Why backpack the Canadian Rockies?

The answer is simple. Where could a family of four school aged children experience a wholesome vacation, removing worldly ideas and fortifying your child's morals and responsibilities -- but a retreat in the woods. Maybe a PBS documentary also had perked my fancy as well. (See -->(http://www.pbs.org/opb/greatlodges/canadian/) Momma bear thought I was nuts at first. After all, momma bear has been in hibernation for the past eleven years delivering God's gifts and raising our children. If she was already going batty from baby cries and contending to dirty diapers, she will really go off the deep end if she doesn't experience the solitude of the Canadian Rockies soon. My family has been yearning the removal of the typical suburban crud for many years. So our first real vacation wasn't the typical worldly adventure of Disney Land or Disney World, where the home of fruits and nuts can be observed in the open, but in the heart of God's Country. Where do you think immodest dress, belittling of our youth, and the parade of piercing have come from? Smut Peddlers from Hollywood and these dysfunctional families airing their stupidity on American TV.

9 months of planning was interesting. The Canadian Rockies are about 1600 miles from home base. The drive will be long, but worth every effort. The major hurtle was the varying abilities of my children. Equipment weight was the utmost concern. Ultra-Lightweight backpacking equipment is essential. Try locating a 6 man tent under 6 lbs or better yet a 15 degree sleeping bag weighing just under two pounds. The search was difficult, but after reading about proven products from ULA, Tarptent, and Marmot to name a few, made searching easier. Quality lightweight backpacking equipment is pricey, but so is permanent back damage.

1. Lake Ohara will be our first trip. We will spend three nights at an Alpine Club of Canada Hut bunked up with several other families (this primitive building houses about 30 people).

2. Rogers Pass at Canada's Glacier National Park. - 2 nights

3. Yoho Valley, visiting the Whaleback and Takakkaw Falls (one of Canada's largest waterfall), staying at the Stanley Mitchell Hut. 6.8 miles to the hut.
3 nights

4. Mount Assiniboine, we will cross the continental divide on foot. This area is touted as being premier backpacking country. We will skip the simple 15 minute, $200.00/person helicopter ride, since we are just city folks and experience the two day 17 mile hike in the middle of bear country. Momma bear and I will have bear spray from UDAP (www.pepperpower.com). Unfortunately, Canada doesn't allow pistol packing and has very strict laws protecting animals in its parks.

5. Mount Robson Region (Berg Lake Trail). 6 Nights of tarp tent sleeping under the stars. This area is the most heavily traveled in the Canadian Rockies from what I have read. Kathy and Craig Copeland describe it best, "Because this area is widely known, think of it as a time for stimulating encounters." 13 miles just to reach the freezing waters of Berg Lake.