You ask yourself a lot of questions before booking a tour, but probably the biggest one is; is this tour right for me? Well, I don’t know you personally but I’ll try and sum up what to expect from the TrekAmerica Mountie Tour and you can decide for yourself by the end of the blog post. From weather to packing to tent buddies; I’ll cover all the behind-the-scenes goodness that this trip had to offer!
The Mountie tour will take you from cityscape to mountainside in just 11 days as you experience some of the best sights Canada has to offer! You’ll hit up Vancouver where you can sit by the water and enjoy some delicious homemade gelato. Tour through the beautiful mountainsides of British Columbia where you will witness jaw-dropping waterfalls and views to die for! Then you can finish up with stops through Alberta including the super quaint town of Banff before heading to Calgary to fly back home! To see everything that’s included in the TrekAmerica Mountie Tour along with the full itinerary you can click here.
Did you miss all of the epic videos I published while I was in Canada? You can catch up here.
What to pack
If you’re like me and you don’t regularly go on camping trips, then you are probably wondering what you will need to pack! Other than the usual toiletries and clothes, here are a few important things to cram into your case!
- Backpack or suitcase? EITHER! Most people on our trip, including myself, took a suitcase. They will be stored in the van for the majority of the time so you won’t need to carry them anywhere other than to and from the tent when you arrive at your campsite.
- A suitable sleeping bag for at least 3 seasons, even in summer! The Rockies are cold, then hot, then it snows, then it’s below zero again. Trust me, the weather changes in a heartbeat and my tent buddy learned the hard way when she brought a super thin summer sleeping bag and had to pile all of her clothes on top of her one night to stop shaking. I suggest a light 3 season bag like mine: Karrimor Unisex Super Light 3 Sleeping bag
- Pillow; you have two options. You can either bring one with you that inflates and fits nicely in your bag. Or, you buy one from Wal Mart when you get there for about $5 which is all fluffy and soft!
- Hat, gloves, scarf (especially for the Glacier walk)! Like I mentioned before, weather changes rapidly and when you get to Athabasca Glacier you will need to wrap up warm! So throw in a beanie, scarf and some gloves when you pack, you won’t regret it when the temperature suddenly drops!
- Without a doubt, make sure you have comfortable shoes. You don’t need to go out and buy a pair of expensive hiking boots, even trainers will suffice. But they must be comfortable as some days have you on your feet for hours. Don’t worry too much about the glacier as they have good boots for you to borrow when you get there to do that.
- Flip flops. There is nothing worse than fighting gravity everytime you get in and out of your tent as you try to put on your lace-up shoes whilst half out of the tent. Also, you may want to wear them in the showers so throw in a cheap pair and you can thank me later.
- Nice stuff to wear. You won’t be roaming the bush all of the time and with some great bars and restaurants to visit on a few of your stops, you might want to throw a pair of nice jeans or your favorite skirt and top if you’re feeling fancy. Or just wear your shorts, 4-day-old t-shirt and boots to the pub like me!
- Bug spray! This is a no-brainer! Unless you want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes then pack a bottle!
Weather
Weather across the Rockie Mountains can change in a heartbeat. We once experienced sunshine and snow simultaneously! The Mountie tour offers a wide variety of activities so whatever time of year it may be, pack for all possible outcomes!
The glacier walk and cold nights at camp require a hoodie, scarf, and even thermals as a bare minimum. I went in June and only pulled my shorts out for the final two days!
Wildlife
One of the most magical parts of your trip will be spotting the abundance of wildlife. From black beers to Elk make sure you have a fully charged camera, good zoom lens and ALWAYS listen to your tour leader when it comes to bear safety.
Being bear aware is something that becomes second nature to you by the end of the trip. Your tour leader will explain how to store your belongings overnight and what you should do if by any small chance you have a close encounter with these beautiful creatures. They really are a highlight of the trip and you will get to experience how Canadians beautifully co-exist with mother nature and all of her creatures.
Camping
OK, real talk, if you don’t like camping, then this trip probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re new to it all and are a little apprehensive then rest assured, because you are not alone. I remember a few people in the group who hadn’t done any camping and you know what, they loved the trip regardless. You will become the master of tent assembly and feel like a camping pro by the end of the trip!
So, you will be sharing the tent with someone else from your group and they shall be your tent buddy! I personally had a great tent buddy who became my partner in crime for the trip. Like I mentioned before, you will need to provide your own sleeping bag and pillow but they give you the tent and inflatable mat, so you’re good to go!
People
People really do make a place and before long you will all become one big family. You will hike together, eat together and sleep on each other in the van! Usually you will get only one tour guide, however, we were lucky enough to get two kick-ass guides to take us on our adventure! Heather and Will were fantastic and they really do go above and beyond to make sure you are happy, safe and smiling!
Something our guides encouraged us to do was to take “you time”. Even for the most extroverted people out there, it’s important to take a little time to yourself. Whether that’s a little nap in your tent during your downtime or taking a book and a beer to the other side of the campground. You will live with your new family full time and it’s super important to make sure you “do you”!
Walking
So, how much walking/hiking is actually involved in the tour? Surprisingly, not a crazy amount! All the hikes we did were easy-moderate in length and elevation and sure sometimes the path got a little steep, but it was nothing anyone couldn’t handle! The most important thing to remember is comfortable shoes!! You might also get a choice of walks you can do in your free time and your guides will let you know the length and difficulty of all of the options. So fear not, whether you’re a born mountaineer or more of a chilled stroller, the tour accommodates most fitness levels!
Cooking and cleaning
Over the course of the 11 days, you will experience a mix of campfire cooking sprinkled with a few trips out to pubs/restaurants. At the start of the trip, everyone is assigned to a little cooking/clean-up roster. If you are not dining out then everyone has the chance to cook for the rest of the group! Your guides will do all the shopping for you and you just have to cook up a feast! Everyone had great fun doing this and don’t worry if you’re not a master chef, you’ll be cooking with a couple of others from the group too!
Van life
How much time do you actually spend in the van? Surprisingly, not that much. I have been on previous tours with other companies and we practically lived in the van/bus. There are a couple of days with lots of driving but your guide will make sure to make regular stops and whoever sits in the front seat plays DJ for the drive, so you can all sing along to the biggest ballads!
This trip was absolutely fantastic. I would do it again and again and not one of us was ready for it to be over. In all honesty, do NOT hesitate to book this trip. I mean it. The Rockies will blow your mind and the fun, adventure, and bear spotting will just leave you wanting more and more!
Have you been on this tour? Anything that I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments!
Disclaimer: This trip was offered to me for free in return for social media coverage. All opinions and views remain honest and my own! Thank you so much TrekAmerica for inviting me on the trip of a lifetime!
