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Banff is one of our favorite places; it’s right at our doorstep and lets us feel like we can getaway for a weekend or even a day.

We usually frequent Banff for wintertime skiing, but it’s a great place to go in the summer months and enjoy the hiking, camping, and mountain biking it offers.

This time we completed a gruelling (but satisfying) 40km bike ride through the mountains from Banff to the Canmore Nordic Center. You know it’s tough when an Olympic athlete passes you on his bike and says, “good for you guys, no one ever does this trail”.

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The second day, as if our legs weren’t tired enough, we enjoyed the rewards of hiking the Valley of Ten Peaks from the base of Moraine Lake. My favorite part was when Shane decided instead of climbing back down, we should just slide down the snow on our bums. We ended up gathering a crowd of hikers who laughed and cheered us all the whole way down (and then ended up trying it themselves!).

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