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I knew about the fires in Canada, but what worried me in the Rocky Mountains was the bears. Yes because first of all, the Rocky Mountains are also Canadian and not just U.S. as some people believe.

During this trip I read Bill Bryson‘s novel, A Walk in the Woods. The U.S. writer recounts his vicissitudes along the Appalachian Trail in the United States. He decides to undertake almost without preparation, a very long trail, and it is quite different from the trips I usually take. So much so that it is clear from his account how tiring it is to walk and the frequent terror of bears to which he devotes a whole chapter of unpleasant episodes, so to speak.

For me, walking of the woods is hardly fatigue at all, but mostly a restorative joy for everything that comes through my ears, eyes, nose and skin. But in the Rocky Mountains I can’t hide the fact that I had a fillip of worry. Around, their presence is palpable; lots of signs, the specially created anti-bite bins, and especially the spray. Everyone asks if you have it with you. The girl at the hostel who rented me the canister reassured me that it worked well even against moose, which are actually even more dangerous.

Tragedy in the Rocky Mountains, I begin to sing

As I set out on the trail that started right from downtown Banff, I thought it would be a crowded trail, thus safer, since it led to a popular spot. After a short while, and for quite a while instead, I found myself completely alone in a beautiful landscape bordering a river. I began to sing aloud a long poem I had invented on the spot. Given my singing skills, I was sure I would keep anyone away.

Before the wild fires in Canada, everything was like Banff National Park, a jewel

I slept in the cheaper town of Canmore, from where there is an extensive transportation network that takes you both into the more important Banff and past the entrances to many trails. One of the most beautiful is the one leading to Grassi Lakes, named after Lorenzo Grassi an Italian immigrant in the early 1900s with a beautiful and unfortunately little known story, which you can read about here.

Another place with incredible views and beautiful rides is Lake Luise, also really crowded, however. I like to walk in solitude, but just in those days there was the news story about an Italian motorcyclist who got mauled by a bear in Romania. That gentleman had brought it on himself by approaching a mother bear with cubs and violating a bit of all the sensible directions and behavior. Solo hiking in Canada can be dangerous, though.

The road to Jasper was characterized by 4 1/2 memorable hours. Someone named it the most spectacular road in the world. The landscape resembles that of the Dolomites, but the nature here is endless; for thousands of miles you might not find a single human being or building. Crossing these logos gives a feeling of endless greenery, a succession of mountains, glaciers, rushing rivers, lakes of unreal colors, with towering trees.

In Jasper I am in the territory of fires in Canada

The ‘last half hour of the bus route was shocking. The same infinity of green was now composed of an endless succession of blackened vegetation. Here was the outcome of the immense fires that had hit Canada in recent years. Just before arriving in the center of the small town, I saw the containers where the many who had lost their homes live. The last burned trees were just a few steps away from the center and the train station. Despite the sadness that hangs in the sad air, they have been good to fix, even the paths have been fixed, only they go through the middle of a dead forest.

I arrived in the evening, and the next morning first thing I went to the information center to understand the situation. I also asked about the bears, and a nice guy told me: the bears are gone. Pictures say much more than words in this case. The most popular trail starts from the village and onto the nearby knoll. There is a 360-degree view of the forest, the river, what is left of the small village, the unscathed sliver of green forest, and behind the snow-capped peaks even in summer. I found this moment an intense mix of beauty and sadness

In my hostel room were two local teenage girls. I imagined that since they no longer had their own room, they preferred that solution to the container with their parents. In general, and beyond the burned area, having more days, it would be more interesting to enjoy nature and trekking rather than visiting the cities, but being potentially dangerous, you lose a little taste.

Links from the trip to Canada and beyond

The home page with links to all the videos made in Canada: More videos from Canada, the forest fire

Home travel articles Travel in Canada from one ocean to another

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Fabio Viroli

Ho sempre avuto tante passioni, ma da sempre più o meno latenti, le principali sono viaggiare e scrivere. Tra le altre cose ho una laurea in psicologia; ho fatto per più di 30 anni l’allenatore di basket; leggo tanti libri; sono stato molto appassionato di sport e di musica rock; e faccio improvvisazione teatrale. IL mio primo romanzo, che non parla di viaggi, si chiama LE TUE GAMBE SONO BELLE COME LE TAGLIATELLE

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