That Wasn't the Eiffel Peak Hike I Planned, Banff NP

Back in April, I made reservations for the Moraine Lake shuttle and Lake Louise campground with one goal in mind: hike Eiffel Peak on September 19, hopefully surrounded by golden larches and beautiful fall weather. But sometimes the best-laid hiking plans don't go exactly as planned. Just a few days before our trip, I got sick. By the time we arrived in Banff National Park, I was feeling better—but definitely not 100%. We decided to start the hike toward Sentinel Pass and use the trail junction as our decision point. If I was feeling exhausted, we'd stick with Sentinel Pass. If I still had enough energy, we'd continue toward Eiffel Peak. And that's exactly what we did. We chose Eiffel Peak. The hike was going well until we reached the scrambling section. As the terrain became steeper and more difficult, I started feeling the effects of being sick—headache, increasing fatigue, and even jittery hands. Eventually, when we were only about 100 metres of elevation below the summit, some hikers coming down told us that the remaining section was the hardest part and had taken them about an hour to climb. At that point, I knew I didn't have another hour of scrambling in me. So Klara and I split up. She continued toward the summit with a group we'd been hiking with, while I stopped to rest and wait for her. And here's the funny part… Klara reached the summit in only about 20 minutes! Part of me was disappointed that I hadn't continued. But after resting for a while, I realized just how much my body needed that break before tackling the scramble back down. Klara brought the summit to me through beautiful photos and videos, so I still got to experience those incredible views from the top of Eiffel Peak. And as Klara said afterward, this hike wasn't really about the views—it was about the journey. And what a journey it was. On the way back, we unexpectedly came across a group of people playing music and dancing with the spectacular mountains and Sentinel Pass as their backdrop. They invited us to join them, and we happily danced for a minute before continuing down the trail. We also encountered a mule deer crossing our path. And of course, there was the stunning turquoise water of Moraine Lake, the Valley of the Ten Peaks, the beautiful fall scenery, and all the people and little moments that made this day memorable. I didn't reach the summit of Eiffel Peak this time. But sometimes a hike doesn't need to end exactly the way you planned for it to become a great adventure. #WomenWhoHike #WomenOutdoors #SheExplores #ExploreAlberta #HikeAlberta #CanadianRockies #RockyMountains #EiffelPeak #MoraineLake #BanffNationalPark #AlbertaHiking #HikingAlberta #MountainScramble #BanffHiking #RockiesHiking #HikingAdventure