Arrived at the Samesun to included dinner, always a bonus. Not a bad wee curry, but can't beat my mums. Then spent the evening at HI Bandf for a live band. Got pretty drunk and ended up leaving with the Swiss guys. Kinda tripped a few of the 30-40 steps down, luckily saved by Lucas but always good for the imminent climb on Thursday.

The next day, both of us feeling slightly rough, but me determined not to waste the day, I got up for a wonder around Banff, while Kenny slept on. All the memories of last time came flooding back, clear as day can remember it from 3 years previous. The afternoon consisted of over an hour drive to the kicking horse river in Golden for hydra river guides white water rafting. The feat time we saw humming birds, they are such cool little creatures. Their wings flutter a fast as flies, it's crazy. So onto the river. Great fun!! Lucas, Thomas, Manja (with some persuasion), Ryan, Kenny and I, along with two ransoms and our guide AJ. We learnt paddling in sync, forward, back, and grabbing the centre line if we were gona tip. Thomas recorded it on his go pro, so he had some great pictures and a class video. Was about a grade 3, as the river was quite low. But certainly hairy enough for a hangover day. I had a go second from the front at the start, and switched with Lucas half way, glad I did as he got soaked!! And the water was absolutely freezing. After a long drive back again to Banff, we headed out to the Elk and Oarsman for some elk pizza, yumm and had an early night ready for tomorrow's climb.

For up at 8 to saw goodbye to the guys,
Alex, Megan, Manja, Thomas and Lucas as they were heading back to Vancouver. Then met Rob, Maika, Clara and Ryan for the climb. Started at Nesters market for lunchtime snacks. So eventually got to the starting point at 10.10 and got the climb underway. Right from the word go, the only way I can describe Mount Rundel is AWFUL. Steep doesn't even begin to describe it. A constant uphill battle, attacked by mosquitos every few seconds, the very odd bit of level ground, then more uphill, scrambling over scree. From about 30 minutes in, I knew I didn't wana do it. It just wasn't like me, I couldn't handle the steepness, absolutely killing me and poor Kenny got the brunt of it. It didn't help that we lost the rest of the group, and I was worried a bear might get us (they advise to walk in groups of four or more) or might twist an ankle (as constantly tripping on stones or tree roots) and we'd just be stranded as there weren't very many people on the trail. My quote of the day,
'I wish a bear would just eat me now and put me out of my misery!'
Eventually caught up to the rest of the guys, and it was easier for about 10 mins, but they were all to fast for me and I didn't wana hold them back. (I didn't like being the slow one, I'm used to being at the front or middle) So we let them go ahead, as I'd had a mini breakdown and wasn't going any further. I tripped over one to many tree roots and just had enough. So we sat down for 5 mins. Then, as if from no-where, I got this burst of determination... 'I'm not going to let Rundel defeat me!!!' So I got up and scrambled faster than I had all day, and just kept going. Every once in a while I'd turn and make sure Kenny was coming behind me. One time I checked and he wasn't, just thought now he's the slow one, and I kept going, higher and steeper on shear rock face. (We'd passed the tree line.) This time when I turned around, I actually looked around at how high I was, and how alone, then the real panic struck....
"Kenny?" I spoke...
"Kenny??" I shouted...
"Kenny???!' I screamed...
No reply
'Help me!!!' I sobbed
Still no reply
"Kenny PLEASE help me?!" Gurn, cry, sob
And like a little orange ant, he appeared. My knight and shining armour to guide me down the rock face. Taking my bag, he guided me every step of the way. Turns out, he'd stopped about 50 meters earlier and decided he wasn't going any further, because it was that scary and that hard.
So 3 and a half/4 hours into our 8-10 hour hike, we had had enough. We hit ourselves back to the tree line and took a break for lunch. We were up pretty darn high, could see all of Banff far below. Recon we made it 3/4 of the way up (well maybe 2/3, but 3/4 sounds better, and as Kenny continually tells the storey, he forgets to mention that we didn't make it to the top). So you would think the hard was over... No!! As Megan would agree, sometimes the way down is the hard part. It absolutely killed our knees. To the point where Kenny and I switched roles, he turned into the gurn, the complainer... 'My Knees!! I can't go any further.' Alternated with, 'my throat is killing me.' So we resorted to making up stories to cheer each other up. Eventually the end is nearing, as we are greeted by the familiar horse poo we'd seen on the way up. By the time we reach the golf course, at 4.45pm, I say; 'be funny if a golfball whacked us now, just top off this day.'
Kenny gets in his quite of the day,
'If a golfball hit me on the head right now, I'd just fall face first into that pile of horse s*** and lie there!'
So although we were at the end of the trail, we had walked about 45mins from the hostel to get to the start, so aching legs and dying for a drink, Kenny stops the wee caretaker man on his golf buggy, 'give us a lift back to the hostel!'
He says he can't give us a lift, but he can give is some cold water. Water had never tasted soo good!!
When we got back to Banff, we treated ourselves to Cows ice cream; supposed to be for our victory, more so for our commiserations.
As soon as we reached the hostel, to bed we went. Got up a few hours later, just to check on the others, and turns out, out of the six of us who started, only 3 made it to the top. Apparently the climb got more dangerous and a thunderstorm was starting so tightly had to get down as fast as they could. So a sleepy evening turned into a drinking evening. Ended up playing flip cup, drinking agwabombs, (coca leaf from Bolivia and sent to Amsterdam for brewing, with red bull). Then onto a bar for a few drinks, topped off with a slice of pizza to end the night.

Next morning, we had a bit of a lie in, and got up just in time for breakfast. It was raining outside so just walked the town. Went to the Whyte museum (about the Banff people and their homes) and Canada park museum (about the park animals), then had lunch by the Bow river.
Kenny complained all day, sore this, sore that so back to hostel we went.
Sat in the common room talking to the girl Kirsty we met in the east of Canada, and it turns out she's doing a similar kind of tour to us. (Fiji, NZ, OZ)
Didn't intend to drink, but had fish and chips (which was really good) with a twisted tea, new fav drink. Got in touch with Nancy, from east Moose tour, who was on a Contiki tour this time and she came to our hostel to play bingo, fun wee night. Great to see her again :)

Leaving the next day, with our driver Hayley and our fully British 'Jake' bus, we stopped via Johnson canyon and Tawakka falls, both very pretty. Then onto Samesun Kelowna for an included steak dinner and a squishy hot tub. Bumped into Zoe, from our east Canada tour, small world. Then next day, we ventured back to Vancouver, with a stop via Dutchman ice-cream, and a walk around the farm where they made it. Then stopped by an old railway line, that they had dug through the mountain to make, then changed their minds a few years later as they decided it wasn't that safe. Took lots of cool group pics here. On getting back to the city, we headed out with Hayley, Steph and Harriette for sushi. Not my usual choice but I'll try most things. Kenny just got beef teriyaki. Cheap as chips tho, and I even had enough left for the next days lunch. Had a few drinks in the hostel, Samesun Vancouver, and said goodbye to Megan and Alex for the last time.
The next day we went on a tour with the HI across the road. They took us to a lighthouse. Interesting but best of all, just seeing that by taking the bus for half an hour, can show you the 'countryside of the city.' Also caught up with Manja, who was on our Rockies tour.