CANADA 1998

30^th May 1998 - Seattle

Arrived in Seattle from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  Went into Seattle for a trip around the town.

Met the other guys for a beer in the evening.

31^st May 1998 - Winthrop

Made our way to the North Cascades.  Got a speeding ticket from a trooper in the middle of nowhere.  Went for a hike in the woods across a nice stream, but with a dodgy bridge.

Camped in Winthrop next to a lake.  Had a dip and slept under the stars.

1^st June 1998  Revelstoke

Crossed the border into Canada.  Stopped for wine-tasting and then passed through Glacier National Park.  Great camp with a pool.  Getting colder.

2^nd June 1998  Yoho

Arrived at Yoho National Park.  Went rafting down the Kicking Horse River.  Not very rough, but cold  had wetsuits.

3^rd June 1998  Yoho

Woken by huge freight train going past.  Stopped by at the train loops, but no trains to watch.  Went hiking and found a marmot.  Rain in the afternoon.

4^th June 1998  Banff

Drove up to Lake Louise.  Very misty with snow on the ground.  Hiked to Mirror Lake and then up to Lake Agnes.  Had hot chocolate in the chalet at the top before coming down again.  Saw a Japanese coffin bus in the car park.

Went on to Moraine Lake and then to the campsite in Banff.

5^th June 1998  Banff

Caught the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain and had breakfast in the restaurant.  Drove to Cranmore and had a helicopter flight over the Rockies  foggy but really good.

Went back up Sulphur Mountain to lie in the hot springs and a moose ran across the road on the way down.  Went to Lake Minnewanka.

6^th June 1998  Banff

Day hiking down the Bow River Valley.  Saw the hoodoos, and then attacked by a mad elk in the valley  so hid behind a tree until he ran after someone else.  Carried on past the Banff Springs Hotel into Banff itself.

7^th June 1998  Jasper

Drove from Banff up to Jasper.  Stopped at Lake Louise again, it was much clearer, but looked better with the fog.  Went to the Athabasca Glacier and went sledging on bin-liners!  Drove and hiked to the Saswaskan Glacier.  Drove up highway 1A and saw a coouple of Black Bears, stopped at the Athabasca Waterfall.

8^th June 1998  Jasper

Hiked around the Five lakes.  Didn’t see a beaver though.

Hiked up Mt Edith Cavell, as far as the meadow tundra.  Snow near the top.  Saw a bear (or was it a goat?) on the mountain and a porcupine on the hiking trail.

In late afternoon hiked down Maligne Canyon.

9^th June 1998  Wells Grey

Drove to Wells Grey Provincial Park past Mt Robson  the one of the tallest mountains in the Canadian Rockies.  Watched a long freight-train go past  100 wagons.  Camped at a mossie-infested campground.

10^th June 1998  Wells Grey

Stopped by a couple of good waterfalls on the way to Clearwater Lake.  Canoed to the campsite and had bison burgers.

11^th June 1998  Vancouver

Excellent still morning on the lake.  Drove to Vancouver.

12^th June 1998  Vancouver

Went around Stanley Park and the Aquarium.  Excellent statue of a ‘Girl in Wetsuit’.

13^th June 1998  Seattle

Back to Seattle.  Went around the old city on a underground tour, the new city has been built on top of the old.

14^th June 1998  Home

Plane back to England.

Highlights

§Helicopter over Rockies

§Glaciers

§Icefields Parkway

§Waterfalls

§Clearwater Lake