So, it was time to head into bear country proper and hope that our complete lack of preparation would not stand against us. After a faff and some lunch in Banff we got ourselves to the start point of the walk, a walk which, according to the information provided had no elevation gain. 25 minutes later and about 150m higher than when we started we'd decided to completely ignore any information that we'd been provided. The maps and signs for the walks here are pretty sketchy with distances having a +/- 5km accuracy. Keeping Lake Minnewanka (pron. Wonka as in Willy!) on our right we climbed on and the walk soon levelled out before descending towards the shoreline once more. Around 3km before our campsite we walked past an area that had been cordoned off because of bear activity, perhaps this was a real threat after all. We reached our campsite for the evening alongside the lake, the campsite was in one area, the food preparation in another and the food storage in a third location. This took the form of a series of cables that you used to haul the food up out of the reach of the bears, and more cruelly me! The wind coming off the lake was bitterly cold and I think we worked out the wind chill temperature was around -8°. We settled ourselves into the tent early and hoped we'd wake up in a bear-free zone...
24/7: It'd be warmer sitting in a freezerThursday September 27th
Not sure if it was the cold or the howling of wolves that woke us first, but either way we were fully awake as the howls rang around us. Fortunately there were no encounters with them, but it's an interesting feeling knowing that you're in the middle of nowhere with no-one nearby. A quick word on the facilities here compared with Algonquin. As the picture will show they are fairly luxurious with privacy and some space!
The wind doesn't get up until after we've had breakfast on the beach and we get some spectacular views across the lake. We head back to the start of the walk and notice some evidence of wild beasts but no actual sightings. We decide to head on from Banff and check out another national park, Kootenay. This involves an overnight stay in the snappily titled Radium Hot Springs. No prizes for guessing what the big draw to this place is. We're dipping our toes into British Columbia here but not enough to gain an hour yet. We find, shock of shocks, a really nice RV park to camp the night in, it's also a good deal warmer too.
24/7: What a difference a hot shower makes
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