Sun, May 27 2007 - Johnston Canyon & The Ink Pots - slow pace (View Original Event Details)
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Woke up this morning to storm clouds, and by the time our hike started, the clouds had dissipated and the sun was out !
We started our hike right on time from a full parking lot. We saw quite a few tourists to the lower falls. And once we got there, the sound of rushing water was truly intense - a sound not too often heard in dry Alberta !! We spent quite a bit of time there to listen and to take loads of pictures – just like the tourists except that we stood out with all our hiking gear !!! There was a small walkway thru a whole in the rock and it lead to a balcony right at the lower falls… We got sprayed on and took more pics, and the sound of rushing water was intense ! Felt like I was at Niagara Falls on their balcony, but on a much smaller scale of course.
The tourists thinned out on our way to the upper falls…..Lots of conversations took place including our appreciation of being outdoors. When we got to the upper falls, we were greeted with a sign that said “Congratulations, this is the end of the Johnston Canyon Trail. You have hiked 2.7kms and gained 120m in elevation.” !!!
Once past the upper falls, the path actually changed to a regular hiking trail – felt good to be off the concrete path !! And to my surprise we actually had some considerable elevation loss; which I call: two hikes in one !!!
We were all impressed with the inkpots…. The colors, the bubbles, the reflection with the mountains, and you could see worms in them too! We had a nice lunch and headed back…. On our way down, the tour buses and their patrons were in full swing once we reached the lower falls…. And for the first time on a hike, we witnessed a chipmunk jam !! I also overheard a tourist say this is a “hard walk”…
Encounters on the trail: bus loads of tourists & cameras, a chat with a tour guide, chipmunks, another member of COC not on our hike, large crow, worms, and small birds.
A great early season hike, and thank you for spending your Sunday with me – I had fun and hope you had too !!!
Happy Trails :)
Karen D.