On my second day in winter paradise, I walked to Bow Falls. The small waterfalls are located on the Bow River, which I had already walked along in Canmore. The sun was shining that day, so the sub-zero temperatures felt a bit warmer. The true coldness of the past few days was revealed at the waterfalls, which were partially frozen and covered in a layer of snow. However, the water still managed to meander its way down with force, creating a corresponding sound - a beautiful sound for anyone who loves water!
I followed the path along the river downwards, where I could look up at the waterfalls. It took me a while to realize that I wasn't actually on the path anymore but under the crunchy snow, which in summer is the river but now had a thick layer of ice. Afterwards, I visited an elevated viewpoint on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, the view of the waterfalls was not very clear from there, but I could see the base station of the Banff Gondola, which I had visited the day before, and the Fairmont Hotel in front of it, which is known for its hot springs (more on that in the next post).At noon, I made my way to Tunnel Mountain. On the way there, several signs warned me that female elk with their newborns were more likely to be around and could act aggressively towards humans. So, being extremely alert and observing my surroundings, I walked up. Not particularly good with heights, very sweaty but very happy, I reached the top after 1 hour, where I was rewarded with a view of Banff and the surrounding forests from a height of 1,692 meters. The path was partially very icy, but I was able to "pull myself up" using the abundance of trees.
Since it was about 5 degrees colder up there than down below, and the extreme wind was added to that, I didn't stay there for long. Once back down, I went to the hostel to warm up.
In the evening, I walked to the Christmas market with my roommates, which took place in Banff this weekend. Among other things, clothing, soaps, and leather goods could be purchased. We girls acted like tourists and tried everything: from different types of honey, wine, liqueurs, and gin to meat, dips, and candies - basically everything my heart desires ;)
After a few... glasses of mulled wine by the campfire with live music and grilled marshmallows, we returned to the hostel.
