day 6: Making our way back to Alberta
our business in Alberta isn’t done yet there is so much left to see! making our way back, we spend the entire day going through and exploring the beautiful Yoho national park, filled to the brim with gigantic mountains, huge waterfalls and raging blue rivers flowing from the glaciers above.
what a way to start the day
starting the day we took a small hike to the camp site we wanted up in the wapta falls recreational site to see this absolute beauty of a scene. a large waterfall in the wapta valley beneath gigantic mountain filled with the golden light of the morning sky. what a magnificent way to start our morning.
taking our time on our way to Yoho national park
making our way back to Alberta we passed through the stunning Yoho national park making stops at every exit ramp we saw, our first stop took us to a small meadow on the sides of the kicking horse river to have our breakfast and mandatory coffee, every turn and every stop we made left us dumbfounded by the scenes all around us. glaciers overflowing mountains casting shadows on the valley bellow all the while bright blue waters rush down cascading rivers.
what a sight to behold.
taking in the sights at every turn
our first stop into Yoho national park was at the natural bridge on the way to emerald lake. once a raging waterfall, the raging waters of kicking horse river carved its way through the bedrock forming a natural bridge. this landmark set the scene for what’s to come throughout the day as we say the logo of Yoho national park depicted an immense waterfall, it was now our goal to find this waterfall. in the mean time here is a really nice quote found at the bridge
“water flows through time and wears down mountains. in the moment of our lifetime we see but a part of the process. yesterday’s waterfall in today’s bridge, becoming tomorrow’s chasm.” -Yoho national park
the magical emerald lake
making our way up the mountain pass we made it to emerald lake. a stunning green lake filled with green glacier waters. I find it really fascinating that the different minerals inside different glaciers gives them and there respective rivers distinct colors ranging from emerald green to bright blue to frosty white. walking up to the lake, you are transported to what seams like an enchanted place of wander as the dark waters reflect the surrounding mountain and the forested island found at its center.
driving to Takkakaw falls
driving through the valleys glued to our windows in awe, we found out where the famous waterfalls where located. deep in the Yoho valley, the mountain pass took us past spectacular views of the glaciers nearby and making us go up a step of steep consecutive hairpin turns. this is one of the best drives i’ve ever done in my life.
Takkakaw falls
making the final turn to the end of the valley, Takkakaw falls begins to show itself. the water flowing from the Yoho glacier carved itself into to side of the mountain to form a behemoth of a waterfall, the scale of witch is surreal. from a distance the water falling down the cliffs seams to go in slow motion falling almost 400m before slamming into the valley below.
Try to find Marty for scale.
Off to lake Louise for an early night
as we planned to get up crazy early tomorrow to g see the sunrise at moraine lake, we decided to reserve the last camp site available at lake Louise. being ravished by hunger we also decided to splurge a full 8$ on two foil wrapped potatoes and a few sausages to cook on the camp fire. we ate like kings. the camp site was really nice as well, overlooking mount temple and the 5 peaks surrounding mount Victoria; also, having a bear fence was reassuring!
