Day 5 & 6: Yoho National Park ~ a Fountain of Life

Day 5: Banff to Emerald Lake (Yoho National Park)

June 5, 2017

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; the wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. ~ John Muir

Yoho National Park covers 507 square miles and is full of glacial lakes and waterfalls. It received its name from the Cree First Nations word meaning “awe” and has one of the world’s most significant fossil beds. My travel guide says it has 120 marine animal species dating back 530 million years! I am excited to hear about the Cree Indians as this is the nomadic tribe that I worked with in Hudson’s Bay for my master’s thesis which detailed the insensitivity of the Hudson Bay Post and medical care system towards the Cree Indians. In Canada as in United States Native Americans and First Nation Indians were treated poorly.

Up early, we leave Banff heading for Silverton Falls.  Our hike into the woods beside another rapid flowing river reveals an abundance of greyish dead pine needle trees.  I had previously noticed these dead trees from the train and learn they have been hit by the mountain pine beetle, a naturally occurring insect in the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. These small insects attack the trees and have reached epidemic levels in Banff and Yoho Parks.  We have seen many areas with a high percentage of sick looking trees.

White pines destroyed by pine beetles

Planned Burn

 Parks Canada has a management strategy to allow both the natural cycle of these insects and protect areas where the infestation poses a serious threat. 

Planned burns in areas with a concentrated population of infected white pines and strategic cutting help reduce the spread. Now I understand why I had seen these burned areas in the forests.

Field Town

We head for a town called Field to a restaurant called The Siding. This place had been recommended to us by friends who have reservations to stay here for a week later this summer. This town of 140 people that seems to house trains is quaint, idyllic, sleepy and quite “hooga”. Or could it be “covfefe”? (defined by John as we are not sure of Trump’s definition but are sure he is wrong) 

Right side is the Siding Cafe

View from Field Town Main Center

We sit outside having lunch and talk to a young woman about Tanzania where she is doing her public health doctoral dissertation. She has returned to Field to write up her results.  We pump her on ideas for our September trip to Tanzania and record her suggestions for the best places to snorkel and swim with turtles.  What is it about travelers and holidays that makes people more open to talk with the person sitting next to them in a restaurant?  Somehow I can’t imagine this happening when we dine in a Seattle restaurant. Why is that? We make a reservation to dine at Truffle Pigs for the next night as it looks like a fun place to eat with clanking train sounds and beautiful views from the deck.

Arriving at a Magical Place... Emerald Lake

View from cabins

Leaving Field, we head for Emerald Lake lodge. I am still searching for the black mother bear and baby cub our restaurant friend said was by the highway. No bears, no elk, no sasquatches and no buffalos to be spotted. 

Emerald Lake 

Arriving at this lodge we are escorted from the parking lot to our cabin which we discover has no internet and no TV but does have wood for its fireplace. It is situated on the edge of the turquoise glacial lake with a deck looking out at the lake and Castle Mountain.  

While John naps I go to the lodge to try out the internet, only to discover it is incredibly slow and I can’t send out pictures let alone blogs! Wow what will John do without politics? He has already told me that Thursday morning he must watch the Comey hearing ~ but where?  Back at our cabin John has discovered we have no heat and when he calls the hotel to ask for a backup plan they suggest supplying us with a space heater. Given the temperature is predicted to fall to zero centigrade (or 32 F) we go for it. I break out the wine and cheese and John continues to read The Underground Railroad. I have finished my book Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig which I highly recommend. The view from our cabin is veiled with tall pine trees and I try to explain to John that a view through trees is like seeing a woman not completely naked…more exciting! For those of you who know John, he is obsessed with unobstructed views so he doesn’t buy my metaphor. 

We have dinner at the lodge and John believes his rib eye is the best meal he has had so far and I am equally happy with my lamb rack.

Add caption

 There is young couple who were just married that afternoon eating alone at one table.  The bride still is wearing her long, white wedding dress. I go over to congratulate them and ask to take their picture. I explain this is our 45^th wedding anniversary holiday and wish them at least as many years of happy marriage.  Afterwards they come over and ask to take our picture! Later I learn they had no wedding guests only a photographer who signed their marriage certificate making it legal. I wonder how their parents feel about being deprived of this experience but understand their willingness to forego all the stress of putting on a wedding. What a magical place to have a wedding or anniversary. We wish our friends could be here to share this magic with.