Day 9 – September 10, 2015

In the morning, we geared up at Mountain Equipment Co-op in downtown Calgary.  Fully prepared (haha) for adventures in the Rocky Mountains, we hit the road towards Banff National Park!

Excitement started to build as we got our first glimpse of the Rockies from Highway 1.

After a quick visit to the beautiful little town of Banff (Kate’s favourite) and a park pass, we set off down Highway 93: the famous Icefields Parkway.

 

Photos can’t fully capture the beauty and majesty of Banff, but I’ll share some of the highlights.

Crowfoot Glacier:

Bow Lake:

 

Peyto Lake.  We found a secret trail, escaped the hordes of tourists and managed to get this shot:

Just having a good time, looking at mountains…

 

We kept trucking North and finally entered Jasper National Park!

Not far down the road, we saw the famous Athabasca glacier for the first time in the fading sunlight.

Our campsite was nearby at Icefields – a natural campground tucked into the valley across from the Colombia Icefield.

 

Thanks MEC for the awesome rental sleeping bag – it was nice to be warm for a change!