Jasper to Columbia Icefield Campground
After another comfy night in the tent we woke to fog. Our drive south along the Icefields Parkway is supposed to be one of the most scenic in North America. So the fog was a slight (understatement) disappointment.
Luckily, by the time we reached our first stop after 25 km, the fog had burnt off and we enjoyed a short exploration of the paths around Horseshoe Lake, with good views of the surrounding mountains.
We stopped at just about every available viewpoint today, so I'll only enumerate where we actually went for a walk. The first walk was at Athabasca Falls. There was a huge amount of water going down. It finishes up thousands of miles away in the Arctic Ocean.
Coffee and carrot cake at Sunwapta Falls Resort, where there are some brilliant photos by Paul Heppner, fueled us for the next excursion, at the eponymous falls. After lunch at a sunny picnic bench we joined the hordes who were viewing the upper falls. Then a bit of a walk took us to the equally dramatic lower falls, well away from the crowds. That''s where the rainbow effect was at its best. Surprisingly this stroll amounted to almost 5 km!
It wasn't far then, after more pauses for views that may or may not be included in today's pictures, to the Columbia Icefield Centre. A big building with a green roof. We drove past it to the Wilcox Campground, rejecting that and turning back to the 'tent only' ie no RVs Columbia Icefield Campground. We found an ideal spot (apart from the usual lack of grass) for the next couple of nights. It'll be cooler as we are at about 2000 metres whereas Jasper is at 1000 metres.
We have some quiet and friendly neighbours from Maine, Steve and Theresa. Between us we have tried to put the world to rights, North Korea permitting.
Today's pictures are chronological. As you can see, it was a wonderful day once the fog had cleared, with a lovely moonrise.
It's a shame there is no WiFi or phone signal here - this posting will have to wait.*
9 km on three short bimbles. Charlie managed about 100 km.
* Now Tuesday and we've nipped very briefly into the Icefield Centre, which has WiFi. The next posting may be subject to a long delay though. Thanks in the meantime for all your comments. It was nice to here from Ken and Helen, and from David O.
2 comments:
I am surprised to keep reading how busy these areas are considering just how huge the country is.
What's the situation with the tents, have you hired them or do they come with the pitch?
Busy it is, with very few centres on which to base trips.
The tent is our TN Hyperspace.
Post a Comment