“Fifty Switzerlands in One”
That’s how the famed British climber Edward Whymper described the Revelstoke, British Columbia area. I have to agree! Exploring the town and the mountain parks around it might make you think you were indeed in Switzerland.
Having arrived on a Thursday afternoon, we were stoked to get settled into a beautiful campground in Revelstoke, surrounded by epic mountains and small-town charm. Unfortunately, it decided to rain all day Friday. Saturday was to be the big football game between UT and UT (Tennessee & Texas, each of which I have a degree from!). This is the first time these two teams have faced off on the gridiron since 1968! AND … College GameDay was going to be there. I love, love, love College Football Saturdays so much! Even when GameDay is on at 6 am in my timezone (PDT)! BUT … the wifi at the campground was not good. At all. I had to get creative. Maybe I’ll get up early and find a dog-friendly coffee shop that I could spend … what … six hours watching GameDay and then the UT/UT game right after? Ugg. So why not treat myself to a hotel somewhere in town that not only has decent wifi (or tv), along with a free breakfast?, I said. Then I could just wake up in a comfy bed and turn on GameDay. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Many people back home ask me who I was rooting for. After saying, “UT!” of course, my answer is that I gave four years of my blood, sweat and tears (literally) to Tennessee, but 30 years of my life to Texas!
After a fantastic 20 hours at the beautiful Glacier House Resort, we spent the afternoon attending the local LUNA Fest in Revelstoke. It’s so great to experience local culture like this on my travels; and an annual festival is just golden! LUNA Fest is an annual 3-day nocturnal art and music festival in downtown Revelstoke. Friday night was focused on music, centered around four stages in and around The Regent Hotel. Saturday evening, when Maisie and I attended, transformed the downtown streets into an open-air nocturnal art gallery. There were local installations, interactive street performances, and a main stage headlined by the Kamloops Symphony. With the sounds of strings and horns bouncing off the majestic blue mountains in the background and temps in the mid-40s (:D), it was such a magical experience. We stopped for a bite at a local bar called The Village Idiot (!), sitting out on the patio. The young Australian waiter was happy to change the channel on one of the TVs from skiing competitions and hockey games (it is September in Canada, after all!) to the LSU/A&M game for me :D.
Revelstoke National Park
After streaming church online Sunday morning, and then UT Volleyball and Soccer, of course, we headed out for some scenic hiking in Revelstoke National Park, whose creation is interesting:
“By 1911, local politicans and business people had recognized the scenic beauty and tourism potential of Mount Revelstoke and convinced the provincial government to fund the construction of an auto road up the mountain. In 1914, the federal government was so impressed with the alpine splendour of the area and local efforts to preserve it, that it set aside 248 km of the high country as Revelstoke National Park. Six years later, the park was renamed Mount Revelstoke National Park. It is one of only a few national parks in Canada to have been established at the request of local citizens.”
We drove up the curvy mountain roads and stopped wherever we could safely do so for majestic scenic overlooks and some hiking through the mountain forests. The narrow winding path of Broken Bridge Trail brought amazing views of surrounding mountains and the town of Revelstoke through beautiful, tall pine trees, along with others which shone brightly with yellows, golds and even some reds. The mighty Columbia River wound its way through the view; did you know it is the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America? It winds 2,000 km through British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, and empties into the Pacific at Astoria, Oregon. The river’s draiiage basin is roughly the size of France! I was thrilled to explore parts of the great river while in Oregon and Washington a couple of months ago, then gasp at its beauty again from an entirely different location.
Nels Nelsen Ski Jump
You know how much I love Olympic lore, right? Well, that includes winter-sport events in places that were not actually part of the Olympics. The Nels Nelsen Historic Ski Jump apparently is a legendary natural ski-jumping site in Mount Revelstoke National Park. Built way back in 1916 as the “Big Hill” and later nicknamed “Suicide Hill,” it was Canada’s largest natural ski jump and the only Canadian venue where international ski jumping world records were set between 1916 and 1933. At the top of the platform, I stood where champions launched in “Nels’ Knickers,” a metal photo-op frame molded after vintage competitor gear. You’ll laugh at the selfie I tried to take! Here’s the plaque by the spot:
“Imagine you are Nels Nelsen, teetering on this dizzying platform. Now look down. Between the tips of your handmade wooden skis, find the landing zone far below. Listen as the cheers from the spectators rise to hail you. Over your shoulder, the foreign voices of waiting competitors – Swiss, Swedish, French and Italian – whisper about smashing the world record. The blaring bugle from far below signals that all is ready; the hammered surface of the landing is clear. Anticipate adrenalin. The frantic flapping of butterfly wings in your stomach. Fear. Excitement. Resolve. Focus. Poise. Concentration. Crouch down, push off, explode from the platform and lose your weight in graceful freefall. Step into Nels’ Knickers if you dare …”
Glacier National Park
Thrilled to be in closs proximity to two national parks, I reserved Monday for exploring Glacier National Park (Canada’s version!). We started out hiking Bear Creek Falls Trail – a very rare trail in Glacier National Park because it leads you downhill to the waterfall, rather than uphill, descending about 295 feet, much of which was a bit muddy and slippery, but totally worth the treacherous path to get to the falls!
There were a number of different trails in Glacier NP that we were lucky to explore, starting with the epic 1885 Trail and the Meeting of the Waters / Glacier House Trail. The pictures, I think, say it all …
After a few hours on those trails—where we also met really friendly visitors from all over the world—we hopped in the truck and headed over to a couple of different boardwalk trails. The first was the Hemlock Grove Boardwalk. It turns out that Hemlock Grove is the only inland hemlock/cedar rainforest in the world! (Who knew?!) Then we drove down to the Giant Cedars Boardwalk, which winds through an old-growth rain forest that is home to some of the oldest trees in the Columbia Mountains. The largest members of the forest are the shaggy-barked western red cedar and the furrowed, dark brown western hemlock.
All in all, I found Revelstoke to be a charming, artistic mountain town, and the surrounding mountains and national parks a true wonder. Next, I’m super excited to head to a place near the top of my all-time bucket list: Banff National Park!