So I Didn’t Get Eaten By a Bear

  
Bear-ly.

Haha get it? Puns.

But anyways, our third day of our vacation was a beautiful day, the rain stopped in Golden so we decided to visit Yoho National Park and find a good hike to do.

I’m paranoid as fuck. So I demanded that we own bear spray. The visitors center pointed us in the right direction, and suggested that we visit Wapta Falls. They also mentioned that a mama bear and her cubs were spotted not far from the area, hence my paranoid desperation for bear spray. Mama bears will rip your face off.

So off we went on our adventure! The parking lot is teeny tiny, so be prepared! Only about 7 cars will fit until they open up the road, and that’s if people don’t park badly, so go early. We wedged my little car into the parking lot the best I could and started out down the trail.

  
The trail starts as a service road, turning into a hiking path. After about the first 20 minutes of hiking, you come to a flat path horizontal to a steep incline. Can’t go up, can’t go down, can only go forward. 

After all of that, you’ll finally make it to the falls. If you don’t mind some steep downhill trails, you can go right to the rivers edge and look up towards Wapta Falls. Very pretty, I’m quite pleased that we didn’t miss out on it.

  
The boyfriend and I messed around on the rocky shore for a while, eating lunch, skipping rocks, and seeing who could keep their feet in the icy water the longest (spoiler: not me!). There was only one other family down there who left early so we had the whole place to ourselves. It’s a beautiful place, with an absolutely amazing view!

  
Something new I realized: alone is not always better. We decided to pack up and head out, discussing what we would do later in the evening. A strange noise caught my attention, it sounded like a creaky gate being opened and closed. Despite not knowing for even what a second what a cougar sounds like, that was my first thought. Need I remind you of my paranoia?

Weird sound = watch your back, you hyper-vigilant wanderer. As we hiked further down the trail, climbing over fallen trees, my heart had slowed down but my head hadn’t. Probably a good thing, because that’s when we heard strange noises. First, the strange creaky gate sounds. And then, all of the fallen trees on the slope above the path started breaking and crunching. Then we heard the worst sound ever: heavy, deep huffing – almost a growl. Immediately we knew it was a bear, so we stopped dead in our tracks. 

I’m an over-reactor. I tend to envision the worst and assume the worst of outcomes. I immediately saw visions of us high tailing it away from a pissed off mama bear and being eaten. I tearfully pulled the bear spray out of my boyfriend’s bag, and we started heading back towards the falls. Our plan was to wait it out and see if the bear would move, since we couldn’t avoid the path. One way in, one way out. 

We occupied ourselves with googling bear facts and what to do in case of a bear attack. I also learned how to hold bear spray, because apparently when I’m filled with adrenaline and preparing to be eaten alive, I’m more likely than not to be a dumb ass and point the can towards my own face.

I think I can genuinely say that the most glorious moment in my life was when we saw other hikers walking towards the falls. They hadn’t heard the bear or seen anything strange, so we were finally safe to head back. I’ve never talked so loudly about such mediocre things in my whole life until that walk back. We wanted the bear to know exactly where we were, while having a white-knuckle grip on the bear spray.

  
So that’s my anticlimactic story of a bear encounter… Any of you ever encountered a bear??

I Need a Compass.

  
Alright, so today was interesting to say the least. After sleeping in waaaaay too late, we spent the early afternoon exploring Golden.

  
It’s a pretty cute little town to visit. Small town living definitely isn’t my jam though, I think I would go crazy. I’m not necessarily a big city kind of girl, but Golden is tiny. And I like shopping. So this relationship would just never work. 

  
Not much to explore in town, so we thought we’d try a short hike. “Short hike” turned into “shit where are we and where’s the car???” We also got yelled at by a very chatty squirrel!

  
Our hike was at Cedar Lake, which is very beautiful. Lots of different trails you can take, but not many trail maps. After hiking in what we thought would be a circle, we ended up faaaaaaar from the car, and even further from the lake. We eventually wandered out on yo a service road and from there could use our phones to figure out where the hell we were.

  
And guess what! It’s bear season! We saw what might have been bear tracks on the service road we ended up on. Tomorrow I get to be an official hiker and buy some bear spray and a compass haha 🙂 

  
The website for Golden lists the difficulty of the hike, and the difficulty of the drive to get to the hike. This one was listed as easy for both, which is good for someone like me with a car that practically touches the ground. Not many are listed as easy for both, so tomorrow we’re gonna try our luck with an easy drive but hard trail. If all goes according to plan, we’ll end up on the top of a mountain peak! 🙂

I’ll keep you guys posted and keep my bear spray close! Anyone ever encountered a bear before?? Tell me about it!!

PS, best pants ever to hike in have got to be LuLu Lemons! I usually don’t like to spend that much on hiking clothes, but these pants are an absolute dream!

  
#obsessed

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling…

  
We made it! After 6 hours of driving and an hour worth of pit stops, we’re finally in Golden!

 
Pit stop in Banff included some much needed sushi!

The view from our hotel is spectacular. But I guess when you’re in a mountain town it’s almost impossible not to have a nice view.

Apart from getting some absolutely breathtaking views driving across the British Columbia/Alberta border, we didn’t get up to too much yesterday. Just driving. So much driving.

  
We obviously had to go out for a drink before we hit the hay 😉

Today we’ll probably just go grab some groceries and explore the town, possibly go on a short hike!

Where do you guys like to hike on Golden?? Shoot me a message and let me know!

Roaming Edmonton: the River Valley Walking Bridge

  
By far the best place to watch a sunset or a sunrise. The Edmonton River Valley is amazing in the summer time.

The River Valley is quite a large area. When I was around 8 years old, my grandparents used to take me there to toss pine cones around for my puppy, something I remember very fondly. Now in my 20s, I think of the River Valley as both the place that 8-year-old Kelsey used to play, and where 20-something Kelsey escapes from university. 

I’m not going to make this post too in depth about the River Valley – that can always come later in the summer when there’s a bit more to do, but I just wanted to share this sunset with you all. 

I think that when you spend your whole life growing up somewhere it’s really easy to take it for granted. I always want to be on the move because “Edmonton is boring.” When I started university 5 years back and was in the downtown area more, I guess you could say I gained a bit more appreciation for it. Once I started dating my boyfriend though, Edmonton became a lot more interesting since we’re always on the look out for date ideas and places to explore.

I think it’s easy to get restless when you’ve been somewhere for so long. There are a lot of places I’ve been in my life that have had an overwhelming feeling of being home… Granada, Banff, Summerland… But in the end Edmonton is always the place I’m drawn back to. Even though I’m so young and don’t have any commitments keeping me here, I feel like I’ve put down roots here. Edmonton is a pretty special place if you start paying attention to it.

 
Tonight, my friends and I decided to watch the sunset from the walking bridge that’s underneath the Highlevel. Every time we try to find it, we get ridiculously lost, but that’s mostly because we’re lazy and try to find the fastest way there from campus. It always involves a lot of straying from the paths and slugging through mud or bushes. Not very successful, but interesting nonetheless! We were lucky enough to find the bridge just in time to see the beautiful sunset behind the Edmonton skyline. I think the sunset looks different in the spring, a little more pink? But maybe I’m just crazy haha

This summer I’ll definitely be checking out the River Valley area more and experiencing more of it than usual! I’ll also stick to our Canada Day tradition of watching the fireworks from the Highlevel, while the city puts on a light show on the bridge.  

Any places around the River Valley that I’m missing out on that I should check out this summer? Let me know!! 🙂

Check out my Roaming Edmonton series intro here, and bookstore adventure here!

My Next Adventure…

  
Woohoo! We’ve finally figured it out! In about 1 week from now, my boyfriend and I will be hitting the road and heading to Golden, British Columbia! 

After musing over whether to go to Banff/Jasper/Kananaskis, we decided that we’ve been there too much in the past few summers and that we should use this opportunity to go a little further from home. But not too far from the mountains! We can always do Banff or Jasper on a weekend this summer. I’ve never been to Golden before, and it looks like it’ll have some good hikes. Yoho National Park looks absolutely breathtaking, so that will be one of the priorities of the trip. Looks like I’ll have to go buy some new hiking boots…and maybe a bottle of Advil as well haha 🙂 I’ll be surprised if we ever rest on this trip! When we get to the mountains, hiking is the goal and we go go go. 

  
Photo courtesy of Parks Canada Website: Radium Hot Springs

Soon, we’ll head out early in the morning, passing through Banff (I might try to sell my boyfriend on Jasper instead, longer drive but more scenery!) to get to Golden. Then, we’ll spend the next few days travelling southwards and hitting up Radium and Kootenay National Park. We might even stop in at Glacier National Park if we have time. It’ll be an adventure, that’s for sure! I always hate when our adventures have a lot of driving (I’m a control freak, don’t drive my car, that’s my job!), but I hear that this path has some of the nicest views of the mountains. I’ve never been the the area, only heard about it from friends. If you guys have any suggestions as to where to go and what to see in that area, let me know! I’ve never been a skier, soooo I always pass up the opportunity to go on ski trips to the area with friends, partially because I’m scared to roll myself and/or others down a mountain. I’ll just admire the mountains from afar, thanks! Hiking good, skiing bad. 

Despite what my boyfriend prefers, we’ll be staying in a hotel, so I’ll be spending tonight looking up the deals! Trip planning can be hard when one person wants a hotel and the other wants a tent. The mountains are a little too chilly at night for my diva self to enjoy a tent at this time of year! If the boyfriend wants to freeze his booty off then that’s his perogative, just give me a nice cozy hotel room! After the whole trip is said and done, we’ll spend a few days at home before looking into somewhere to go camping, preferably by a lake. I’m still pushing for Kananaskis, but we’ll see where the trail leads, we might do somewhere closer to home 🙂 still a few more exams left before I have to adult and be a university graduate. When one adventure ends, it’s time to start a new one. 

Like I said before, send me some suggestions of your favourite places to see and hike in the Golden area! 

For my other post on my trip planning adventure, check it out here!

Morning Musings

  
There are some thing in life that money can’t buy. Going on all of my adventures has more than proven this to me. 

But you know what’s proven this point to me even more? Nights like last night. Staying up until 6am with your friends. The venting, the life discussions, the calzones. Having your friends stay awake with you at your sorority house because you’re scared to go home because there is most definitely, most certainly a ghost that haunts the corner of your living room. Laughing so hard you cry. 

Ridiculous nights like last night are adventures of their own. As much as I wish these nights were more often, I know they’re few and far between. But that’s ok, because that’s what makes them so special. That’s what makes them feel like defining moments that I’ll carry with me well into the years. 

  
This year has been hard. It’s been work, stress, and unhappiness at times. But last night reminded me how good it felt to laugh and cry with friends. It was a pick-me-up that I definitely needed. When was the last time that I was up and moving at 6am, let alone seeing the sunset and the crisp spring air? Too long for me to remember, that’s for sure. I think this was the reminder I needed to get up earlier (granted I didn’t sleep last night so there was no getting up to do). 

Last night was was an adventure, and I didn’t have to roam far from home to find it. 

Roaming Edmonton: The Edmonton Book Store

  
Ok guys, I think we may have found the best shop on Whyte Ave. I was planning on making this post originally about Edmonton’s Legislature Grounds, but the weather hasn’t been too great this week and the grounds are best on beautiful days! I’ll post later in the summer about the Legislature, but for now welcome to my first post of my Roaming Emonton series. Whyte Avenue is literally a treasure trove of cool shops, restaurants, and bars. I’ve walked up and down it probably a million times and never saw this shop before until my boyfriend pointed it out. We’re always on the hunt for some good books!

Back to my shopping adventure: this little book shop, the Edmonton Book Store. It’s on 10533 82 Ave, smack dab in the middle of Whyte Ave. Literally the coolest book store ever. I was so blown away by how cool the shop was I didn’t take any pictures. Guess that just gives me another reason to visit!! Next time I go, I’ll take some pictures to show you guys. If I go in again I might not come back out though! 😉

Every book that you could ever imagine. Everything looks so vintage, so in order, I think I’m in love. It resembles an old comfy library, you could wander for ages and probably spend almost every dollar you’ve ever made without even realizing it. Used books are my jam. 

  
The boyfriend and I have been puzzling over where to take our next adventure. We tossed around the idea of Calgary, Kananaskis, Banff, and Jasper. Buuuuut, realizing how much time I’ll have off between my exams and summer job we may as well make it a far far away adventure! Now we’re considering heading out of good ol’ Alberta and into British Columbia. Such a treat considering that we’ll be road tripping it in my trusty Honda Civic so it’ll be a long drive there!

In the Edmonton Book Store, there’s a whole section dedicated to one of my true loves: mountains. Ok, well I guess it’s supposed to be more of a nature section but there’s an entire wall of books about mountains, I could barely drag myself away.

  
So, I found a great book The Mountains of Canada by Randy Morse. This book is kind of what sparked my realization that I had a ton of time off and could probably make it all the way to British Columbia for a vacation to see some of these gorgeous peaks!

Still running ideas past my boyfriend, I’ll update y’all as we make more decisions!

I need some advice though! I’m not as familiar with the British Columbia side of the Rockies as I am with the Alberta sides. Where do you guys like to visit?? Let me know where and what I should see over there! Help me convince the boyfriend on BC 🙂

For my into to the Roaming Edmonton series, click here!

Exploring Johnson Lake, Banff

 If you’re looking for an easy hike with amazing views, the trail around Johnson Lake in Banff is the hike for you! I’ve been looking at some of my old hiking trips, getting prepared for the next trip I take to Banff. When we head out to Banff and Jasper, the vast majority of the trip will be hiking different trails. Prior to this past February, I had never hiked Johnson Lake before, which is surprising considering how often my family used to go to Banff. I’ve really been missing out by not coming here! 

My first visit here was back in February, so there was still a lot of snow, but still hikable. There are two trails – the upper and lower – and we chose the upper. The lower is quite close to the lake, and looked pretty icy. We didn’t particularly feel like getting hypothermia that day, so we settled for the upper trail. I’m sure when the snow melts the lower trail is a great hike, I know I’ll be trying it later this summer! The upper trail gave fantastic views, as you can see from the above photo! It’s a pretty easy hike – I would probably consider it more like a walk than a hike. 

There are also some hidden gems on the upper trail. We came across a nice place to rest – reminded me of what a true “Canadian” beach is! (Snow, snow, and more snow). Of course I had to get the boyfriend to stop for a self-timer photo op, and awkwardly balanced the camera on a pile of mittens (how very Canadian of me!). The view was absolutely breathtaking – mountains that just went on and on. I can only imagine how amazing it must be to live somewhere where you can always see the mountains. We had to convince ourselves to get back up and keep hiking, which was not an easy task with views like that.

  
We also found a cute swing where you could swing yourself over a ledge! A little scary at first, but so much fun! Don’t worry if you fall off, you won’t die. You will however roll down a hill and probably get pretty hurt, so be careful! From the swing, you get a pretty good view of the mountains that are framed by massive pine trees. 
  
The upper trail and lower trail converge at points where there are wooden bridges to cross the streams that feed the lake. Next time I head out there, I’ll definitely be taking advantage of those bridges and taking the lower trail!

I think we may have chosen the best time of the year to go (thanks to the Chinook we had this winter). The parking lot was absolutely empty, except for our car, and we didn’t see any other people until the end of our hike. When planning a hike in Banff, a week day is probably the best time to go to avoid the crowds. It also helps to go early early early! On the weekends you won’t stand a chance when it comes to parking (which we’ve learned the hard way many times), so we try to avoid peak season. 

Where do you guys like to hike when you’re in Banff or Jasper? Let me know, I’m always searching for new hikes! 🙂

Moving Mountains

  

We’re all drawn to different places, and I’ve always been mountain girl. I think of them all day, and sometimes ask myself if it’s a little less dangerous and perhaps more sustainable to find absolute ecstatic bliss by falling madly in love with landscapes rather than people as it’s also immensely grounding in every sense of the word? I want to explore them, sleep inside the heat and cold of them, experience all their seasons, share their crooked, winding, wild paths, and grow with them alongside me. They’ve always felt like gorgeous, undeniable mystery and home all at once. The mountains. -Victoria Erickson

With my trip to Banff and Jasper in the works, I can’t stop thinking about the mountains. About 2 months ago, I finally got my first tattoo – a small mountain range on my foot. It’s drawn after the Banff mountain ranges.

I’ve always been drawn to the mountains. I remember camping as a child, always in the mountains, always on another adventure with my family & dog. I guess you could say I’m what Victoria Erickson would call a mountain girl. Whenever I’m in the mountains, I feel like I’ve come home again. Doesn’t matter what mountain, doesn’t matter what country; I’m home. 

There’s something about the vastness and permanence of the mountains that captivates me. They put life into perspective. There are always things that are bigger than I am. 

My upcoming trip will take my boyfriend and myself to Banff and Jasper. The trip is still in the planning stage, but we’re hoping to go from Calgary to Kananaskis, then to Banff, then a stop in at Jasper, and then home! I just need to power through my last few exams of the semester and I’m free. 

The countdown is on!

Where I Roam: Edmonton

As I’m from Edmonton, what better place to start than here! Edmonton has a ton of great areas to explore, so I’ll be starting a series for it. Expect the first post within the next few days, featuring Edmonton’s lovely Legislative Grounds.

What’s your favourite place in Edmonton? Leave me a reply and let me know!