Today’s weather actually called for some snow this morning. The snow went around us here at basecamp and stayed in the upper elevations. However we did have rain all day and at 40* for a high with a heavy cloud cover we chose our hikes wisely today.
Extreme elevation hikes made no sense to us today in these conditions. We would make the effort with no payoff. Plus on the major higher elevation trails they are still partially covered in ice and snow.
With our snacks, rain gear, camera gear and packs we headed off to Bow Valley Parkway. There we hiked the Johnston Canyon. Today turned out to be the perfect day to do this even in the rain. Mother Nature beautified the forested trail for us. We took the mostly paved trail mixed in with narrow bridges and railings that are worked into the walls of the canyon for a very unique perspective of the falls.
The hike is normally super busy with a line waiting to view the lower falls. We believe the weather kept the crowds down today. There was no line and only waited for a few seconds to allow a few people to exit the cave. The experience was spectacular and something to see. Then we were treated with seeing a small black bear in the woods right behind our truck when we returned to the parking lot.
Next up was exploring Lake Minnewanka. This is a beautiful day use area with fishing boats, tour boats and canoe rentals. There is also a hiking trail here. We did not do this one as you are required to have at least four people in your group and carry bear spray. We had our bear spray however we were missing two more people and we had Jett with us.
On the way back to our basecamp we made a quick stop at the Hoodoos Viewpoint. We’ve stopped here before and glad we did again as in the distance below we watched a herd of elk play and chase each other around in the river and woods. So beautiful to witness that!
Not long after getting back to the Airstream and having a hot maple black tea and charcuterie snack the sun came out at about 5pm. We could finally see some of the mountain peaks again. Tomorrow calls for the same rainy weather. We have a few plans in place depending on how much it’s raining in the morning. AND not much sun is in the forecast for the next ten days.
Wildlife viewing:
Black Bear
Big Horn Sheep
Elk
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