Now that I have some free time it is probably a good idea to give you guys a full on update since it has been several days since a decent one. Internet has been totally unreliable the last 4 days but then again it has been a mixture of crappy hotels and then rooms so far from the hotspot its not funny.

Jasper was great, I had a fantastic time playing up in the mountains with the hiking etc and then we headed to Banff via the Columbia Ice Fields. All I can say is WOW. I had never been to a Glacier before and holy cow was it awesome. I loved it!! Got to experience how a Glacier is formed and exists and that was great, plus driving up onto the Glacier in an Ice Explorer Vehicle was totally cool. It was FREAKING COLD though.

After the Glacier we went straight to the Helicopter point and i decided to drop a large chunk of $$$ and do a 25 min Wilson Glacier Helicopter Flight. It was well worth it and managed to take 530 photos in the 25 mins (thats right roughly 1 shot ever 2-3 seconds). The scenery with the mountains was absolutely unreal and blew my mind. After the helicopters it was back on the bus and off to Banff. We had a good time that day and was expecting a big night in Banff but to be honest I have been enjoying the relaxation and not really up for partying every night.

For instance in Banff i was craving some ice cream and after a big day of movement, decided to just indulge, but by the time I had finished, I was sleepy! So gave in and ended up ditching the group and heading back to the hotel (turns out it got VERY messy). Banff was unreal! Again more mountains, lots of hiking and exploring, a few highlights from my free day there. Got up early and went for a run up Tunnel Mountain, managed to get about 2k before totally running out of breath and having to turn around and walk back, ashamed! The Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain was great, and the 2k walk at the top was even better!

I hiked down from the Gondola to the Fairmont Hotel. This hotel from the 20s was built Chateau style and is absolutely stunning (can’t wait to compare it to Lake Louise) and made for something different. Managed to explore the village of Banff (it is definately only really a village) while scouting out gear for the Stampede.

That evening we had a Horse Ride and Steak Fry optional. Now to give you a bit of info, I have never really liked horses. I rode one when I was like 10 and a scout, during the ride I fell off while the horse was trotting down hill, not a good thing, and have always had problems with them since. So since I have been trying to combat these issues for a while now, well you can see where this is going. I signed up to do the Horse ride but was quite hesitant. I jokingly commented that I wanted a horse that was “almost dead” in the hopes that it would be so placid I would not need to worry.

Well that didn’t happen. I got a horse by the name of “Target.” He was ok on the way out to the campsite for dinner, he was a bit stand offish at times, ignoring commands etc, but all in all he did as he was told when needed. Dinner was great (the beans phenomenal) but on the way back, things started going differently. I was one of the last horses to be remounted and by this time the corral was jam packed with people and horses and target did not seem to like this one bit. He was pushing his way around, going crazy and all the time making me more and more nervous.

No matter what I did, he just did not want to listen at all. Several times I had to yank so hard on the reins I was thinking I was going to rip his head off, but he just ignored it. In the end he went crazy as and one of the guides had to come up, hold him still and calm him down while I got off and then refused to get back on. I had had enough! They offered me other horses but by that stage I was in full on panic attack mode and just decided to walk. Fuck it, I’m going home. I was jittery as all hell. The walk did me good, It was great to get out and hike some more, hell I even trail ran the last 1km back to the stables.

After that we had a beach party at the hostel next door to the hotel, but to be honest I was still a bit all over the place, so made an appearance at the party for 30-40 mins and then bailed to calm down and get a good nights sleep.

But now we come to the whole reason for this trip (and I will cover it more in depth with a post Calgary update). I am sitting here in Calgary. The whole reason I came on this tour was for the stampede, and now that reality is possible. All bets are off today. Mal will eat and drink and damn sure put a dent in the hard work I have done over the last 18 months, but FUCK IT! I deserve it! Here is to an awesome day… YEE HAW!!!

Current Location: Sandman Hotel Calgary Downtown – Calgary, Alberta
Countries: 3
Canadian Provinces: 2
US States: 1