10 Months of Adventures
When our baby was born last fall, I thought the timing was perfect. We would be able to hibernate and snuggle up all winter long, and she would be old enough in the warmer months to do a bit of adventuring in the mountains. And that’s exactly what we managed to do. With fall slowly but surely approaching again, she has now seen every season, and I am glad to say we’ve made the most of it. So far, she has seen Elbow Falls, Barrier Lake, Canmore, Johnston Canyon, Forgetmenot Pond, Cascade Ponds, Banff Town, and Lake Minnewanka. We are hoping to take a trip to the Athabasca Glacier sometime in September, which would really feel like an accomplishment!
We started our adventures when it was still pretty chilly in March (it was a LONG winter!). When she was a few days shy of five months, we took Gracie to Elbow Falls. We didn't actually see the falls themselves because the stairs to the viewing areas were closed off and slippery. I've ignored the closures in the past, but things were a little different now when carrying a baby! Anyway, it's all the more reason to take her back.
We were able to get close to the water just before it tumbles down the falls, and she was enamored with the sound and the sight of it. It was actually an even colder and windier day than I expected, so we didn't stay long—her nose and cheeks were turning red!—but Gracie was a real trooper and didn't seem to mind.
In May, we decided to go a little further to Barrier Lake, because it's still close enough. Again, I underestimated how cloudy and windy it would be, especially right at the lakeshore, but Gracie loved it. She shrieked and kicked her legs happily while she watched the dog play in the water. She seemed to really take in the scenery as well!
Later in May, we decided to stay overnight in Canmore. After a short walk by the beautiful Bow River, we turned in for the night with the goal of heading to Johnston Canyon the next day—my favorite place in the world!
And make it to Johnston Canyon we did! To be honest, we all overdressed after the previous few experiences. We were also quite surprised that this early in the season, we had to park in overflow, so we started our walk from further back than we anticipated. But it was still a wonderful hike, like it always is, and Gracie did amazing with the sound of rushing water and the crowds and crowds of people (so did our dog, Freya!).
We were hoping to make it at least to the Lower Falls, but Gracie started getting a little fussy, and we had to take her out of the carrier. Keeping in mind how far we needed to go to return, we decided to head back a early. She was happy in our tired arms on the way back and slept soundly the whole way home.
Later in June, we finally made it out to Forgetmenot Pond with Gracie’s aunt, uncle, and cousins. We posted up by the Elbow River, which runs just behind the pond, and enjoyed some time under the sun. We stayed while dark rain clouds started approaching, and the edges of our blankets were suddenly in the water even though we had initially set them back several centimeters. Somehow, it didn’t occur to us that this meant a lot of rain was on its way.
When the first few raindrops started falling, we packed up to go. But it was too late! On the way back to the car, we got caught in a huge downpour. We were running as fast as we could, and I felt so terrible that Gracie was getting absolutely soaked. I thought she'd for sure have a meltdown, but when I finally sat down in the car with her and looked into her soaked face, she gave me the biggest smile. I dried her off, changed her clothes, fed her, and she snoozed happily in her on the drive home through a torrent of rain and booming thunder.
Next time we headed out, which was to Cascade Ponds a couple of weeks later, we put Gracie in a rain jacket.
It rained on and off a little, but mostly it was a beautiful day. We stayed fairly close to the car, just in case it got too cold and rainy, fearing a repeat of last time. Thankfully, all we had was a slight drizzle, so we took our time and let Freya splash around in the water and tried for some pictures with our tripod.
August’s adventure was the one I was looking forward to the most—Banff! Generally, Tara and I avoid the town during peak season (I can’t remember the last time I was there in August!), but her aunt who officiated our wedding was in town and it was a fun family trip. On the first day, we took a walk down the main street and visited the Carter-Ryan Gallery.
The next day, we were gifted a beautiful canvas print which had caught our eye but which I never would have considered buying for ourselves. It made me cry!
After that, we visited Lake Minnewanka. The parking was full, of course (this is another spot we usually only visit in the off-season!), so we were sent back but luckily found spots to park more than a kilometer from the entrance. But that was fine, because the short walk was very scenic.
So, that’s Gracie’s first 10 months, with the last five in particular packed with as many adventures as we could manage. I’ve been so proud of her and often teared up thinking of how well she handles traveling. She loves being in her carrier and she’s great at staying in new places. She may not always love her car seat anymore after several hours of car rides, but who can blame her!
I hope she will love nature, and I think it’s clear that she already does. I want to show her as much beauty as we can.