Whether it was locals or fellow explorers, when anyone asked what brought my husband and I to Banff - their immediate reaction was “what company do you work for?!”
Canoeing on Lake Louise was always something I dreamed of doing, but never in my life did I actually believe that dream would come true. Stepping onto the canoe and paddling through the crystal blue waters not only left me speechless, but made me tear up with pure joy. I have experienced some beautiful scenic places before, but nothing has made me stop and appreciate the beauty of nature like Lake Louise. Day one also consisted of a ten mile hike round trip to the Tea House at Lake Agnes. On the way to the Tea House, we stumbled upon the small Mirror Lake. This glacier made the lake reflect the beautiful Big Beehive Rock trail. I was only daring enough to dip my feet in the icy cold water, while my husband did a full polar plunge! Once we arrived at the beautiful Lake Agnes Tea House, we stopped to once again take in the breathtaking views of the crystal clear waters that reflected the snow capped mountains that surrounded us. After the full first day of adventures, my husband turned to me and said, “today has been hands down one of the best days of my life.”
Day two’s weather didn’t stop us from getting out and exploring the next destination on the itinerary (yes I had an itinerary). Lake Moraine is tucked away even higher in the rocky mountains than Lake Louise. Although the wet weather didn’t allow us to canoe on the lake, the lakeside trail still provided picturesque beauty with each step we took.
On our way back to Banff, we took the exit for Johnston Canyon. While this destination seemed a bit more crowded than the other locations, once we passed the Lower Falls and made our way to the Upper Falls the crowd thinned out.
The rain was a blessing and a curse. Banff National Park and the surrounding Canadian National Parks had been suffering from a heat wave which sparked wildfires in the northern National Park of Jasper. The wildfires were so extreme to the point where the town was evacuated and they pulled out the first responders. Not only did the rain fail at putting out the flames, it also flooded the surrounding areas with smoke causing poor air quality and decreased visibility. What was beautiful to see was the local businesses immediately coming together to raise funds to help Jasper National Park and the businesses that were suffering from the wildfires.
Meet my new friend Mustache Montley! This good boy guided me on a two hour horseback trail through Banff National Park. During the trail ride, we experienced nature's beauty of the Bow River flowing beside us, bald eagles soaring above us, and wild Elks grazing around us.
Our fourth day we needed to pivot from the scheduled plans due to the wildfires in Jasper. A local bartender recommended us to venture up to Yoho National Park’s Takakkaw Falls, and what an amazingly beautiful recommendation it was! Not only did the drive itself have jaw dropping views, but once we arrived we were once again left speechless and engulfed in nature’s natural beauty. Sitting at 1,224 ft, Takakkaw Falls is the tallest waterfall in the Canadian Rockies and the second-tallest in Canada. Not only was the waterfall stunning, but the views from the waterfall were equally beautiful.
Right down the road from Takakkaw Falls another beautiful lake captured our hearts and not only provided lakeside lunch, but also another lakeside trail with stunning views. Emerald Lake’s waters are exactly what you would expect, emerald. Once we reached the furthest point of the lake from the restaurant, we could actually hear the rushing waters of Takakkaw Falls.
I know I have used this word far too many times already, but day five provided us with yet again a beautiful day with spectacular views. Based on the MoveSpring App and the soreness of my legs, Sunday we wanted to relax by a lake and soak up the sun. We looked up what was close to Banff and stumbled upon Two Jack’s Lake that branches off the larger Lake Minnewanka. After we scarfed down some lakeside breakfast, we wanted to explore the lakeside trail, and I am so happy we did. The lake provided little pockets of culverts that you could sit and enjoy the views, but also splash some glacier water onto your face. Although our intentions were to walk around the entire lake, we decided to turn around once a kayaker in the water said a bear was seen in the area 20 minutes prior. Once we got closer to where we began, my husband reminded me that I said I wanted to take an ice plunge before we left Banff. I am a woman of my word and I did in fact take on the challenge. IT WAS FREEZING.
Even though we had a flight later that day, we had scheduled one last adventure that was sure to test our strength, endurance and my husband's fear of heights. After signing our life away, we harnessed up, put our helmets on and took the second oldest chairlift in North America up 7000 ft to the starting point of Mt. Norquay Via Ferrata. Although the smoke from the wildfires was coming in thick that morning, the views were still absolutely incredible.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mark and Luke for this incredible once in a lifetime experience. Not only do I believe the five year experience to be an AMAZING added benefit, but everyone who asked what brought us to Banff also was shocked by the generosity of Kognitiv Inc. To everyone who is a part of Kognitiv - thank you also for allowing my husband and I to check off a bucket list experience. This wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of everyone here at Kog. I HIGHLY recommend everyone to visit Banff and experience the beauty of nature and all that it has to offer.
Here are some helpful links if you are ever looking to plan a trip for yourself:
Banff Trail Riders - Horseback Riding
Dining:
