Life of a Gal Named Liv

When it comes to exploring, many of us dream of “far away places” yet never actually roam too far. This, to me, is tragic. We all have our “Pinterest Boards” and dreams of wandering the globe, but always have some excuse as to why we can’t. For many, it can be money/ time/ work/etc. Trust me, I have a big ole range of excuses… Between college, not having a passport, and insufficient funds I haven’t done much traveling outside of the PNW. Thankfully, this past year has made me realize how none of that matters in the end.

Nearly a year ago, there was a shooting in my hometown of Roseburg, OR. We always hear of shootings on the news and feel some level of sorrow, but when its your hometown… trust me it truly “hits home”. After my best friend called me telling me he “was safe, but was running from the sound of gunshots” I realized how short life really is. Those were the kids I grew up with running for their lives. It was unreal to me how people I grew up with were suddenly just gone. I am only 20 years old… and I don’t even feel as though I have truly “lived” yet. It was after that day that I realized I needed to start making the most of my life. Not only for me, but for all the young lives that have ended far too early. I am not saying God doesn’t have a plan for us, He does, but I feel its important to live a full life- no matter the years. I didn’t want to just go to school and work anymore. I mean I have barely tapped into my “Exploration Goals” board on Pinterest! I needed to live. That, for me,  meant hiking, traveling, and actually making time for thing I want to do. So, I have started progressing my way towards what I want my life to be like. 1) I got a passport 2) I saved all my summer income 3) I looked into flights/ costs/ opportunities 4) I set travel goals for my year!

So, here we are a few weeks after my first venture out of the USA! My friend Stephanie and I ( the first time for both of us) ventured to Alberta, Canada and explored Banff National Park. Between border patrol, heavy rains, bloody ankles, money conversions, too-close-for-comfort-skunks, and bear sightings we made it. We not only survived, but we had a blast!

Friday, we drove the rainy 8 hour trek up north to Radium Hot Springs, Canada. Lucky us, all the money conversion locations were closed for the holiday weekend so we proceeded to buy bananas with $20 bills (Yes, that was how we eventually converted our $100 cash supply into Canadian Dollars)… We then set up our tent in the pouring rain, ate some ramen, and made “friends” with a skunk. 

Saturday, we knew could only get better.. so, we packed up and headed into Banff National Park (about a 1.5 hours NE). The drive was gorgeous, for the waterways were all a bright blue color. Honestly, it looked like you were looking through a filter on Instagram!

We set up camp in “The most bear-infested campground in Banff” as the locals said…and then headed for the famous Lake Louise! 

Isn’t that water insanely blue? It is a glacial lake, which has a sediment that is very fine and results in a very clear blue color. Next, we stopped by Moraine Lake which was an entirely different shade of blue! (Pictured below- via a very rocky mountain we had to climb to get the shot!) The lichen on the rocks even caught my eye since it contrasted so much with the water…

The Banff Hot Springs were next on our list along with a massive Mexican dinner in the center of downtown. After soaking in the “pool-like” hot springs, we hit the hay to prepare for the next day’s hike. Sunday, we were feeling up to a longer hike and decided to explore Johnston Canyon Falls and Ink Pots. The hike ended up being exactly 7 miles total, but was well worth the mileage and incline. We hit 3 views of the falls during the hike and even hopped the fence to get a closer (and very nerve wracking) view! Like the glacial lakes, they were a very bright blue color. I thought it was interesting how the stream flowed through stone rather than a more broken down bank (like in many rivers in Idaho)…! It was also amazing how jagged the Canadian Rockies appeared above the Ink Pots. The Ink Pots had a “swirling sand” phenomenon that had something to do with the water coming directly from the aquifers. I tried to picture it, but my phone died immediately after my “very natural” Bean Boot photo. Stephanie actually decided to drink straight from the river alongside the Ink Pots and hasn’t gotten E. Coli yet!

As a whole, our trip was an awesome experience. We ventured out on our own (without any men or parents) and did what WE wanted to do! We pushed our bodies, stayed in budget, and saw some of the gorgeous wonders of Alberta, Canada. It goes to show even a weekend trip (yes, we did all this in 3 days) can be worth your while. I hope to go back there maybe even this spring break, for it was GORGEOUS! I encourage all of you to go explore this area and take in God’s creation. It is a short life and I, personally, am working to make the most of it! (It does help to have a good friend to do these awesome trips with- love ya Steph!)

Travel Update: My next adventure will be taking place even further north… in Iceland! The tickets have been purchased and I am extremely excited. This will happen over Thanksgiving Break ( a 5 day trip), so y’all can count on that! If you have any recommendations on what to see/ where to go I would love to hear them!

God Bless, Liv