Hiking – A Pursuit of Life – Barefoot& High Heeled

Winter hiking around Johnston’s Canyon in Banff National Park

So it’s no secret that I am always up for an adventure. Rain or shine, snow or ice, if adventure is the name then partaking is my game.

More often then not, I end up on a spontaneous adventure when I am not really prepared at all.

Finally this time around, I knew I would be doing something awesome, so I made sure to pack all the stuff I thought I would need. Not going to lie, I felt pretty proud of myself for being so prepared.

Being in Banff for a couple days, it was certain that some of the area needed to be explored, and particularly area that was yet undiscovered by Moi.

Johnston’s Canyon is a place that I had heard about many times. It is a hop skip and a jump from Banff, and so it tends to be a popular destination for an easy and very enjoyable hike.

I actually didn’t even know what to expect really, and of course, when you go into something with no expectations, it always ends up being awesome!

Upon embarking on this leisurely little hike, I felt like a boss. I was totally prepared and ready to just have a seamless afternoon adventure. The weather was ideal, the energies high, and I was ready to rock this.

The paths are well laid out, and the scenery is spectacular!

I learned very quickly though, that with the number of people that do this hike, the paths become pretty icy, and if you are not wearing the right shoes(which I wasn’t) you are in for a bit of a challenge.

Of course, when I thought I had it all together, some minor yet not so minor detail had to come and knock me off of my high horse.

My shoes were crap.

There is no other way to put it really. Let’s just be honest here. Luckily this isn’t a fashion blog, because if it was, this time around would be a major fail.

I hadn’t even made it to the first lookout point at the Lower falls and I was already struggling. I was actually not just struggling, I was worried about what the way down was going to be like.

I was thinking right then, that cleats for my shoes would have been a winning idea.

I did manage to make it to the lower falls lookout point, barely, but still with enthusiasm.

Stunning! Seriously stunning.

From there I made my way to the upper falls.

The frozen falls are so majestic on the cliff side. It’s as though mother nature is singing a song that only your soul can hear.

Obviously, I couldn’t just stop there, I had to get myself to the higher Upper Falls lookout point to get another angle. Like the upper – upper falls.

The struggle was real!! I was questioning it on my way up as it was even more difficult than getting to the lower falls. Not in an extreme hike sort of way, simply in an extreme icy uphill sort of way.

My inadequate shoes just weren’t cutting it. I will say, that I wasn’t the only one with this problem. I did see others in the exact same situation.

Once the upper -upper viewpoint, it made it all worth it. Another incredible scene to bask in. I love the recharging you energy you get in nature, and it’s truly amazing when you compare and enjoy the contrast of winter to summer.

I was pretty certain I was going to ride down on my butt. Just when I was on the verge of doing just that, this lovely couple who had asked me to take a photo of them at the lower falls and send it to them as their phones and camera died, came gracefully trotting along in their cleated shoes.

As their cleats were tie on ones and they were so grateful to me for taking their photos for them, they offered to lend me a pair to hike down with.

LIFESAVERS!! Seriously, it was one of those moments when angels appear.

I was suddenly able to run up and down all the hills. Almost like walking on water.

Talk about what goes around comes around. Paying it forward is a truly a beautiful thing.

It gave me the opportunity to really take in all of my surroundings on the way down. What a gift.

Johnston’s Canyon truly is an absolutely wonderful place. A place in which I look forward to returning in the summer to enjoy the contrast.

However that being said, if you decided to visit in the winter, I have one word for you…… CLEATS!

Happy hiking!

Hiking In Glacier National Park

Do you ever just do things spontaneously? Unplanned, unexpected, just on a whim? I sure do. Seems more often then not in my life. When adventure is dropped in front of me, I have no choice but to do it. My adventuring nomadic soul just won’t have it any other way.

I decided a night or two in Golden, British Columbia was an absolute must. The area, and the place always fills my soul with high vibe energy. This time around I figured I would check into a hostel. For ol’ time sake. It had been quite some time since I have stayed in a hostel. Although I am no novice, as my many years of backpacking around the globe brought me to many different hostels in my treks. I figured it would be a nice change, and being low season at the moment, I knew it would be super tranquil. Which it was.

It didn’t take me long to meet another solo female traveler. It is amazing how fast you connect with people in a hostel environment. That is one thing I absolutely love about hostels – you meet so many people. Don’t get me wrong, I love my ‘me time’ in hotels, but on the flip side, I am also a social butterfly.

My new friend Laurence, had mentioned to me that she planned on going for a little hike in Glacier National Park. I was instantly perked up to the idea of a good hike out in nature. It took basically no convincing me at all to join in. Being totally unprepared for hiking did not even cross my mind. I was all in.

Before we even ventured off for our hike we stopped at the National Park information center to find out about hikes in the area, as well as weather status. We ended up deciding on Illecillewaet Valley, and a cruisey 4.2 km hike.

When we arrived it was colorful, and beautiful fall weather. So it seemed. As we progressively climbed higher it began snowing, and by time we finished the hike it was as though winter had arrived. It didn’t take away from the amazing experience though. Not in the slightest.

The trails are incredible, very well maintained, and the scenery is amazing.

The scenery also continually changes as you climb. From deep forest to rocks and bushes sprawling across the mountain valley. I was in awe. Considering I was not dressed for hiking, I managed to do pretty well.

Although the way down was damp, as the snow was very wet, and by time we hiked a ways down, I had a nice blanket of it on me.

That hike was so good, that I could not pass up the opportunity to do a second hike the next day. This time a longer one. 6 km up, and approximately 6 hours in total for time. The same mountain, just a different route. This day I was a little more prepared for the journey.

This day looked like winter when we arrived, and as we climbed the snow just got deeper and deeper. Also steeper and steeper.

I was loving the trails on this one, and the absolutely stunning scenery along the way. It was along side a never ending stream, and the sounds were so soothing.

This was a nice little bit of green poking out.

By time we hiked nearly to the top, visibility was becoming quite poor, the snow quite deep and we had worked up appetites. So we decided it was time to dine.

Of course every classy lady is equipped with her portable kitchen.

We found the perfect rock to sit under and catch a bit of a break from the snowy conditions.

A simple lunch of Mr.Noodles, and coffee was on the menu. It is so rare I eat anything like Mr. Noodles, and let me tell you, I have never been so excited for it in my life either. That steamy warm soup was so darn good, especially when you are cold and hiking up a blizzardy mountain.

Going down this mountain was a bit more of a feat. It was steep, snowy, and slippery! Seriously. I bit the snow a couple of times, and so did my travel buddy. All in the spirit of adventure! I felt pretty good about only wiping out 2 times though. I expected a lot more.

These hikes were ridiculously awesome. I felt so accomplished after a couple days of mountaineering. It made me want to for sure spend a heck of a lot more time enjoying expeditions in the mountains. It was also so fantastic to hang out with another lady who loves solo travels and pushing the adventure limits as much as I do.

This little adventure came at the perfect time, just when my travel bug had been really acting up and gnawing on my insides. The stay at a hostel, adventures with a new friend from abroad, whom which I have so much in common with, and immersing myself with nature – it all calmed my travel bugs woes for the moment. Kind of like a nap. ‘There, there little travel bug, just have a nap and before you know it you will be waking up to another global adventure’……

The best part is, for a few moments I felt like I was back on my global adventures. It both soothed the soul and stoked the fire.

Let’s just say, keep your mind open to spontaneous activities in life, because more often then not, it will be better then you imagine, something you won’t soon forget, and exactly what you needed.

It Was A Walk In The Bush

February in Northwest Territories usually means -30 degree Celsius temperatures, and 10 layers of clothing to protect from the very real potentials of frost bit and freezing to death. However this year the weather has been so unpredictable and up and down, every week we have something else. Lately it even go in the the plus temperatures. Of course that’s pretty awesome if you want to go on a nice bush hike and be out in nature. Not sure if its best for the environment up here though.

That being said, it was an absolutely stunning and warm day, so I decided the best way to spend it would be hiking out in the bush, and seeing what mother nature had on offer this particular day.

The surroundings themselves are absolutely beautiful. Winter wonderland is the exact description I would use.

The snow was pretty deep in lots of area’s, every time I would take a step, it would go straight over the top and straight into my boot.

Just your typical ‘Snow booter’, no big deal… Scoop that right on out and keep trucking along. Ok, well it was a bit of a chilly deal after the 10th one, not gonna lie.

The scenic view kept changing, which kept the walk enthralling.

We are so lucky in this area of the world that one of the most sought after medicinal mushrooms in the world grows wild. The Chaga mushroom.

There is an ample supply of birch trees here, in which host the Chaga mushrooms. Chaga mushrooms have the highest number of antioxidants of any food, incredible immune boosting properties, anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-viral and cholesterol lowering effects to name a few. It is a powerhouse of a healer, that’s for darn sure.

When your out on the land here, it’s always prime time to do some Chaga hunting.

We were not super successful this day, but we did find some. There are times you find a area covered with Chaga. Even finding a nice chunk is awesome, and you can cut it off and take it to make some super healing tea. Yum! Health taste’s so good.

I also came across a spruce tree that was oozing with sap.

Alright, well perhaps I should say it had oozed with sap, as the sap was hard. When I was a child growing up in the bush, I spent quite a lot of time out on the land a lot. I always loved chewing on spruce sap, I called it tree gum and/or bush gum. It is also full of healing qualities and vitamins, as it comes straight out of the tree, it kinda like tree blood.

I was pretty excited when I found the sap, and straight away cut a piece off and tucked right in.

I love the taste! It definitely has an earthy taste, similar to a tea, however I love those types of flavors. I suppose because I grew up with them, so my pallet is accustomed to them. Of course a few beautiful flashbacks from my childhood came flooding in – which was absolutely wonderful in and of itself. This day had proved a be a massive success, and probably one of the best ideas ever.

Let’s not forget one very important detail. Being a lover of grounding and tree hugging, there was absolutely no way I could be out there without giving a tree a hug.

The energy exchange is undeniable, and the healing benefits are amazing. Nature always fills my soul.

After a couple hours of adventuring around, we decided to head back and end this nature filled day the only way that seemed to be the cherry on top. A good ol’ bonfire.

Not before taking in the spectacular sunset though.

It was such a fabulous day out in pure blissful nature, it was too great not to share.

What can I say, don’t underestimate the soul soothing, energy topping abundance of a day in mother natures playground. Get out there and go bask in it. Heck yes to being awesome in nature!

Golden adventures, around Golden BC!

Golden, BC. I love Golden! It is a small town, set in beautiful pristine settings, with a green river(yes green) flowing threw it, and a lush mountainous landscape surrounding it.

The people are as golden as the name itself, and it just has one of those energies to it, the kind that pulls you in and engulfs you. Like a nice warm blanket that you never want to leave. Not to mention, there are endless adventure activities for the outdoor enthusiast(i.e. ME).

I decided to stay in a hostel this time around. The Dreamcatcher Hostel. It was massive, beautiful and didn’t feel like a hostel. The service and helpfulness of the owners was impeccable. I made a new friend, whom had a very interesting story. His name is Robert and he was walking across Canada. It’s always fantastic to meet people on their individual journeys, and I so appreciate when people are doing things out of the ordinary. With some good company and conversation, night 1 was spent just enjoying what the town has to offer. We checked out the local watering holes, and enjoyed some Vino(of course), and then finished the night off enjoying an impromptu wine a cheese dinner back at the hostel – playing music on the jute box. My kinda night!

Day 2, and I was super stoked for a jam packed day full of adventure! First off, I headed to Kicking Horse Mountain. I took the chair lift up to see Boo the bear at the Grizzly Bear Refuge.

Boo was a rescued bear, and his refuge was fit for a king. Apparently he is also an escape artist.

Not only was it massive, he has everything he would have in the wild and more. They even built a little log house for him to hibernate in during the winters. Not a bad life if you ask me. I am such an animal lover, and that also goes for bears. I am not one to watch animals in cages on display, however in this cirsumstance, since Boo was a rescue-ee, this situation was for his own wellness, he has an epic set up, and you can see he is one happy bear – I was excited to be so up close and personal with him.

Back down the chair lift and onto the Gondola back up the mountain.

I was so looking forward to some hiking! Now I don’t suggest you go off hiking in the Mountains alone, as this is bear country, and hiking alone is not the best idea. Even though that has to be said and beared in mind; It wasn’t stopping me – and in order to take some safety precautions, I didn’t go too remote, and I stuck to trails that I could see other people hiking in the not too far off distance.

The hiking trails around the kicking horse mountain range are what seem endless, and I could easily spend a week or two just hiking and camping, and being awesome in nature.

The following photo is my ‘I feel super successful, as I just hiked the heck outta these mountains like a solo rockstar selfie‘. It had to be done. Celebrate your successes! It only serves to create more success in your life. Even when your just celebrating solo.

For a week or two of hiking and being one with nature I would leave the heels at home, and also take a companion.There are so many endlessly awesome cycling trails, and I happen to LOVE cycling, it was so temping to just go rent a bike and head off. Alas, not this time around.

That was hard. Hard to watch and not have a bike with me!! Watching the other cyclists only made me think, ‘I must go back and do some cycling! There is no other way‘ and that I will indeed. Golden is a place I intend on spending loads more time at.

After working up a good sweat hiking my little heart out, I was more than ready to find some hot springs to have some RnR and some soul soothing rejuvenation. There are absolutely loads of hot springs around BC. The only unfortunate thing is that most of them have been made into swimming pools. Swimming pools with spring water in them. That wasn’t the picture I had in my imagination. I was thinking something more natural , rural, and in nature. I asked back at the hostel, and they knew exactly what I had in mind, and kindly pointed me in the right direction. 2.5 hours later of cruising and cranking my tunes(oh and a wee bit of singing, come on now, you know you do it too). There they were. Lussier River Hot Springs.

Fine, fine. No vino(since it is prohibited), and I will wear my swim suit(since nudity is also prohibited). So, chilling in your birthday suit with a bottle of wine is a definite no.

It seems as though it is off the beaten track, but it definitely is not unknown.

There were constantly people coming and going. It wasn’t crowded by any means, just surprisingly busier than I expected. Amazing though! None the freaken less. It was just what I was looking for. 3 different temperature pools, on the banks of a river, surrounded by pure lush nature. Oh heck yes!!

My heart was singing with joy. Seriously, if you would have been there, and put your ear to my chest, you would have heard a sweet sweet song. Something far sweeter then my vocal cords could produce.

Immediately upon entering my silver jewelry turned copper. A clear indication of the minerals flowing in the water. My body, mind and soul, were soaking it all up. I was loving life – as per always.

I spent a couple hours loving life there, before making the journey back to Golden, where I slept like a baby after that beauty of a day.

Having been on the road for 2 weeks days at this point, I was really torn between saying ‘screw it, I am moving to Golden right now!’, or hitting the road and finding a different place to stay another night or two, or to just spend the day venturing around and then head to Calgary for a late evening arrival. I decided to just take the day as it comes. Which ended up being sightseeing, and a late Calgary arrival. Not to worry Golden, our story isn’t over. Being in Yoho National Park, there were a couple things I had to check off my long time bucket list. First stop, get your park pass! I didn’t realize I needed one and had to turn around and go find the office to get one. Woops.
Then! It was onto the extremely majestic Takakkaw Falls.

I could visit every waterfalls in the world, and never have them lose their luster. They always feel so powerful, and full of energy. Being around them just brings an inner peace like none other. There were loads of tourists there!. That didn’t change the experience though, not in the slightest. I hiked around, and stood in the mist, and took some selfies rocking my new hat that I had made in Golden.

As you do on solo adventures. I think considering I travel alone alot, a selfie stick wouldn’t be a bad investment.

I hit the highway, and was ready for the next big check off my bucket list.

To bask in the beauty of Emerald Lake. Woah!!!! Is all I have to say. I was blown away.

Pictures don’t do it justice. The color of the water is insanely blue. The mountains hanging in the backdrop are like the cherry on top. My eyes were oozing with delight. I did the walk around the lake, wich took a couple of hours, and just enjoyed my surroundings. It was incredible. There is a restaurant and lodge there, but this time around I didn’t go into either.

Rest assured though, I will also be going back there to spend a weekend – and I will write the heck out of it.

Wow. That was the road trip of a life time. It was unplanned, unexpected, and one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. I love road trips, I love my own company, I love spontaneous adventures, and I love British Columbia. To sum it all up, I had the best time ever, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Even thinking back to it brings a massive smile of happiness and gratitude to my face. Next time I know exactly where I want to go back to, or the places I missed that I want to go to. Take your self on a road trip! It’s nothing less than incredibly epic and amazing! Just you, and the open road of adventure. Happy road tripping days!

Cheese tasting, drive in movies, and serious classy camping. All in a days road trip.

Even though being immersed in all those British Columbia winery’s was absorbing my attention. I still was up for checking out anything and everything else that popped up along the way and peaked my interest. So, needless to say, in my world that leaves the options pretty wide open – as I can find entertainment in almost anything. I absolutely feel lucky in that sense, as I am not easily bored. I can make an adventure outta thin air if need be.

Being such an avid wine lover, you can only guess what else I love. It pairs perfectly with vino, and I admit it – I am a self proclaimed addict……. Cheese. Glorious freaken cheese. I love it. Except for blue cheese. I know, I know, it’s known for being a refined tasting cheese. Sorry though. I may be a classy lady with refined taste buds, yet, I have tried to acquire the taste for it on numerous occasions. Alas, it still just tastes pungent and moldy to me. Who knows maybe one day my taste buds will change, as they get older, they will also like older cheese perhaps.

However, that aside, the Salmon Arm area also has some excellent cheese farms! Among plenty of other things. I absolutely love the Salmon Arm area, almost as much as cheese. This was my first time back since I went house boating in the Shuswap when I was 13.

Well I do believe with all that being said it’s pretty obvious there is no possible way I could pass up a cheese farm tour. I was in need of something to cleanse my palette between all that vino sampling as it was.

I ended up choosing Grass Roots Dairy Farm to venture off too. Not for any particular reason, it’s just the one I decided to pull into. OK, well that isn’t entirely true…. I remembered reading a pamphlet about it, and the fact that it said they pride themselves on their grass fed cow’s, really is what peaked my interest. Long behold I was cruising down the highway and stumbled across the sign for Grass Roots. The sign said cheese farm, and I said GO! For some reason I kept missing the darn turn off though, so 2 U-turns later, and I finally got er!

What??? It was a small turnoff. You would have done the same. Trust me. Once off the highway and onto the little dirt roads, I easily found it.

You can see how eager she was for me to sample some of that queso.

It’s a quaint little farm, with some top notch cheese production. Mainly producing various types of Gouda, they have also incorporated Maasdammer into their array, which is a Dutch Swiss style of cheese. I sampled them all. One by one.

They had loads of other products on offer as well, from milks, to preserves, and on wards.

Every little cheese morsel I tasted was divine, literally, not simply because I love cheese. They were really really good – and fresh!

After my sample sesh, I got all settled in on a chair in the back room and sat to watch a little 10 minute informational video about how their cheese comes into production – while at the same time getting a prime view of the guys working hard creating the good stuff. If your there you mine as well take it all in. I was like a little sponge, eager to absorb all the cheesy info.

After a stunner of a day wining and dining myself in true taste tester fashion, there was only one way to finish off my ‘take yourself on a date day‘ and that was to take myself to the drive in movies! The Starlight Drive-in Movies, in Enderby, BC, approximately 20 minutes outside Salmon Arm. It’s one of the very few drive in movie theaters in Canada, so there is no way I couldn’t go.

I got there nice and early so I could get a prime spot and got all settled it. Literally, like 2 hours early. Tick tock, tick tock.

You can either sit in your car and listen to the movie tuning in over the radio, or you can bring some chairs and sit outside your car where you can hear it over the loud audio system. It get’s jam packed! So getting there early is a good plan. They play two movies a night, both are included in the one price, and this night it was Minions, and Jurassic Park. It was actually super enjoyable, and one of those novelty activities to partake in. Fun for the whole family.

Gosh I am good at taking myself on the best dates ever. Not to boast. I just happen to nail it every darn time.

So that being a long day of epic and random adventures, it was time to find a place to get my beauty sleep. Instead of picking a Bed & Breakfast this time, I remembered I had seen there just so happen to be a random tent in the trunk of my car. No idea where it came from – a mystery tent. Didn’t matter though, I figured I would switch up my accommodations and book a campsite. I do love camping. I picked up some supplies and then was off the pitch my tent at the campgrounds I booked into.

Was I ever in for a treat.

Note to self: the next time you decide to book a campsite and use a random tent that is sitting in your trunk, DO first open it up to check it out and make sure it has all its proper pieces, and is possibly made of some nice and quality material, not your everyday dollar store disposable tent.

So after some struggling, and wondering if I was going to be able to even make anything out of this pile. Not to mention, almost diving under the picnic table out of sheer embarrassment anytime people came by and seen my ball of mess(and me looking like a total novice), I was able to Jimmy rig it to as luxurious of a tent as I possibly could.

Barefoot & High heeled, prepared for a little bit of everything and more. I did sleep pretty darn good though. Although I was happy to ditch the tent for a nice bed in Revelstoke the next night after I did some hiking at Herold Provincial Park, where I checked out their wonderful little waterfalls. Being in the forest is also my kinda stomping grounds, most of my childhood was spent out in the bush, so I feel so at peace when I am in it. The waterfalls may be small, but they were big in beauty.

And let’s not forget the pit stop I made at the Crazy Creek Suspension Bridge, where there was also some sweet little waterfalls with stunning green water flowing down them. Also located there is a resort if you feel as though you want to kick back for a couple days.

Oh, and there were a couple more random unplanned wine tastings thrown into the mix. It’s not my fault there are vineyards everywhere. Twist my rubber wine loving arm why don’t yah?!

Next destination on my list was one of my favorite places EVER. Golden, BC. Are you ready?

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