Trip to Remember (continues...)

Next day we got up early…errr…at 9:00 am that is. Got ready and headed towards the town as we were hungry for breakfast. On the way we saw these trolleys going on top of the mountain and the sight was straight out of some James Bond movie. As we had already made plans to bike on the trails, we decided to go to the trolleys next time. But first we went to McDonald’s for our breakfast as we didn’t want to spend too much on food and we both are fan of McDonalad's breakfast.

View from the McDonald’s

We then rushed to check out the bikes for our biking hikes but were disappointed to found that all the cheap bikes were gone and the one that were available were costing a fortune. We decided to go to the Information Centre to find out other things to do apart from biking. The first thing that caught my attention was the pamphlet for Gondola Ride, the same trolleys we saw in the morning. We asked about it at the information desk and were surprised to know that the rides were almost same price as the bike rides. We still decided to ask about bike trails and were told by a very French lady that there are not many as most hikes are accessible by foot only.

Our mind was already made and we headed straight to the bus stop towards the Gondola ride. On the way to the ride we remembered our “trolley” incident back in India. I was in 4^th grade then and brother was in KG. We were stationed in Panchkula, a small suburb of Chandigarh. It was home to very famous Timber trail trolley. Our cousins were visiting us and we all decided to go. We reached there and we (me and my brother) developed cold feet. Actually, my brother always used to do what I would do, so its fair to say that I developed cold feet and we decided not to go on the trolley. Our cousins tried all there tactics to persuade us but to no avail. Finally, they decided to go without us, while we played on the swings.

Gondola Ride to Sulphur Mountain

As we reached near the Gondola ride, I noticed there were no swings and so there was no escape this time around (lol). The height of the mountain looked daunting but we believed in the Swiss technology and went for the ride. The ticket checker was a very friendly guy and asked where we were from. Disappointment came on his face, when we said Edmonton because he was thinking we will say something exotic like India. The trolley was for four people but if no two people were available immediately, they were letting two people go together too. When our turn came, we were seated with an American couple. As the trolley started to move upwards, my stomach started to churn and the American lady facing us said “I am so afraid of heights”. My brother joked, “So, you mean we can’t dance during the ride”. We all had a nice laugh about it on the way but as we were going up, the view became out of this world. All we could do was admire the creation of God with winding river, snow laden mountains, pine trees below us and the clear sky with few specks of clouds. We didn’t even notice when the 8 minutes passed and we were 7000 feet above the sea surface.

View from the trolley. The building from the top is the same Fairmont's Hotel that we clicked the night before.

After we reached the top, there was a long hike to the uppermost part of the mountain. The view was amazing as we could see Rockies from 360 degrees and the topography of the place was something that cannot be described in man-created words. The hike was good with few slippery steps because of the ice. On top of the mountain there was a room which was preserved as it is since the 1960s. It was the room that was used by a Geologist who trekked the mountain alone more than 1000 times to record his data. Peeking inside the closed door was fascinating with things preserved from that era including canned food, bed sheets, his letter, pencils, log files and logs to keep him warm. The only sour point was outside the room where people had scribbled their names and professed their love. Guess what was most prominent name, “Rahul love Nisha”. Give Indian people a historical monument and they will not lose a moment to express their love by ruining it. I should have taken its picture but was too disgusted by some Rahul who am sure came alone and wrote name of his imaginary girlfriend Nisha.

Banff from top of the mountain

It was time to head back as it was getting late but I kept on clicking pictures all around the Rockies so as not to lose this beautiful moment. We went to the restaurant near the trolley and had a nice meal before going down and acting goofy on the way, as this time we both got the trolley to ourselves. We still had 3 hours to pass the time before heading back and so decided to go hiking near Bow River. The hike was beautiful to say the least except that me and my brother had a nice fall on one of the trails. Although, it was worth it because we hiked to a very secluded area near the river and sat right above the river admiring the beauty of the place. The most beautiful moment was when we saw a newly married couple taking their picture with the Rockies as the background. Alas, it was time to go back. We reached our place and left almost immediately, leaving behind the Rockies. It sounds like a cliché but it was indeed a trip to remember for us. We cannot wait for summer to arrive and go back to Rockies, this time for camping. Anyone interested?