Day7

Day 7

On day 4 the party arrived in Banff. At the reception of our hotel we were told that we could expect to see 'some wildlife.' A nearby trail had recently been closed as an aggressive male grizzly had been spotted, and there would be a fine of $65000 for trespassing on closed trails. Where bears are supposed to find that sort of money, goodness knows. We headed for the Sulphur Mountain gondola. Hiking to the start of the ride we passed the iconic Banff Springs Hotel, the place to be if wealthy and desirous of shooting something much larger than oneself in the first half of the last century. Teddy Roosevelt and Edward 8th being among those to have fulfilled both criteria. The 10 minute gondola took us to the top of the mountain, the 9000 ft peak giving extraordinary views of the surrounding Rockies. Much of the party were left speechless for what seemed like the first time since Glasgow airport. The next morning, a number of us saw an Elk relaxing next to a bush on the main road, while stopping at Lake Louise the next morning on our way to  our next billet at Kanloops, Ms McWilliam spotted a bald eagle resting on the thermals above the lake. The clear skies over Kanloops that night allowed us to see shooting star after shooting star.

On day 6 the hockey squad headed straight to their fixtures where the girls drew 3-3, the boys 2-2, winning their penalty shoutout. The rugby party headed for training and accommodation at The University of British Columbia. We reconvened as a squad at Splashdown waterpark on day 7. A day spent on the flumes and playing basketball and volleyball was the perfect downtime following some long days of travelling and tough games and training. The rugby boys are billeted, the hockey squad staying in downtown Vancouver, with the promise of a morning spent on the islands in Vancouver Bay, followed by 2 hockey and 2 rugby fixtures this afternoon.

We have been unable to receive e-mails since day 4 but can now do so.