The Day We Hiked Johnston’s Canyon

During our exploration of Lake Louise and the Banff National Forest, we planned on riding the Gondola for a “must-see” view of lake Louise and the surrounding area.  We got there just after it opened and found out that the gondola ride was closed because of an IT problem.  They weren’t sure how long it would take to fix, so we switched to plan B and took advantage of the beautiful weather as we explored the Bow Valley Parkway.  We saw some wildlife and lots of pretty scenery.  This is a picture of the girls in front of the Castle Cliffs.  Next up was a short hike in Johnston Canyon. 

 

Katelyn and Brooke were excited for the adventure and even though Emily didn’t like her entry into the hiking backpack, she eventually embraced it and seemed to like her mode of transportation.

The girls were great hikers and were thrilled that we had a Chipmunk as our personal guide along the trail.  “Chippy” as the girls affectionately named him, found us at the beginning of the trail, and even though we didn’t have anything to feed him, they were sure that he was the squirrel that kept appearing alongside us as we went down the trail.  If you asked me though, I think he had a few stunt doubles helping him keep up with us.

It was a beautiful hike and everyone really enjoyed it.  It seemed to wear Emily out though and she passed out just before we reached the falls.  Unfortunately for her, there was a a tunnel in the mountain next to the falls and when you came out of it, you had a front row seat for the power and force of the waterfall.  It was not conducive to Emily’s nap and definitely surprised her.  I will have to find an alarm clock like that someday when she is a teenager.

Once she was awake, she was ready to get out and play for a bit and enjoy the falls from a distance.  After a snack break, we were ready to hike back.  It was a beautiful canyon and waterfall – we were so glad we got to check it out.