We wanted to share our journey through the Canadian Rockies, from Calgary right across to Vancouver, telling the story of natural beauty at its best; both in words and picture
When travelling in the second largest country in the world, you have to be a bit fussy about what you want to see. Most of us don’t have the luxury of an unlimited time option and you simply cannot underestimate the size of this place; it’s huge!
My own adventure began in Calgary and ended in Vancouver, taking me across one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the world: the Canadian Rockies. These mountains stretch across the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, with ice-capped peaks, dramatic wilderness, glacier-fed lakes, beautiful National Parks and a diverse range of wildlife that you can’t see anywhere else.
Knowing that Canada had more lakes than the rest of the world’s lakes combined, and some of the most majestic waterfalls known to the Earth, I knew I was in for a treat. As soon as I stepped foot out of the city and into the vast wilderness of the Canadian Rockies’ National Parks, I couldn’t help but be amazed by everything I saw. From every angle and with each blink, there was something new to ogle at, be it colossal mountains, crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, Elk grazing on the side of the road, or even the occasional black bear; my immediate thought was, how can you not fall in love with Canada?
I was lucky enough to be in what was turning out to be one of the most spectacular sceneries in the world, and no less with a new camera that promised me spectacular shots. I had organised to review the Fujifilm X-E2S, an X Series great that had made its name in the photography industry, both for professional and amateur use from its release in January 2016. Although slightly overshadowed by the release of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 (their newest flagship model), this retro style mirrorless camera was marketed as a durable, compact and lightweight answer to travel photography – a welcome solution to having to lug around a heavy digital SLR, whilst still maintaining high quality images.
Most people’s go-to travel cameras are very compact, light and easy to use, but unfortunately, these often result in photographs that leave you feeling a bit disappointed. I am usually the other extreme from this point of view, having taken my Nikon DSLR everywhere with me since I was a teenager, including across Asia, Europe, the USA and the Caribbean. So, it was a big step for me to switch to the X-E2s. Having said that, I immediately saw the benefits of such a light body and lens combination – it fit nicely in my daypack and produced no strain at all when carrying it around my neck. I was looking forward to discovering more about what this little camera could do and knew some of its features would become very useful with such wonderful scenery surrounding me.
The Rocky Mountains are over 70 million years old with a peak height of 14,440 feet, providing some pretty beautiful geological sights for those that are interested. The higher you go, the more the peaks protrude into jagged edges with thick folds of snow covering their steep inclines.