Banff National Park, Eh?

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We spent all of last week in Banff National Park in Canada.  Kevin and I had been there about 12 years ago before we had kids but it was the boy's first trip there.  They were both excited to see another country but I had to explain to them that unlike when we went to Europe last summer, nothing about Canada was going to seem all that different.  Different money, some French on the signs and they say "eh" a lot, otherwise kinda like home. 

While there we did lots of hiking and the boys even tackled a 7.4 mile hike, their longest distance yet, with no real complaints.  The complaining did kick in though on a lung busting, 1,000 foot elevation gain in 1 mile, hike during which we also got rained on.  I was complaining on that one too. 

The last time we were in Banff, there was a hike we wanted to do but couldn't because the trail had been closed by park rangers due to a grizzly bear tracking hikers.  On our last day this trip, we went to attempt that hike again.  We knew it was grizzly bear area so the kids had bells on their backpacks (you want to make noise so you don't surprise the bears) and my father had an industrial sized can of bear spray.  When we started the hike there were 3 men hiking just ahead of us and about 3/4 of the way to our destination, we met them at a bend in the trail coming back our direction.  They said that just around the bend were a grizzly bear with two cubs.  As much as I was curious to see what they looked like, we have lived around the mountains long enough to know that you don't mess around with any bear with babies.  Sarah Palin uses her lame "mother grizzly" euphemism for a reason.  We promptly turned around and headed back down the trail. 

During our trip we saw tons of wildlife.  The day we drove in, Kevin and I were talking about how in all the time we have spent collectively hiking, going to Yellowstone, camping (him not me), neither of us had ever seen a bear in the wild.  Literally, like 5 minutes after that conversation what do we see by the side of the road but a black bear.  We ended up seeing black bears on 3 different occasions, elk, big horn sheep, goats, marmots (my favorite), and tons and tons of chipmunks begging for food.

We also went canoeing twice while there, once in a river and once on Lake Louise.  The boys and particularly Drew really loved paddling around in the canoes. 

I took a ridiculous number of photos because it is so gorgeous there and here are some of the highlights and some wildlife shots. 

 The guys at Lake Louise. 
 In Johnston Canyon at the start of our longer hike.
 Where we ended up at the end our our 7.4 mile hike.  A gorgeous valley with a stream and some natural springs.  Really amazing place!
Kevin and Ethan at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park just over the border in British Columbia. My favorite of the lakes in Banff, Peyto Lake and yes the water really is that strange turquoise color.
 Stewart Canyon
A beautiful mountain valley on our last hike, right before we had to turn around because of the mama bear.
 In the really popular tourist areas, the chipmunks are horrible beggars.  At one point we were sitting on some rocks at Moraine Lake eating lunch and one particularly bold guy tried to get in my mother's pocket because there was trail mix in there. 
 One of the black bears we saw. 
 We visited a wolf sanctuary and this is Wiley, one of the wolves.  While we were there all the wolves started howling in unison which was one of the coolest things I have heard.
A marmot.  I love these guys.  They are kind of fat looking, with that cute face and they have these really cool paws that are sort of like hands. 
 A goat family who are obviously in that oh, so awkward losing the winter coat stage of life.
An elk eating flowers by the side of the road.