Mickey had promised to take us on his favourite hike today - the Cory Pass Trail. He knew Jill's discomfort at steep down hill paths but assured us that this walk was perfect. It was a round trip, steep going up but a longer and gentler return loop. Micky's good friend Gaye joined us and we set out in shorts and t-shirts on a glorious sunny day.

The trail head car park was only a short drive out of Banff and we were soon climbing briskly up through trees. We soon reached a rock ridge, still in the trees, with spectacular cliffs falling away to our left. Next came a short scramble down about 50 feet and then we had clear sight of what lay ahead! A long narrow path skirted steeply up the side of Mount Edith with Cory Pass a still distant and much higher target for lunch.

The traversing path was narrow, running across loose, steep scree and was quite exposed. It was also a little hairy in places where June's torrential rain had washed short sections of path down the mountain. This was turning into quite a climb and we were both hot, breathless and in need of sustenance. We did grab a drink and snack but it was clear that lunch was not going to happen until we'd climbed the 1000m to the distant pass and our high point of the trail. So apart from the brief scramble down over rock this half of the walk was just continual up, up, up! A wilting Jill and a weary Dave, both very hungry, eventually made it to the Pass and were rewarded by increasingly spectacular views of Bow Valley below, with Mount Edith and Mount Cory either side.

The views at lunch really were worth the effort and became even more spectacular as we set off again, over the Pass and into the Valley of the Gargoyles with the superb sharp dome of Mount Louis ahead. Immediately the path was guarded by what looked like distorted rock pinnacles that clearly gave the valley its name. It also became immediately obvious that the initial path down was even steeper and looser than the one we'd just come up. This was never going to suit Jill and was clearly not the gentle descent that Micky had promised! After such a tiring climb Jill dug deep and with a helping hand from Dave took a slow, steady pace downhill whilst under her breath threatening never to walk with Mickey again! Jill couldn't really appreciate the stunning surroundings as we carefully descended out of the valley and onto Mickey's promised gently descending trail.

Looking back this was an epic walk with some of the most rugged, dare we say awesome (the North Americans do overuse this word!), mountain views we've ever been amongst. It's easy to see why Mickey rates the walk so highly. It's probably not a walk we would have tackled by ourselves as the guide book described it as "the most strenuous day walk in the area" so we have Mickey and Gaye to thank for a challenging and most memorable day.