trail was busy. We can see why; a short hike took us high enough to enjoy spectacular views of Banff and surrounding mountains. We normally would venture to more challenging hikes but we highly recommend going on this hike. Take a picnic and your camera! You won't regret it.
The next day, we decided to go up Sulphur Mountain by Gondola; we normally opt out of the overpriced 'tourist trap' attractions, but this is definitely worth it. The boardwalk at the top is simply amazing, it was bitter cold and windy when we were there. At the top, there is a restaurant with 360 views. If you don't have a lot of time in the region, I would put this as one of the things to do while there.
On our last day, we decided to hike to the Hoodoos. What are Hoodoos? It is a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock. The trail is extremely easy. If you don't feel like hiking, you can drive to the site. It is very unusual and beautiful. Although it was November, we saw a couple of kayaks landing on the shores of the river below us. The trail is beautiful, you might see climbers on the trail; the rock face of Tunnel Mountain is a popular site for climbers. We highly recommend this easy hike for the whole family.
Our two nights in Banff ended up being 4 nights. It was so beautiful we didn't want to leave. This made us realize how lucky we are in Canada, especially on the West Coast, to be living just a few hours away from such natural beauty. Things definitely has changed since I lived there during the 88 Olympics, but it is still one of the most spectacular places we've been.
And if you are wondering, yes we were able to get a full refund on our trip and have rebooked for Hawaii (Kona). We've already mapped some of the hikes we definitely want to do and some diving trips so stay tuned for an update end of February.
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