Anna's Next Adventure: Wilcox Pass ...

First glimpse of Athabasca Glacier

Four days in the picture perfect mountains surrounding Jasper certainly flies and on Tuesday morning, it was time to make our way back to Calgary. To extend our time in the mountains, we vowed to make a few stops along the way, including an extended stop for a hike in the area around the Columbia Icefield.

Another peek

The trail

Just past the very touristy Athabasca Glacier, we parked at a camping ground and set off on the 8 kilometre hike to Wilcox Pass. We climbed the steep hill on a path of pine needles in the shaded forest, before emerging into the open at a rocky hillside garden filled with beautiful wildflowers. A few minutes past the garden, we caught our first glimpse of the Athabasca Glacier. Wow! But, we were in for a surprise, because the view simply got better and better, the higher we climbed. Before too long, the dull sound of the traffic below had disappeared and we were surrounded by a beautiful silence. As we climbed, we stopped several times to enjoy the view and suck in the crisp, clean mountain air.

The winding road snaking through the valley

The first glimpse with no roads or hordes of tourists in sight

Once we reached the top of the hill, the path flattened out and extended into the distance. We wished we could do the full loop which takes hikers the full length of the pass and down through another valley before emerging on the highway where one is hopefully able to catch a ride back to their car. Lack of time meant that we were unable to complete the loop. Instead, we meandered along the pass before stopping for lunch and returning the way we came.

Up closer ...

The rocky ridge

Once at the bottom, we continued on our way back to Cowtown, stopping in Banff to pay a visit to the beautiful tea shop where I ummed and ahhed over which teas to buy. I settled on my favourites - Shanghai Lychee Jasmine, Sweet Dreams of Banff and Jasmine Flowers - as well as two new flavours - Peppermint (possibly the best peppermint tea I've ever tasted) and Cranberry Apple (which is definitely not an every day tea as it is incredibly sweet). After wandering along the main street of Banff, we stopped at The Banff Grizzly House, a kitch fondue restaurant with great character. Here, we enjoyed a beer and a platter of elk salami with fresh bread, while watching the hordes of tourists stream past with their shopping bags. We arrived back in Calgary in the evening and sat down to make hiking plans for the next weekend.