I don’t remember the first time I saw photos of the incredible glacier fed water of Alberta’s lakes, but in my head I had been planning a trip there ever since that day. It finally all came together in the summer of 2017, eight days on the road with my girlfriend Ashley exploring Canada.

I lost track, but I estimate we visited at least 30 lakes, hiked over 70 miles, had the worst mosquito bites of my life and saw one gigantic bear (from a too far away distance to shoot on my wide angle lens). It was the trip of a lifetime. Banff in the summer can be extremely crowded, especially the easily accessible spots like Lake Louie, but what I loved about this trip was that any time we put the work in to get off the beaten path and take the trail less traveled, we were immediately greeted by solidarity and what felt like an endless wilderness all to ourselves. We spent time in Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Park, with a one day side trip to British Columbia and the very beautiful Mt. Robson Provincial Park.