An Escape to Canada

An escape was needed. Not so much from anyone or anything. But sometimes you just need to go! Go where? It really doesn’t matter where to. But instead the thrill of packing for an adventure.

So I packed my cooler with steak and beer. Staples when headed across the Canadian border. I threw my cross country skis and snowshoes in the Alu-cab. Now what to pack for clothes? Oh ya all my clothes are already in my cabinets in the back of the Alu-Cab / Tundra vehicle. This is convenient and saves time and thought.

I had the week off from work. I only needed to be back Wednesday night to watch the granddaughters on Thursday. This is not something I miss!

So on Friday morning I was in my Tundra headed north. I decided to cross the border at Eureka, Montana. I had never been this way and wanted to experience something new. This route took me from my tent along Hwy 200 on the north end of Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. After crossing into Montana I took the Bull Lake cutoff that runs north from the Clark Fork River to Troy, MT. Heading east for ten miles to Libby, MT. That’s where I turned north to run up along the Kootenai River. The river flows out of the Libby Dam. This Dam creates Lake Koocanusa. The lake is a ninety miles long. It is split in half by the USA / Canada border.

After reporting I had a 12 pack of beer in my cooler (I actually had 14) to the border guard/mountie I was on my way toward the town of Cranbrook, British Columbia. Once there I stopped at the Firehouse Brewery. It’s important to explore the local culture.

Next as the sun was setting I made the turn off from Hwy 93 toward Whiteswan Lake. The lake sits twenty kilometers back into the Canadian Rockies. This time of year the only people to contend with are a few ice fisherman and logging trucks. This would be my first stop for a nights camping. All of the campgrounds are closed so a pull off next to the lake would make do.

After breakfast I wanted to take in the hot springs at Fairmont. This was amazing. As I soaked in the natural mineral springs the snow came down heavy.

My destination for this day would be the headwaters of the Kootenai River. In Canada it’s called the Kootenay River. After turning east at the town of Radium I followed the river toward its source Mitchell Creek. This route takes you past Nipika Resort. This is an amazing combination of six cabins, a ski/fat tire bike rental barn and hundreds of miles of trails. Once you pass the cabins there is no traffic except mining trucks. The road dead ends into the west side of the Canadian Rockies a few miles past the mine.

As per my quota I decided to get stuck. After winching out it was time for steak on the Traeger grill and an undisclosed beer or two. I started a fire and sat next to it for dinner. The wind picked up and the snow started to come down pretty good. I figured it was time to climb in the Alu-cab, click on the diesel heater and do some writing.

The next morning I brushed off the truck and headed toward Banff. I like to take the Bow Valley Parkway 1A. This stretch of road runs between Banff and Lake Louise. It is slower than the Trans Canada Highway but well worth it. This route follows the Bow River.

After braving the crowded town of Banff for lunch it was off to Lake Louise. The village at Lake Louise was busy so I aimed north along the Parks Highway. This lead me into a blizzard and away from people.

For the remainder of my adventure to the great white north I decided to avoid people as much as possible. This would mean backtracking to the Kootenay River, Lussier Hot Springs and Whiteswan Lake.

As Wednesday arrived I found myself headed south toward the USA and home. This was a great escape into wilderness to recharge my batteries.