july 2003

The Canadian Rockies

In July, my spa friends flew to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to spend a week with a friend who has a summer home in the mountains. We have gone many places together and enjoyed the exquisiteness of the mist over the ocean, mountains rising from the plains and vistas of sail boats on lakes that are larger than our eyes can take in. This trip, however, was a special one, not just because of the breath taking scenery, and the camaraderie, but because of the people who helped us along the way.
It's easy to get to Calgary from just about anyplace and in a recent survey, its international airport was ranked eighth in the world. Scheduled carriers include Air Canada, American West, Canadian Airlines International, Delta, KLM Royal Dutch, Northwest, and United. Ground connections to Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise include motorcoaches, limos and rental cars which travel the 90 minute ride through the foothills and majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States may enter Canada without passports or visas, which makes your entry easy. For proof of citizenship. a naturalization certificate, birth certificate or your passport or proof of permanent US residence, such as a voter's registration card can be used. Visitors from countries other than the United States must have a valid passport and may require other documentation, such as visas or alien cards. Checking with the nearest Canadian Consulate before you travel will help. Banff, Lake Louise, and Canmore are in the Mountain Time Zone. Daylight Savings Time is in effect from April until the last Sunday in October. We noted that dress is casual in the area. In summer, bring rainwear as storms can up with little warning, My friend, who had visited both the previous summer and winter noted that it rained for three days straight during the summer, and had a picture of a whiteout during a cross-country ski trip last winter. Our vacation was warm during the day and cool at night, with one rather exciting rain storm during dinner. We called ahead to get the weather forecast and packed accordingly.

You'll need sturdy shoes for hiking and walking, sunscreen and sun glasses and warm or light jackets at higher altitudes. Winter activities range from dog sledding, to tobogganing and sleigh rides to cross-country, downhill and helicopter skiing. Ice fishing, snowmobiling, and sightseeing tours can be arranged. In the summer, activities include golfing, horseback riding, cycling, fishing, boating, river rafting, ice field tours and exploring. We hiked river trails, mountains, and explored caves. The Bow River and the surrounding mountains offer one photo opportunity after another so bring the camera and video cam. Keep reading and you'll find unsurpassed beauty, excellent facilities and sight seeing that includes ancient glaciers, meadows of wild flowers, waterfalls, lakes, forests, and the promise of seeing large animals like bighorn sheep, cougars, wolves, grizzly bears, more elk than you can see at the zoo, plus small animals and birds that delight everyone.

Let's begin our vacation. We arrived and were met by friends at the airport. Instead of taking the super highway, we drove to Canmore on the old 2 lane road and saw some of those bighorns as well as our first views of the mountains very close up. Our friends' home in Canmore has a view of mountains that can't be beat. (The Three Sisters is just one that we saw each morning). As we drove into her garage, we, of the very hot American plains, turned green with envy at the flower pots and beds. The warm days and cool nights make a vibrancy of colors that we see only in the spring. After the first 100° weather we note fading until fall.

The first night we were exhausted from travel. Those of you who have been trying to get some place know of the delays, planes that don't arrive, and those that don't take off.

We unpacked three hours late and went to dine at another friend's home after hearing of our healthy next few days of exercise and evaluation. Our meal was prepared by a graduate of the Culinary Institute who happened to be the son of this friend and was it ever good. Fresh fish and vegetables on the grill with the best local strawberries I've ever tasted for dessert. Washington State white wine, cold and crisp made for the most welcoming of meals. This meal was the beginning of this spectacular week.

The next morning after a warm-up walk to the studio, we enjoyed 90 minutes of Yoga with Tova Jensen, ( see us all with her in the middle) an American trained teacher who couldn't have been better if she tried. In fact, we were all so tired at another session that she said that we all started to doze off during meditation. Her classes made sense and we never had to do the more painful poses that we had failed at in other classes. Then we were off to our trainer for an evaluation. Todd Schumlick, whose picture you see next with one of us is a wizard.

He claims that he can tell a great deal about our strengths and weaknesses just by watching us tie our shoes. That I can't vouch for, but I can say that he read us like a book, understanding how to help us with weaknesses. Our kudos for Todd are not the only ones out there. He owns Health and Fitness Holidays as well as the gym where we worked out. This was named one of the 10 best places to work out by Flare magazine, August, 1999. He trains ladies like us who come in from out of town, professional athletes; and also plans trips for the brave of heart and body to places like Iceland and Greenland. After we spent the morning with Todd we decided to come back two more times to have him go over the individualized plans we drew up for each of us.

He also took us up to Grassi Lake, a "hard" hike, according to all of the books we had. It was on Sunday that we took this hike and with his instruction we got up this magnificent trail and got down, without falling or fear. From the base of the mountain you can not see the falls and lakes, but as you climb you can enjoy sights that miners and natives have seen for hundreds of years. In fact, the sight is so spectacular that Hollywood has used it for filming movies over the years.

We were impressed that actors and camera men have to climb the trail as no helicopters can make it there. Our friend took the hike one step farther and that was to climb up a gravel part of the mountain to see a cave with pictographs. We also saw mountain climbers above the tree line rappelling. This one hike made our trip as we all had reservations about our ability to get to the top of the trail and down in one piece. Thanks, Todd.
   

An easier hike, on Saturday, is at Johnston Falls. The first part of this which ends at a low falls is quite easy. The second part is steep, but we saw families with young children and children hiking up the trail. What is awesome is the color of the water in the stream in this part of the world. If you painted water aqua, someone would tell you that water is not that color. There it is. The one problem with this hike is that it is very popular with bus tours arriving to drop off passengers who all want to see the glories of the falls. If you go, go on a weekday.

One day we went to Banff. This is a very busy tourist town, but well worth the trip to see the Banff Hotel and public gardens. At the hotel we had a drink and watched the flag lowered by men in kilts. The hotel stores are also worth the walk through with cashmeres and sheared beaver that make the American Express card want to pop out of your wallet. The flowers are breathtaking here as was the view.
We also drove around the golf course where the elk vie for spots with golfers. Dinner that night was at the Pines, an upscale restaurant owned by Mark Wight. The food was stellar and the service first rate. We are hoping Mario the chef and Mark are willing to join us in future endeavors. Mario was more than up to modify entrees for the special diet. We started with an order of risotto which was done al dente and disappeared in moments . Each of us had different entrees. Their presentations were elegant as was the food. My grilled tuna came with purple mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and an essence of fish, while a friend had honey glazed salmon. Marinated civet of caribou was ordered by an adventurous member of our crew, while our Canmore hostess ate lemon barbecued chicken as she was still recovering from a GI bug she picked up in Mexico. We were too full to think about desserts, but those we saw coming to other tables looked wonderful. The Pines is at 537 Banff Ave. You can fax them at 403-760-3436.
One day after exercising and hiking, we decided to drive to Lake Louise. There we went to the hotel and looked out at glacier and lake. We also walked around the path of the lake and took more pictures. Can you believe how beautiful? The wait staff was delightful no matter where we went. Many came from Australia and had that Aussie friendliness that we had heard about. The roads are excellent and the mountains, rivers, falls et al make for slower driving so that you miss nothing.

If I could go back I'd do more water sports. There is canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting and more. I'd also go on the trail with a group of horse back riders. We saw these tours as we meandered the back roads and spoke to others who had done it. The day sounded wonderful. We barely began to hike the trails and I'd love to do more. Hiking more mountains would also be a thrill. In the summer, riding the gondola to the top of a peak is breathtaking so we are told and I know I'd like that too, but next time, I promise myself I'll know what to do.

Where to stay? If you like crowds go to Banff. If you want an old elegant hotel on a lake with mountains all around, go to Lake Louise. If you want a quiet town with good restaurants, arts, hiking, surrounding mountains, try Canmore. You can't go wrong.

Want to know more? Type in key word Canadian Rockies and you'll be transported to the Banff National Park and the Bow Valley. Want to plan a healthy vacation? Type in www.healthfitnessholidays.com and you too can speak to Todd. Yoga your thing? Find Tova at 403-678-3543. Remember to take your meds and extra prescriptions if you need them. Many meds are cheaper in Canada, although I checked on my chem strips and even with the 30% deflation, the cost was the same as I get here in the US. If you intend to hike or do any other exercise, check in with your doctor before you leave home. But most of all take film and get enough rest so that you're awake for those first views of the Canadian Rockies.

BSP

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