Jonathan Neufeld Outdoor adventure photography and mountain life

With the recent cold snap I figured that it was time to revisit the lower falls at Johnston Canyon (Banff National Park). The 1km is more like a walk then a hike but the snow and ice on the ups and downs can make it interesting. I use Kahtoola MICROspikes to solve the problem. They are the best investment I’ve made for winter photography, the only down side is walking on solid ground is a bit rough on the bottom of your feet. Even in the winter I find it amazing the diversity of the people that visit the falls, from Russian, French, Dutch, German to a Hutterite family from one of the local Colonies.

I got out this weekend with my girlfriend Jamie for a short ski-tour up to the ghost town of Sts John. The trail leading up to Sts John starts in the town of Montezuma just off Loveland Pass and when we arrived at the trailhead the day was a dull gray and snow was falling like crazy. We dutifully strapped on the skis and went for a ride anyway.

This trail is a nice easy “green run” of a ski that follows a winding 4-wheel drive road through a coniferous forest. We had been out downhill skiing the day before and the snow at Keystone was packed solid and rather miserable. By contrast, today’s snow was excellent with a light dusting of fresh snow on top of a good base with a whole lot more coming down.This was the first back country day for both of us this season and it was nice to go for a leisurely stroll.