The last time I went to Calgary, I didn’t have a chance to go to the Rocky Mountains.  In fact, the weather was so bad that time that I couldn’t even see any ‘land formations’ from within the city which for me, was quite upsetting since that was one of the best things about living in Calgary.  So this time around, I made sure to clear some time in my schedule and head to Banff National Park!

The first place we went to upon arrival was Johnson Canyon to do a little hiking.  I had never been but it was the first on the park list of places to hike in the park.  As you can see from the pictures below, it’s an absolutely gorgeous place!  However, being that it was a Sunday afternoon, we were stuck hiking with a whole bunch of other people.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing – after all, we were in bear country and noise is one of the things that keep those adorable but destructively strong, giant furballs away!  But for me, hiking is all about the journey, not just the destination.  I enjoy slowly strolling through trails, looking around at everything surround me, taking pictures, and just generally enjoying nature.  Unfortunately, most people insist on speed walking through trails, pushing people out of the way, and talking about everyone they’ve ‘had a relationship with’.  (Yes, I heard a gaggle of 8 teenagers having that very conversation behind us on the hike!)  Needless to say, my ‘calm’ was rattled more than a few times but in all honesty, with the kind of scenery I had the privilege to be immersed in, I still loved every minute I was there.

After our hike, we headed into the town of Banff for some food and shopping.  It was so nice to be back there and so hard to leave.  But I will definitely be returning one day soon!  As I find myself more into outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing, it’s hard to imagine that I won’t be doing them when the mountains are only an 8 hour drive away!