Mosquito Creek - Adventures with Skylar and Darian

June 28, 2019

Merging Manitoba and Alberta into new memories and a meaningful experience.

Day One

Calgary Italian Market
Banff - Fenland creek
Mt. Norquay
Johnston Canyon
Mosquito Creek Hostel
Bow Falls - Bike Hike

Fenland      
20190628_155254.jpg (4677886 bytes) Italian cheese, coldcuts, mountain air, bubbling stream, chirping birds. Nice package. 20190628_160620.jpg (6621713 bytes) K, Skylar, just step back a  bit more... 20190628_160723.jpg (6467223 bytes) I don't think your hair was right.  20190628_160856.jpg (6649626 bytes) Steady nerves, bit more speed, I can do this.
Using trapeze tactics helps 20190628_161218.jpg (7970089 bytes) Our first encounter with wildlife.     
       
Mt. Norquay      
Taking the steep switch-back road to the Gondola. Ear popping experience. 20190628_162927.jpg (7026297 bytes) Second encounter with wildlife.  20190628_162958.jpg (4094016 bytes) Really Darian, see if you can get a close up for us. 20190628_163010.jpg (4287442 bytes) It's just a cub.
After a set of 5 Zig-Zags we get to this nice lookout 20190628_163113.jpg (4269043 bytes) OK, this time make sure the hairs is looking good. 20190628_163117.jpg (4575246 bytes) Mine's good.  20190628_163253.jpg (6996050 bytes) I think the bear is following us.
       
Johnston Canyon      
20190628_172429.jpg (6525134 bytes) This is a way deep canyon 20190628_172957.jpg (7304143 bytes) Impressive sidewalk. 20190628_173115.jpg (7015227 bytes) Hair's perfect and just smell that fresh air. 20190628_174154.jpg (3271562 bytes) Entering the misty tunnel.
20190628_174200.jpg (3926572 bytes) Now that's an icy mists 20190628_174217.jpg (3883099 bytes) It's refreshing though 20190628_174247.jpg (3479803 bytes) I just gotta text my girl with this shot.  20190628_174250.jpg (4908628 bytes) Feeling the thunder man. 
20190628_174253.jpg (4821025 bytes) She's not texting back... 20190628_174258.jpg (3828365 bytes) Truly an experience to share.  20190628_174300.jpg (4186782 bytes) but you got to be here to really experience this.   
       
Bow Glacier Falls Bike hike on girly bikes    
20190628_200201.jpg (4784412 bytes) Lets try this skipper 20190628_200213.jpg (4572537 bytes) Wait, wait, hairs not ready. 20190628_200217.jpg (4740247 bytes) OK, were good. 20190628_200316.jpg (5548562 bytes) The leg freeze experiment. 
20190628_200319.jpg (5825971 bytes) If they freeze we'll have to pick you up and carry you out.  20190628_202315.jpg (5873099 bytes) Just a little mountain biking makes you really strong. See. 20190628_202316.jpg (5274311 bytes) Hurry and look, I can't keep my arms up much longer. 20190628_202322.jpg (7304986 bytes) Did you see what that Pika did with my lighter?
20190628_202458.jpg (7555094 bytes) If you build him an Inukshuk the pika will give you back your lighter.  20190628_202500(0).jpg (7870570 bytes) So this is a really nice Inukshuk here Mr. pika 20190628_202500.jpg (7713552 bytes) There it is, under this rock.  20190628_203429.jpg (4858412 bytes) If I peddle really fast, I should be able to skip on top of this cold water, right? 
20190628_203430.jpg (5494911 bytes) It's part mental preparation too. 20190628_203441.jpg (5334568 bytes) Oh look, there's a squirrel 20190628_203509-2.jpg (2615145 bytes) Right, focus. How am I doing so far?  20190628_203906.jpg (6762564 bytes) Refreshing ice water seeping out of the rock and sand. No pika pee in this water.
20190628_204928.jpg (4416291 bytes) Skylar on White Knight 20190628_204938.jpg (6460704 bytes) And we're still clean 20190628_204940.jpg (5288989 bytes) It's all about precision maneuvering.   
       
Mosquito Creek Hostel      
20190628_222253.jpg (4318091 bytes) This is for the girls. Now I didn't really miss the log, it was a wind gust, but see how far it got stuck in the chopping block. Only really powerful arms could do that. 20190628_223511.jpg (2916474 bytes) Ah, just like the sweat lodge back home. Well, not really, but close enough. 20190628_223524.jpg (3482520 bytes) Getting a bit warmer now. We're hydrated and ready to start pouring water on the rocks.  20190628_223553.jpg (4095325 bytes) Yup. I'm starting to feel the hot steam up my nose.
20190628_230201.jpg (3543876 bytes) That's hot and steam up here. Sweats coming out now.   To cool off the guys decided to hike across the road and tackle climbing to the top of a mountain. Came back about 3:00 am, having learnt there's a lot of thick bush at the bottom of a mountain. Having it super dark didn't help either.  Good night fellows.