Canmore here we come! Thank you airmiles for giving us free accomodations at the Best Western Pocaterra Inn! My bag is the carry-on one on the left while Scott's is the full sized suitcase on the right. Need I say more? :)
I couldn't help but think of Scripture when I looked at the mountains. I thought of Matthew 17 when a man brings his demon filled son to Jesus. He was upset that he'd not been able to free his son from the demons and neither had the disciples. In frustration Jesus tells the father that because his faith is small, he'd not been able to do it. He said, "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move." That's a mighty tall order hey? And how do you measure an amount of faith to know it's even the size of a mustard seed? I read that while it's not the smallest seed known now, it was in Palestinian times and in the right conditions could cause a plant to grown 10' tall.
This bundle of mountains is named Three Sisters and since I have 3 sisters too I think it's especially cool.
Upon arrival into Canmore we headed for a favorite hiking spot named Goat Creek. It's located just south of the Nordic Centre and will lead you all the way to Banff. At this time of year you share the trail with snowshoers and X Country skiiers alike - we opted for the road less traveled so Roxy could run amok.
I was surprised to see/hear so much running water given the amount of snow that was on the ground. Course, we didn't realize how much snow there was until we stepped into an area that hadn't been patted down. It was up to my knees in spots. I love the ice formations over the creek.
Hey Mel, I took this picture with you in mind - you need a new puzzle?! 
You fellas ready for the ride of your lives? I suspect with the look on their faces they're asking the same of me. I made our reservations with Snowy Owl Dog Tours in Canmore - we met at their office, got checked in, hopped onto their coach and we headed up to Spray Lakes campground area. I think at this point we're all looking forward to this but when I saw all of the dogs I became overjoyed. The dogs greeted us enthusiastically as if they'd been waiting for us all day. Way cool!
I believe the owner said there were 16 teams which we'd be using, each with between 6 and 7 dogs. We had the option to mush our own team either with a guide or on our own. We were sized up and given the option to have a team to ourselves - no guide... as in one family potentially whisked away with no chance of return. Was I up to this? Katie said, mom, if this is how God wants to take us, I'm okay with that. Smart kid! (Gets that from her mom's side.)
Our instruction lasted about 15-20 minutes and then we were directed to, and met, our team. There was Hendrix, Harrah, Moon Raiser, Harley, Indian and one other (I'm sorry I can't remember!!). I had heard that they only use husky dogs but I didn't realize that there are 6 varieties. I expected the great big dogs with blue eyes but these didn't fit into that definition. They didn't look like the ones in the dogsledding movies but it didn't matter - when the command HIKE was given, they were off. Did I mention WAY COOL?!?
Us girls got onto the sled and were zipped up nice and toasty. Scott was going to be the musher. (I welcome all goofy terms that this can become for my husband.)
Indian and Harley (named after motorcycles) are ready to go!
Click on this picture - check out the dog over the right side of our sled and the howling dog toward the back. The dogs bark and bug each other, similar to children. What we were unsure of it when the dogs are running and carrying on like this. Ahhh, puppies, you're attached to each other, get along!
This pictures was taken at the 1/2 way point, 4km into our adventure. We had a chance to take a couple pictures and were encouraged to pet the dogs (like anyone had to tell us). This is also the spot where Emily stayed out and joined Scott as co-musher! Sadly it wasn't a longer trek or we'd all have had a chance. Maybe next time... I'm hoping you'll be able to view a video which I took while Emily & Scott were mushing. The link is at the bottom of this post.
Isn't he beautiful!?Destination Mount Norquay - skiing / tubing
The snow at Norquay was most excellent; by far the best I've skied on in a long time. It was not as packed as I've been used to and this added to the challenge for the girls. They did stellar though, working on their skills and gaining more confidence. Can't wait to go again!!
Tubing at Mount Norquay is always a good time. The sun was shining and we were together. The only negative was that other people decided that this would be a good day to go as well... and the line up to get the tow up was lengthy. The option is there to walk up and we did, but it's a tough steep trek.
It's too bad the chair lift was in the way but this picture shows the steepness of the run. That's Katie and her dad.
And the two of them again (same run) - this one lets you see the speed (check out Katies hair - the wind must have blown Scott's hair clear off his head!). You can also see a little of the ice that made the runs so quick. People were coming down too quickly so staff laid burlap at the end of the runs to stop so many people from going through the snow fence!
Yes, this is at Norquay. And yes, it's facing the sun... but still!!! It was a beautiful day.
The deal that I'd signed us up for came with a hot drink and while the weather didn't really call for something hot we enjoyed it anways.
Back at the hotel the girls begged to go swimming regularly and enjoyed each opportunity they got. 
TADA!
Chill-axing... I hear the water was very cold course the girls didn't seem to notice. Scott was glad for the hot tub. I hadn't been feeling well so I stayed out of the water and bundled up on the 'sidelines', catching pictures for a blog such as this. 
