How a Floridian became a hiking nut in the rockies

I first visited the Canadian Rockies five years ago, and I knew I would enjoy the spectacular scenery, but I had no idea that this first visit would transform me into a hiking nut with a passion for the great outdoors. I always enjoyed going on nature walks, but had gone on only one hike before. With its geography, South Florida doesn’t exactly offer an abundance of hiking opportunities. Growing up, family vacations centred around visiting cities, with an emphasis on museums and historical sites. We did visit national parks, but I was the tourist who paused to admire the beautiful scenery, snap a few photos, maybe walk a short nature trail, and then move on. The preference for cities and the historical persisted well into adulthood.

Jasper was the first park in the Canadian Rockies that I visited, and the day after I arrived that year, I hiked on Trail #2 to Pyramid Lake and then back to town via the Edge of the Bench. I have returned to hike every summer since then, and this year, I hiked more than 430 km in the Rocky Mountain parks.

The first two years, I rode ViaRail from Toronto to Jasper and I relied on shuttles to take me to Banff, Lake Louise, and back to Jasper. I didn’t even rent a car the first year, and for that reason, the trails I hiked that year started in the Jasper townsite, at Maligne Canyon, at Maligne Lake, in Banff townsite, and at Lake Louise. These trails were ideal for the newcomer to hiking on account of the low elevation gains. Moreover, I had the chance to figure out what works for me.

Deciding how much water to carry, what snacks to bring, what first aid supplies might be necessary, etc. may seem to be common sense, but those are the kind of decisions for which experience is the best teacher.

I am physically active back home; I have been an avid swimmer my whole life and I do weight training. It was a shock how the altitude and the elevation change affected me, even on easy trails. In fact, I had to take an embarrassing number of breather breaks on my first hikes in the Rockies, and it did annoy me that my heart pounded hard while climbing steep sections. I suspect not a few visitors who hike Rockies trails for the first time and who never hiked trails with the conditions found here might conclude they are out of shape. However, I got used to how hiking here feels and my hiking ability has improved from year to year. It’s gratifying to reach my destination after a lot of physical exertion.

While it took a while to adjust to the altitude, adjusting to the climate was no problem. When Canadians ask me where I’m from and I tell them I’m from Florida, often they’ll ask if I find it too cold. The climate, at least in the summer, suits me just fine. I have hiked in sleet, hail, and snow and across snow patches and snow fields; for me, it adds to the adventure of hiking. Also, it’s a joy to escape from the hot and sticky Florida summer.

It did feel strange for this lifelong city dweller to walk right out of town and into the woods the first time I came to Jasper. Usually, I see no more than 10 to 15 people on the trails I hike. Other than my hiking buddy, my sister, sometimes I don’t see another hiker on the trail, as was the case this summer on the Molar Pass Trail and on the Saskatchewan Glacier Trail, both in Banff. To describe popular trails as crowded seems to me an exaggeration, even if it is, relatively speaking, an accurate description. It is this sense of being alone in the wilderness that holds great appeal, and yet, I can head back to a gemutlich town after a day of hiking.

I have long been interested in the natural world, albeit on a fundamental level – I am a physicist – but the Rockies have spurred an interested in botany, zoology, and geology in a way no other place I have ever visited ever has. It’s because of wanting to know the species of wildflowers I see along the trails. It’s because of seeing interesting animal behavior, such as the marmots I saw fighting on the rock pile by Edith Cavell just a few weeks ago, looking like miniature boxing bears. Marmots seem too lazy to fight. Finally, it’s because of wanting to know why the mountains look the way they do.

The past four summers, I have driven from Florida. In addition to Jasper and Banff, I have hiked trails in Yoho, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes, Mount Robson, and Akamina-Kishinena. What’s striking to me is just how different the character of each of these national and provincial parks is. I don’t have a preference as to the specific type of trail I like to hike; I enjoy trails with lots of elevation gain and those with little, trails that are enclosed in the forest, that traverse open meadows, and that climb over passes. It’s the variety of trails that keeps me coming back year after year. While there isn’t a particular type of trail I like to hike, the trails behind Jasper townsite remain favorites. For me, these trails will always be a pleasant hike in the woods with views of Pyramid Lake and the Athabasca River, where elk, coyote, and moose might be seen and where the scent of sweet grass can be enjoyed.

I have hiked several long trails – in the neighborhood of 25 km – that are usually hiked over a couple of days, but I haven’t yet camped in the back country. Locals have told me about their favorite backpacking trails and that I have to try them. I look forward to this when I return to the Canadian Rockies.

Eva A. Horvath
Fort Lauderdale, FL