Oh Canada: Part One

Just another travel post, in other words, one of my favorite types of blogs. Traveling is something that has always been exciting, refreshing, and necessary in my life. Our parents always did such an amazing job taking us on trips even if it was camping in Wisconsin or somewhere nearby. We were blessed to see many beaches and woods-growing up. Now that I am on my own, I try to travel as often as possible. If I don’t have a trip booked, I get pretty angsty. This trip came together quickly and I couldn’t be happier with how it fell into place.

Originally we were supposed to be heading to Nashville with a larger group, but when it came time to plan the group dwindled from 12 to 4 and we decided on Canada instead. You know we ball on a budget over here, so I used credit card points to book my flight. We found a reasonable Airbnb in Dead Man’s Flats that was perfect for us. For transportation, we rented a sick minivan through Costco. We had all the big details locked in ahead of time. Then we spent a little bit of time researching some food, breweries, and hikes so that when the time came we could just choose from a researched “master list”. (Type A planner-Type B traveler over here)

We all worked a half-day on the Friday we left and caught our first flight to MSP which connected us to Calgary. We got into Calgary LATE and by the time we got our minivan and drove to Dead Man’s Flats, it was nearly 2 am. It was really interesting making that drive in the pitch black and not really having a clue where we were.

Day 1 we took off around 7 for our first hike: Ha Ling Peak. This almost 5-mile hike was rated Hard on “All Trails” (Which is a great resource for any trip like this) and they definitely didn’t lie about it. I felt like I had never worked out a day in my life on this hike. I felt a little bit off from the start and I am not sure why, but it was a struggle to the top. I forgot my crampons on this hike and it was extremely icy, slippery and hard to find solid footing. My lungs were on fire and by the time we got to the scramble at the top my mental game was weak. But boy was this hike worth it. The views were unreal and satisfaction was high. We enjoyed some snacks and snagged some pictures before the long slippery trek down. I discovered a new fear of heights as we descended and kind of tried to scoot along. So much so, that I ripped a brand new pair of pants.

On our way back to our AirBnb we stopped at the grocery store to grab some basics for breakfast, lunch, and a few local beers to sample. Back at our place we cleaned up and headed out for some beers at Grizzly Paw, followed by dinner at Tavern 1883 which was delicious! We all kind of sampled each other’s meals which included a bison burger, pesto gnocchi, and some homemade meatloaf. Seriously everything was incredibly delicious and reasonably priced. We beelined it back to the Airbnb so we could maximize our sleep for the impending early morning.

Day 2 we headed out at 6 am for Lake Louise. We were warned by every website that parking is tricky at Lake Louise, and we weren’t going to risk not getting a spot so another pitch-black drive it was. I still felt pretty off to begin this day but figured I could shake it. I had a second cup of coffee and it pretty much went downhill from there. We hopped on the Little Beehive trail via Lake Agnes and stopped at the Tea House on the way. About halfway up the mountain, I realized I needed a quick stop to throw up (TMI -sorry!). I blasted Come and Get your Love by Redbone so my friends wouldn’t have to hear me and now that song will always have a funny place in my heart.

The rest of the hike ended up being great and the view at the top was amazing again. It snowed for a bit while we enjoyed our PBJ sandwiches and beer. They all decided on a second hike but I figured I should listen to my body and know my limits for the day. So while they hiked I meandered the streets of Banff and stopped in some vintage stores, tourist shops, and any other places that caught my eye. There is something exhilarating about exploring the streets of a bustling city alone.

We stopped at Banff Ave Brewing after they got done and had a few jugs of beer, some poutine, and soft pretzels. We had a little buzz going and headed to Park Distillery where there was a wait, so we got to put our name on a list and headed to a bar down the road. We split our meals again and tried the tagliatelle and a rotisserie chicken sandwich. I was the driver that night, so I opted for water and my friends got some Canadian Maple Rye Whiskey and it was delicious. I am not a big whiskey person, but we ended up buying a bottle to bring home and share when we camp in a few weeks. I HIGHLY recommend Park Distillery if you’re looking for some delicious eats and an awesome atmosphere.