July 18 - After a day off I'm rarin' to go. Leslie has joined me, and with help from Bart Robinson, we have set up a place to keep our van. I've been lonesome, an unusual feeling for me in the backcountry. So being reunited with my wife is a joy. I've decided to shorten this year's trek. I'll go as far as Jasper and go home with Leslie from there. It was a hard decision to make, but I must follow my heart. Leslie and I hike up the trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, and are amazed at the number of hikers. We came to a steep part and pass a group of Boy Scouts struggling upward. The land opens up. Glaciers and snowfields dot the sharp peaks.

July 19 - We are up and going early. It's another gorgeous day. Great views by Maude Lake and North Kananaskis Pass. We cross over into British Columbia and enter the Height of the Rockies Wilderness. Suddenly the trail nearly disappears. Down, down we go, losing a couple thousand feet. The trail is overgrown and often I'm not sure if I'm on a game trail or the people trail. At the Palliser River we turn north again, fighting our way through brush and stumbling over hidden rocks and logs. It's tough going. For Leslie's second day on the trail it's real tough.

July 20 - After a tough day yesterday, today is a cakewalk. We follow the Spray River north to Bryant Creek and walk it's flat, road-like trail up to a campsite full of people. Overcast skies but it never rains. After dinner we walk the mile to Marvel Lake and are awed by the surrounding peaks. We meet Mark, the park wolf researcher and learn that the local pack has but 3-4 wolves. All their offspring keep getting hit by cars on the Trans-Canada Highway that runs through the heart of Banff. This road is a death sentence for much wildlife and is one of the weak spots along the Y2Y corridor.

July 21 - We are walking by 7:00. Back at the shore of Marvel Lake the mountains are fully reflected in the still, glasslike waters. Then the trail takes us higher and higher contouring above the lake and crossing well worn avalanche paths. Elaine has told us of a grizzly sow with 2 cubs in this area but we don't see any wildlife. Switchbacks lead us up to Wonder Pass, its broad, open slopes full of flowers. We take a long break at the pass, looking into Assiniboine Provincial Park and visiting with the local marmots. Then a stunning walk through carpets of arnica, paintbrush, groundsel, and fleabane. The trail is manicured and looks like it is cared for almost daily. Arriving at Naisset Cabins we meet some other nice folks from Saskatchewan. There are five cabins and we pick out one to stay in. It costs us $20 but we'll have a roof over our heads tonight and a wood stove to warm us. Then we go for a day hike, passing Magog Lake and the Assiniboine Lodge. Folks fly in here by helicopter. In fact, this morning we were buzzed by helicopters several times. They shatter the peace and quiet. Luckily they only have one route that they can fly. It changes the mood of the place with each fly-over.

July 22 - A lazy day, we only do a few miles over to Og Lake. The highlight of the day is walking around the lake after dinner with all the surrounding peaks and clouds reflecting in its dark waters.

July 23 - Rain last night, but cleared to a sky full of stars and a display of the Northern Lights. Mount Assinibione had some beautiful first light on it this morning. We got our early start and walked the Valley of the Rocks while it was still cool. This is an area of rock outcroppings and bowls, with tamaracks and spruce growing amidst the lichen and moss covered rocks. Hundreds of pikas, too. Then it was a climb to Citadel Pass, another broad, vast, flower-filled saddle. We took another turn at Banff National Park as we crossed back into Alberta. Again, the wildflowers boggled us. We walked through a living rainbow with smiles on our faces. A hot day. When we arrived at Howard Douglas Lake we jumped in. The bugs are bad but we have our bug clothes, and this is a fine place to camp. A bighorn ram roams the ridge above us and tomorrow we enter Sunshine Ski Area to pick up a food re-supply.