To be fair the description "relentless switchbacks" should have been a clue.  After this hike I decided that trekking poles are an awesome idea.  They came in really hand in a lot of ways as you will see next week.

Behind the curtain:  This comic took a long time to make because there are more panels than usual and I'm still figuring out how to deal with the great outdoors. Every episode I learn something new. Which makes me happy because if they became routine I doubt making the comic would be fun anymore.

*Trail descriptions are from the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide (Brian Patton and Bart Robinson; Summerthought Publishing), the original hiking guide to Banff National Park and the contiguous parks. 

Originally published in 1971 and now in its 9th edition, this book details over 3,400 kilometres of hiking trails in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay and Waterton Lakes National Parks