my hidden treasure

Choosing a hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies is like a lucky dip for the nature enthusiast. With layers of mountain peaks and glacier fed lakes, a hike in any direction will suffice the senses.

I recently spent a summer living in Banff national park, a quaint mountain town nestled in the Canadian Rockies. My spare time was spent exploring the park and its surrounds, searching for panoramic shots and wildlife encounters. Whilst the views from the top were inspiring and the Grizzly bear encounters humbling, one moment is stamped in my mind, bolder than the rest.

Stanley Glacier, according to the trail-head information, is a moderately difficult, 4 hour return hike to the frozen peak of Mt. Stanley. Highlights include a stand back view of some waterfalls, and perhaps a frolic in the elevated grassy meadows, conceived from the trickling streams of melting ice. It was standing at the base of one of these waterfalls that I realised a treasure, a unique experience that many had missed.

Half way through the hike, I reached the elevation where the Aspens halt like an army brought to attention. The full view of the valley presented itself. Vertical cliff walls, created an open roof passage that drifted upwards to the foot of the glacier. Along the walls edge, tides of water spilt to the ground like velvet curtains, reflecting the suns rays, in an array of different colours. I focused on one particular waterfall across the valley, roughly 300 metres from the trail. I measured its height, fixing on any debris that took the daring ride, counting the seconds as it fell. My gaze reached the bottom. I noticed a strange phenomenon. The flow of water evolved into a hazy mist, no pool of turquoise water at its base.

I began dancing my way across the scree of broken rock that paved the valley floor, each step dictated by the quality of the next stepping-stone. I noticed the moisture in the air as it cooled the back of my throat. I reached the dampened rocks and saw the exact point where the water became vapour. For each particle of water that leapt from the edge, the fall would prove to far, like a comet that shoots through the earth’s atmosphere, disintegrating into smaller pieces. I was standing under a towering waterfall, watching a tide of water transform into mist on my eyelashes.

I have since stood on platforms overlooking world-renowned waterfalls, but it was a lucky dip, on a local trail in the Canadian Rockies, where I got the best view.