Take a Hike

I can't possibly talk about hiking without talking about Banff. I spent a year and a half there, and hiked almost every week in the summer/ fall (and some during winter and spring.) I gained the best hiking fitness, experiences, and skills of my life there. I learned how altitude gain impacts me, how to get a sense of which clouds mean trouble, and what type of hiking makes me happiest. I learned the balance between solo and shared hiking experience that works for me. I tried new things, I struggled to keep up, I uncovered an underlying dream of being a nature photographer, and wrestled with the question of how to balance tourism and conservation. I also can't talk about hiking in Banff without talking about one of its most iconic (and popular) hikes: Johnston Canyon. I first went there in March of 2016, and returned 3 more times. On two of these occasions, I hiked to the Inkpots.  So a few quick trail stats: Lower Falls Length:  1.2 km one way to the Lower Falls from trailhea...

My parents took me hiking when I was a kid, and I remember loving it. However, as I got older, with summer jobs, university, and full time jobs, I fell out of doing it as a young adult. I got older, moved to Alberta, went to the mountains, and fell in love with hiking all over again in 2013. Now I am fully back to my nature loving roots. Back to the same person who used to play out in the woods for hours. So I want to talk a little bit about some of the hiking trails that I love, starting with the one that made me fall back in love with hiking. Sulphur Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park.  A few quick facts about the trail: Sulphur Skyline is a pretty popular trail in Jasper. The trailhead is in the Miette Hotsprings parking lot. It is an 8km round trip, with 800m of elevation gain. Parks Canada's website lists is as "difficult" and estimates total hiking time of 4-6 hours. Me on the steepest section A few quick facts about me: I am a current healthcare technician, prev...