Britta had her first taste of the outdoors when we went camping in Banff this week. We packed thoroughly, imagining what it would be like to have a screaming infant in the middle of a crowded campground. The Highlander rode low as we headed to Cochrane for a picnic lunch.
Overnight, Britta has grown very single-minded with food. She wants bread. She wants milk; she wants MORE BREAD. Favourite foods of last week are out the window and bananas and avacados are met with a disdainful upturned nose. Kristine and I pride ourselves on imagined parenting skills and we immediately give in and give Britta that doughy goodness she craves.
Britta was fascinated with the train that passed through Cochrane and put down her bun for seconds at a time to point at it, looking down frequently to ensure that the bun had not run off and was still waiting to be gummed. Did I mention Britta now has a third tooth emerging? It's on the bottom next to the other two - still no sign of the elusive top line-up.
At Banff, we camped at the Tunnel Mountain campground. It's right on the edge of the town of Banff, so we had drinks at Starbucks ("Treat Yo-self!") and walked up to the Banff gardens. Britta was very taken with the begonias, much like her mother. We also had a leisurely stroll along the river while Britta napped in the stroller.
At the campground, Britta pointed at everything! Birds, squirrels, bugs, trees - nothing was spared by her index finger. Look at that! What is that? Her curiosity knew no bounds. A family with two little girls was in the neighbouring campsite and Britta made instant friends by smiling and waving her wrist-roll queen wave. They were visiting from Denmark and we had a halting conversation in English.
When it was getting dark and the mosquitos were getting bold we put Britta to bed. Not before three kamikazee mosquitos bit Britta in the center of her forehead. Britta didn't seem to mind. We purchased a PeaPod for Britta for this trip and it worked like a charm. It's a little pop-up tent, complete with air mattress for children. It was inside our tent, so Britta was doubly secure. All that fresh air put her right to sleep.
The following morning, Britta and mum cuddled so we could sleep in before a quick breakfast of muffins. We packed up camp and headed up to Lake Louise. Britta rode in the Kelty Kids pack with a home-made sun cover. Again, she was surrounded by a gaggle of hikers admiring how cute she was. One or two mentioned the valour of her steadfast mule, who was wheezing and puffing and working up a lather. Britta was very excited to be on the trek and she pointed, talked, sang, and poked her ol' dad in the head. Near the Plain of the Six Glaciers tea house Britta succumbed to the unsteady gait and had a snooze. That was fine by us, because we were able to enjoy our anniversary iced tea and scones. Guess which number this one was!
The path back didn't seem nearly as long and before long we were back to the vehicle. Our estimate for how long it would take was a teensy bit off so we stopped for supper at the Tim Horton's in Canmore. Britta fought sleep all the way home but she was out like a light the moment her head hit her cozy pillow in her bed.
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