Banff is the name of the town...?

7/22/2017

Well, I woke up still in Canada, so I suppose they haven’t found reason to kick me out yet! I was kind of expecting to wake up to the Customs guy standing outside my tent with more questions for me about the past ten years of my life.

I ventured out to find a park information desk, as it’s my custom to ask rangers for their recommended hikes. I immediately found that Canada’s national parks are not at all set up like those in the US. Where US parks are typically focused on the preservation of the wild state of the environment without human contact (and limit the number of buildings onsite towards that end), Canadian parks embrace human presence. US parks have central visitor centers; Canadian parks have central towns! Yes, a fully functioning town, with restaurants and movie theatres and grocery stores and gas stations and actual residents, mostly focused on catering to the needs of all of the tourists. It turns out that the town is also known as Banff, which was a source of some confusion on my part as people kept telling me they were going to Banff when they were already inside Banff… National Park.

Having a town right in the middle of it all is kind of cool, because it can act as a hub for activities throughout the park quit effectively. But at the same time, it’s kind of off-putting to someone used to the remote beauty of the US national parks. I go to national parks to get away from daily life and society and material things. So it’s jarring to be in a national park, walking down a row of dozens of gaudy gift shops on my way to the information center. It’s all very commercialized feeling.

But I can’t deny the positive points of having a town. People – employees – are supported by the tourism economy and can flourish with readily available jobs and housing. They don’t even have to sacrifice any creature comforts, as many US national park employees must. Consider how far the employees at Glacier National Park must have to drive if they want to see the new Spiderman movie! Quite an endeavor. A town also better acts to link the less outdoorsy to the beauty and value of the park, allowing different demographics to tap into what the park has to offer. And it’s just better-equipped to handle large crowds while providing more options to disperse people more evenly, an issue which many US national parks battle today as visitation increases beyond what infrastructure can support.

There’s no right answer, of course, to which strategy is better. The Canadian national parks are much better equipped to handle large volumes of people. The US national parks are much more connected with their roots – the wilderness and the spirit of adventure. After wandering around the streets of Banff for a while, I arrived at the dubious conclusion that neither is better for everyone and the environment, simultaneously. I decided to then take my thoughts with me on a hike.

Banff National Park is home to the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, a very popular gondola that takes you to a spectacular mountaintop overlooking the spread of the park. Being silly – and unwilling to pay the $64CAN to ascend in the thing – I opted to hike up the mountain instead. The trail itself was described to me as “fairly miserable”, with steep grades, endless switchbacks lots of bears, and very few good views peeking out through the trees until you reach the top of the trail. Well, I can report that that assessment is more or less true. The cool temperatures and overcast skies did nothing to ease my sweating, instead just chilling me, leaving me with the peculiar sensation of being simultaneously hot and cold. I jangled my keys loudly, hoping a bear wouldn’t attempt to consume me upon rounding each corner, and made my way up. 

Best lighting I had all day, and it was when I was in the parking lot. C'est la vie.

A bunch of little gondolas zooming up the ropes as I struggled below

By the time I reached the top, the dang knee was hollering again, so I opted to buy a ticket for the gondola ride down, which at least only cost me half price. Ugh. While waiting for my turn to arrive, I stepped into the café to have some poutine, a Canadian dish of French fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds. Pretty delicious, though artery-clogging. Now why is it that Americans have a bad rep for this kind of stuff when Canadians do it just as much??

I then wandered around the top of the mountain some, shivering in the brisk air. The views were spectacular but the haze from the fire and the overcast skies diminished them somewhat, unfortunately. I can’t imagine how stunning this view must be on a perfect day. But alas, I had only an imperfect day! Not to worry, it was lovely anyways.

The town of Banff is nestled in the Banff Valley, which is a part of Banff National Park

The gondola ride down took all of a minute, which was disappointing. I got stuffed in one of the cars with three other Asian ladies, having been mistaken for being a part of their group (it happens a lot) so I tried not to elbow around taking pictures too much.

After reaching the bottom, I headed back into Banff to enjoy the benefits of an actual town. I treated myself to a nice dinner – prime Alberta steak, which was delicious – and some “Canadian” ice cream, which is actually just ice cream except it’s made in Canada. I considered going to see the new Spiderman movie, as well, but decided against it since I don’t like to get to camp after dark since Jane can be a little loud, a little ornery, and a little silly to park around rocks. You know, since everyone else has to listen to me, I might as well be as considerate as I really can be given the circumstances.

Well, I should have gone to see the movie. Because I got back to my campsite at 8 and sat around waiting for it to get dark for literally three hours, and it still wasn’t dark. Don’t know how I didn’t notice this yesterday when I got into camp, but the sun doesn’t seem to go down until 10:30 or so. Remarkable! I would be super productive if I lived up here, or maybe I’d just be sunburned a lot.

Eventually the sun put itself to bed and it was time for me to do the same. The weather up here is approaching chilly, so I’ve broken out my giant fleece blanket to pile on top of my sleeping bag so I’m snug as a bug in a rug, which is an odd saying but probably true. Hopefully tomorrow there will be more awesome sights to report and less haze interfering with it!

Til then, Kelly signing out.