(A much needed) Reading Week Break
And also, a great 5 day trip in Yoho!
Reading week was last week (a week-long break from University) and boy, oh boy, was it ever timely! I made sure to get a couple days off flying, and Luke took some days off work, and we hastily planned a little getaway.
I had to work Saturday and Sunday, got home Sunday night, repacked and then had training for my job in Calgary on Monday, and in Vancouver on Tuesday. It went fine, but it meant that I was away from town for those 4 days and Luke had to do the majority of the prep/packing (I usually do most of the planning/researching/booking, so it works out).
When I got back on Tuesday night, we finished the packing (and little gifts for my wonderful friends who took care of my cats while we were away). On Wednesday, we got up and washed the sheets, so they’d have a nice clean bed to stay in and set off about 11. There was, of course, a mandatory stop for coffee on our way out of town.
We set the trip up so we’d have two “fancy” nights at Emerald Lake Lodge, and then two more “down-to-earth” nights at a cool little Airbnb in Golden, B.C. On our way to Emerald Lake Lodge, we took a little detour on Highway 93 to visit Marble Canyon. It is beautiful in the winter, and I would definitely recommend it!
We continued the drive, and stopped briefly at Lake Louise, but it was pretty foggy, so they weren’t great views.
It was getting dark as we pulled up to the lodge. There is no parking at the lodge itself, so you park in the ‘overflow’ parking lot, where the staff residences are, and take all your luggage and call a shuttle to come pick you up.
We checked in, and a little golf cart drove us and our (way too many) bags to our room, which was in a little 4-room cabin. The rooms are very humble, and have a nice little wood-burning fireplace, which we of course lit right away.
I had to finish making my work schedule for December, and there is only wifi in the main lodge, so we ate the dinner we brought and went over there for a bit, and then went for a nice soak in the hot tub before going to bed.
Day 2, we got up really early, because I wanted to try to catch the sunrise at the Natural Bridge just down the road. It was unfortunately still too foggy, but it was kind of nice to get up early! We went back to the lodge and had breakfast in the restaurant there, before going back to the room, getting ready, and heading out again.
We visited Peyto Lake that day. It’s a bit of a drive from Emerald Lake Lodge (an hour), but it’s a nice place to visit, and a super easy hike to do in the winter. It was still foggy, so again, not the best views, but that’s winter in Canada for you!
We got back to the lodge and went for a walk around part of the lake, and then hung out in the hot tub for a bit, where a family of three young girls took a liking to us. They were splashing around, showing me their floats and glides (I used to be a swim instructor), and showing us the magic of snow melting in the hot tub. Very cute.
We had a very chill night, watching pre-downloaded shows on Netflix. We watched Happy!, have you seen it?? Honestly, very good. And it fit the Christmassy, winter mood!
Day 3, the skies were clear and gorgeous, so after packing everything up we walked around and took some photos before checking out and getting a ride with our luggage back to the car. Our next accommodation was Golden, so we stopped at Wapta Falls on the way! We got a little lost, taking the wrong road, and ended up at the Wapta Falls Lookout, instead of the trail itself. We wasted probably an hour doing that, but realized our mistake and finally found the trail itself.
It’s an easy 4.8km return hike, with barely any elevation gain. We walked down to the falls themselves, and were able to climb on the ice-covered rock to get a prime (and wet!) view.
We saw a couple on the way back, and they said they did the same thing as us, and had been hopeful when they saw our footprints, thinking they had found it! Glad we weren’t the only ones. If you decide to do it, and so it doesn’t happen to you, you want to go to the one that says “Wapta Falls main trail,” don’t go down Wapta Road - that becomes Beaverfoot Road.
After that lovely little hike, we drove to Golden, and stopped at Legendz diner for some tasty, unhealthy dinner, because we were hungry and didn’t feel like cooking. Things never go exactly according to plan.
And then we finally got to our little “wall tent”! When I found this on Airbnb, we really loved the idea of it, because we love camping, but we knew that this time around we didn’t have the time or energy to do all the prep.
There’s a real (!!) bed, a wood-burning stove, a propane stove for cooking, a table and chairs, and little candles everywhere! There’s no energy or wifi, there’s a composting outhouse, and the only source of heat is that wood-burning stove, so you bet your buns we (mostly Luke, thanks boo) kept that thing going!
After we had gotten settled, Tom stopped by to welcome us and make sure we were all good in there. Him and his kids bought the 75 acres of land that it’s on, and his one daughter and her husband own that Airbnb. He’s a really interesting guy.
We were pretty pooped, so we got in bed fairly early.
Day 4 was very low key. We didn’t have much planned, other than a couple ideas, and there’s not a ton to do around Golden, according to my research? I’m positive that’s not true, but I couldn’t find much. Please hit me with your ideas, if you know of something!
At about 11, we wandered over to Tom, and he showed us the yurt that his son, wife and grandkids live in, and the earth ship they’re building. It’s taken them about 5 years, but is made with all recycled materials, is mostly energy neutral, and has a garden in the home! Very cool.
We stopped at the Northern Lights Wolf Sanctuary and heard the spiel about wolves and how important their conservation is. It was pretty interesting! Did you know they’re an apex predator, bio indicator AND keystone species? Cool, hey? They also snuggle down just like pups.
After that, we drove into town and grabbed a coffee at Purcell Coffee, before visiting the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge and walking around a little bit. We also grabbed a couple more snacks at the IGA.
Once we got back to the tent, we decided to go for a little snowshoe down a trail that Tom had told us about. There are 75 acres to explore, after all.
We started up the fire, made ourselves some dinner and snuggled in to bed.
Day 5, the last day! Once we got up, we packed everything up and got out of there at about 9. We stopped at Purcell Coffee - apparently our new favorite place in Golden - and then had to make the tough decision. Do we drive straight home, or add quite a bit of driving by going to the Lussier Hot Springs? Lussier Hot Springs it is! It was a long 2 hour drive, but we kept ourselves entertained by thinking up ideas for romantic comedies and horror movies.
We got there at about noon, and it was unfortunately very busy, but it was worth it for that nice, natural soak! We stayed for close to two hours and chatted with the other in the pools.
We also stopped at Sinclair Canyon, right after we turned onto Highway 93, going East. We took some photos and saw 3 bighorn sheep wandering down the highway. It’s their territory, so I totally get it!
The rest of the drive home was uneventful, and we actually unpacked everything right away once we got home! What a novel idea. We’re terrible for that.
It was a great break. I’m behind on school work now (as always), but definitely worth it. And travelling with my guy is always a good time.
I hope I gave you some ideas for visiting Yoho, and please let me know if there’s something I missed! I always want to see more of the beautiful Rockies.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully, this time, I’ll be writing again soon.
Bis später! (German: see you later)
