Big Horn Inn Grande Cache

... bike ja tancades (Duart en vaig recorrer algunes a peu i son com les del video que em vas ensenyar un dia a St Feliu) o el regal especial que em volia fer per l'aniversari era un trek de 5 hores pel Columbia Icefields pero van tancar l'activitat al setembre (http://www.icewalks.com/page16.html). M'he hagut de conformar amb una sortida de turistes que us explico mes endavant, pero em queda pendent una de grossa abans de marxar.

Jasper m'ha aportat ...

... one of the woodland caribou - a beautiful dark grey beast springing through the undergrowth. He kept circling around into patches of trees and out again, like he was playing hide-and-seek. We also saw plenty of marmots who were fat from their summer of gorging and appeared to be collecting dry grass to line their dens with.

We had ambitious plans for the hike. We wanted to see Amethyst Lake and Moat Lake, but also get to the head of the other highly ...

... but it is never dull. The cliffs are vertical and immense, the waterfalls attractive and there is always the possibility of Mt Robson appearing from behind the cloud. We had lunch halfway up the hill, with a beautiful view down the valley to Kinney Lake.

Berg Lake did not have many ice bergs in it when we arrived but it does have two glaciers feeding directly into it, both making their way down from the slopes of Mt Robson, which at this point is extraordinary ...

... but were suitable for a beer break before eventually pitching the tent at Sheep Creek Provincial Park. This place is fairly primitive with six campsites (two other sites taken the first night, none the second). I am sure glad I put the tarpaulin over the tent to create a dry seating area plus waterproofed us really well when it poured all night. This neat campground even provides free firewood - all for fifteen dollars a night. The Smoky River is at our doorstep (now need some trout ...

... do. Art heard some growling and thought he’d better investigate. That’s when he found the live toy.

It’s a little strange seeing our fluffy, chubby, docile puffball of a cat in the predator mode with a mouse’s tail dangling from her lips.

Well, Art was able to get her to drop the little squeak, but it scurried under the slideout before he could grab it. Unless it shows its beady little eyes again so we can nab it and ...

... crashing in my lean-back front seat, but I’m probably as comfortable as anyone there, they with their fifth-wheels and satellite dishes, bacon and eggs, chips and salsa… oops! No, that’s me. Sometimes I even got a site with power and fire up the old black box here, just like home. I don’t think the aurora borealis is going to happen for me, but things could be worse. Of ...

... Lake (about 1 hour from Jasper) where we had a very pleasant 4.5Km walk along the "Moose Lake Trail". Unfortunately didn't see any Moose though. Drove back past Medicine Lake but decided not to stop given the number of tourists parked there. Stopped for lunch at Maligne Canyon and then took a 6-7Km hike along the edge of the canyon (which afforded us some amazing views of the contorted ...

... features of the glacier. On the way back stopped for a walk to Sunwapta falls. Walked 1.5Km along a 2Km trail before we heard several very significant rumblings in the forest. We beat a hasty retreat! It's worth noting that we had both independently noticed how many 'Buffaloberries' there were in the vicinity and these are a Bear's favourite food ...

The title is how Whitt INSISTS on pronouncing it!! Early checkout of Homestead Inn to begin the long journey to Jasper. When via Bow Valley Parkway and stopped to see Johnston Canyon (which had a clever little viewing tunnel that the water had cut out of the rock). I saw a female elk walking through the woods - but Whitt missed it 'cos he was driving. We stopped to walk down to Mistaya Canyon (a ...

Finally rolled into Jasper around 8:30pm after nearly 12 hours on the road. The Pocahontas Cabins where I was staying was about 30 kms out of Jasper so had a quiet one that night in preparation for the early start in the morning to see the sights of Jasper. The next morning, I headed down the Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield. I thought the drive into Jasper was amazing, but the scenery of Icefield Parkway was even ...