Happiness is what a person needs

פֿאַרעפֿנטלעכט: 12.07.2022

At 4:00 am, the alarm clock wakes me up from my dreams. I had successfully protected my ears with earplugs from the goods trains that rushed past our camper, about 70 meters away, but the insistent sound of the phone penetrated through them.

Facts: The Canadian Pacific Railway transports all kinds of goods, primarily coal, wheat, and containers, with their freight trains. 2 diesel locomotives pull the train of up to 300 wagons, after halfway through the wagons, another locomotive is added in between, and at the end, one or two more locomotives.

We leave the campsite at 4:44 am to try to get one of the coveted parking spaces at Moraine Lake. Then at 4:50, the first disappointment, the road is blocked because the parking lot is full. The only thing Schahaatz wanted was to photograph the sunrise at Moraine Lake, and now there is no parking space available 😭. He briefly thought, "then I'll walk there", but 14 km can be quite long. A quick inquiry with the supervisor doesn't hurt, and...... we are allowed to go up to the lake with our camper. Another RV spot is available.

The joy is great, getting up early was worth it. While Schahaatz takes photos, I fall back into a drowsy sleep. That's just not my time, and no sunrise can be so beautiful. I also couldn't sleep properly because Schahaatz left the keys in the camper, in case I wanted to see the sunrise. I occasionally risked a look at the mountain in front of me, but there were always clouds and they didn't motivate me to go out into the cold.

At some point, Schahaatz was next to me again, and we slept until 8:00. Today's weather is supposed to be great, so after a quick breakfast, we take a short warm-up walk. After the climbing, I wanted to take the easy route today. 3km long and 0m elevation gain, just right. Let's go without hiking shoes and sticks. We have already experienced that Canadians have different definitions when it comes to distances, but 0m doesn't mean going up and down by 3 or 5 or 8m

The path and the walk were beautiful, and the water is wonderfully clear, making you want to jump in. But a hand test quickly teaches you otherwise - it's melted glacier water - maybe around 8 degrees.

Full of energy, I let myself be convinced by Schahaatz to climb the 100 steps to a hill and enjoy the view over the lake - amidst two tour groups.

We're continuing to Banff today.

and because it's on the way, we want to hike through Johnston Canyon. Everything that was running around Lake Louise yesterday must be at Johnston Canyon today, no chance of finding a parking space with our long vehicle.

Ok then, not today, we'll do the canyon on the way back from Calgary.

We didn't see the canyon, but we did see more examples of the local wildlife. So the tally adds up to:

1 deer and 3 deer, 2 big bears and 2 baby bears, several chipmunks, a herd of mountain goats, and 4 meerkats

So no more hiking today, but shopping in Banff and, oh yes, getting a new camper key made. Schahaatz must have called Canadream 3-4 times asking for an address of a locksmith in Banff. What a waste of time. We'll pass by one tomorrow on the way to Calgary.

The sun is scorching from the sky, and we run through Banff.

Cute little ski town.

By the way, today is the halfway point of our camper tour, the first 11 out of 22 days are over. So we treat ourselves to something.

Interim conclusion: you have to get used to camping again. Since we have accepted the realization that there is a large gap between our desire (hours of hiking in the mountains and climbing peaks) and reality (lack of fitness), it works great.

But now it's time to go to bed.