Yoho! (Part 2)

I had to break this up into two parts because this day was just that epic. It was definitely one of the coolest days I’ve ever had.Upon finally dragging ourselves away from the surreal turquoise waters of Emerald Lake, we were back on the road. Not quite sure where we were headed, we got back onto the Trans Canada and made our way east. We quickly found signs directing us towards Takkakaw Falls, one of BC’s taller waterfalls. Intrigued, we parked at the “trailhead” and set out. The day had been dragging on for a while at this point and with my feet soaked and blistered, I was initially reluctant to keep going. This feeling was compounded when we found out that the falls were 12km away and with the road being closed our only option was to venture by foot. YEAH, NOPE!Regardless, we decided to yolo because we were in Yoho after all. We followed the main road for a short while before veering off to the side. We optimistically approached the river, hoping to find a crossing within the vicinity. Unfortunately, none was to be found, nor would that be the case for a while.Back on the main road, we ran into two hikers. They had told us that they scrambled up a little slope across the river, chasing mountain goats. Uplifted by this unlikely encounter we pressed on.After what felt like an uneventful eternity later, we finally reached a bridge across the river. Progress was being made and we felt good! Back into the woods we went, and the ever looming worry of running into a bear crept into my mind again. Naturally, hand claps and loud conversing followed, as I hiked around with my makeshift walking stick, trying so hard to be like Gandalf the Grey.At long last we arrived at the base of this icy, snowy slope. It looked like this:Our goal was basically to get as close as we could to the mountain goats we had heard so much about. The only obstacle in the way was this little ice scramble.And man, this was actually SO MUCH fun! Prior to even beginning the ascent, I found these sickle shaped tree branches nearby that were perfect to use. It’s difficult to gauge from the photo, but scrambling on all fours was definitely necessary on some parts. Up I went, swinging these branches and kicking my hikers as deep into the snow as I could. In hindsight, such actions probably weren’t completely necessary but it only made the whole trek feel more like an adventure.It’s funny how times like these in nature have a way of making you feel like a kid again, as if everything is perfect in your world. I honestly had no worries. I was completely immersed in the moment, mesmerized by the sights I was so fortunate to be witnessing. I truly felt alive. Whenever I took a break from scrambling up, I would turn around, take a seat and marvel at how high we had gone. What lay before us was a seemingly endless sea of evergreens, with majestic mountains breaking through and soaring high above. The sun’s last rays of the day shone brilliantly on Mt. Stephen across from us, as golden hour was in full effect. Despite the exhaustion, it was a moment of pure elation.We eventually reached the top of the snowy slope and much to my surprise, it turned out that this large chunk of ice and snow was barely even being held up. I immediately became a bit antsy and nervous upon seeing how high off the actual mountain slope we were. The whole underside of the ice and snow was basically separating from the mountain side. Shaking that off, we veered to the side, determined to reach the goats.Care had to be taken so as to not trip and stumble on the scree or tired legs. I eventually came across a nice little perch where I decided I’d not go any further. Naturally, Steph pressed on and got even higher, leading her to take some pretty sweet shots.Despite the mosquitoes, I had it pretty good from my perch. I just had to make sure not to look directly down as it was a long drop from where I sat!This instance basically marked the end of our little scramble, as we were both exhausted and realized that the goats only receded higher up the closer we got.Back down we went, tired but as happy as could be knowing that despite how gruelling it could be, it was always worth it.That became ever apparent as each day went by.Thanks for reading!Up next: Mount Rundle!Steven