A Weekend In The Canadian Rockies

In 1851, the American writer Henry David Thoreau extolled the virtues of the wilderness in his essay Walking: “All good things are wild and free.” A great believer in the simple pleasures of the natural world, Thoreau championed the idea of getting away from it all, leaving the trappings of modern life behind and finding a little freedom in the great outdoors.

It's an idea we rather like. And with our new Mountaineering Collection in tow, we headed out for a few days of hiking, camping, and exploring in the Canadian Rockies.

We landed in Alberta, where we were joined by old friends Yuki Matsuda and Dylan Lynch. After a quick poutine pit-stop, we loaded up the car and headed out towards the mountains. We took to the Icefields Parkway, and soon our phone signal disappeared and was replaced by a succession of extraordinary vistas, each more sublime than the last.

The road wound its way through the mountains, past glaciers and icefields, something new round every corner. We stopped whenever the mood took us, admiring mountains and bright blue lakes and the last of the autumn sunshine.

Eventually, we found a spot to camp, tucked away in the forest. Dylan set about making a campsite around the fire, while we settled in with a few beers, a packet of Hawkins Cheezies and a rather spectacular view. As night fell, the sky opened up above us, revealing an extraordinary expanse of stars.

We'd arrived just before the first snowfall of the season, when the trees were still ablaze with autumn colour. Deer wandered through the forest, wild horses appeared in the distance, red squirrels darted between the trees and eagles circled overhead. A few days spent with some good company, surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable.