Maureen Bush

Banff Springs Snail

The Calgary Herald published an article on the endangered Banff Springs snail, which I wrote about in Crow Boy. Here’s a video clip, including some great pictures of the snails and the Banff Springs cave.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/videos/index.html?v=1850683080

Maureen

Storm Mountain

We spent two nights at Storm Mountain Lodge, near Castle Mountain, in Banff National Park. Sunday night – a huge thunderstorm, rain hammering the metal cabin roof. We heard about a huge grizzly wandering through that morning, scattering the cleaning staff. Dinner was amazing, buffalo tenderloin and a great wine.

At breakfast, we overheard the waitress advising a couple about her favorite all-day hike. “Do you have bear spray?” she asked. They didn’t, so she replied, “We have some. I’ll lend it to you for the day.” The question used to be, “Do you have bear bells?” Now they’re considered dinner bells.

We saw all the traditional sights – hikers standing behind their cars changing into or out of hiking boots, everyone layering up in all their clothes and still shivering, hikers huddled around wood fires indoors as the rain poured down, a few flakes of snow in the air, fresh snow on the ground at higher elevations.

From the front of Storm Mountain Lodge we could see Castle Mountain to the north, in the Bow Valley, right down to the Rockwall to the south, on the road to Radium. This is the range of my third Veil of Magic story. I wish I’d brought the manuscript to read while I was up there.

We climbed up Marble Canyon in a dry interlude. It’s not a tremendous achievement unless you’re three, or have exercise-indused asthma, as I do. It felt great to make it to the top.

The hike is more beautiful every time I go up. The canyon itself is fascinating, but it’s the burn I love. A forest fire killed almost all the trees within view, leaving standing dead trunks in a surreal sculpture in black and white, and an astounding view – high mountains in three directions. Pre-fire you couldn’t see anything beyond the dense forest. Below the dead trunks new growth is springing up, lush and green and bursting with energy.

I wasn’t so pleased to have made it to the top by the time I was half way down. Lack of oxygen to the major muscles in my legs turned me into a raggedy doll, struggling to keep my knees steady on the down hill. Two days later I’m still a little staggery. No, I haven’t been drinking! But I am very happy.

Maureen

Banff

We spent Monday in the mountains – a birthday lunch at our favorite restaurant in Banff, some casual hiking when the skating rink we’d read about on-line failed to exist, and a visit to the Natural History Museum.

The museum, in a beautiful old building, is full of cabinets of dead animals. Most of them are as old as the building, and just as lovingly cared for. While I’m not keen on looking at stuffed animals (real ones, not the toys), I find it fascinating to see birds I’ve read about and seen illustrations of – up close.

I also was able to confirm one tidbit of information for the sequel to The Nexus Ring. There are security cameras at the Banff Cave and Basin, including at the basin itself (an outdoor pool, one of five pools inhabited by the endangered Banff Springs snail.)

The day was beautiful – sunny and warm, with a crisp wind to bite our cheeks and remind us it was still winter. There’s less snow in Banff than in Calgary, and, oddly, even less in the foothills between the two.

The photo was taken by the Bow River near Bow falls.