Big Bird on Ice

Nothing quite like a glacier to tuck you in and keep you warm at night.

   We crossed the State line, always a fun moment, we take a photo of the welcome sign and give a cheer of excitement to each other. Goodbye British Columbia, hello Alberta.
   A few moments later we make our way towards the National Park gate for Jasper. Similar to the United States, they have a guarded gate entry that you need to pay a fee at if you wish to stay the night. That includes if you stay in a hotel within the National Park. We said yes to a possible 5 nights. Though 7 nights and we would be eligible for the annual pass. This way they give you a special sign to hang from your rear vision mirror. Tempting, as a souvenir, but we opted for the $95 for five days instead of the $137 annual pass.

   Only a few minutes from Jasper we chose a paid camping park with a shower, to camp at an unpowered site was $27. It was coming up to 7 days without a shower so we thought it was worth it. Upon paying, we were advised it was mating season for elk, so if we see a male, we should not appear to resemble a female elk, or better yet, just walk away.
   As it was only afternoon, we decided on a few outings before we returned to camp for a shower. So we opted for a nearby 'Wildlife Corridor' trek of 5 kilometres. This turned out to be the first of many spectacular sights of Jasper and the surrounding area. Only a kilometre in and we saw our first mountain goats, settled in to a cliff quietly munching on grass. A little higher in altitude and we looked back over Jasper and the rising mountains in the background. Every turn of the head was an incredible scenic snow capped mountain with deep red and orange autumn forest circling its base. We could not stop taking pictures and yelling at each other to, 'Look at this!'
   The walk was chilly when in the trees, but with the sun out we were able to take our jackets off and enjoy the warmth. Being a wildlife corridor, we only saw the goats and plenty of bushy tailed squirrels. Though we were not disappointed with the views.

   After this excitement we decided another walk would be good before we headed to town for dinner. Only a 5 minute drive North, we ventured into Maligne Canyon. A remarkable limestone deposit that heavy water has then carved a narrow and deep canyon into. A well established path along each ridge of the canyon allowed for thrilling peaks down a 15 metre drop to a rushing torrent of water. We chose one of the shorter routes, a 6 kilometre round trip, though the longer 15 kilometre hikes looked fantastic with more time. Thrilled with what we had seen so far, we decided to head back into town and celebrate with a dinner and drink before our shower back at camp.
   Along the short drive back we were pulled up by what first appeared as construction traffic congestion that we soon realised were tourists pulling over to take photos of elk in a field nearby. Instead of stopping on the road, we drove a little further and pulled into a rest area and then walked back up a path towards the field. Park rangers were already in place, coordinating tourists and trying to prevent them from blocking up the highway. Though a little distracted by the tourists, it didnt prevent us from marvelling at the elk. Two males were definitely competing and seemed to be herding up a flock of females. We stayed for awhile and enjoyed the scene. The elk didn't seem to care about the humans clicking away. Eventually we made our way back to the car and were somewhat surprised to see another large group of people near our van. Only a few metres in front of Big Bird, another male elk was following two females to see if they were interested. We had to wait a little while, enjoying the wildlife, before we could move our vehicle. Plenty of excitement for us and a deserving pub dinner afterwards.
   That evening we ducked back into camp, gathered our items and headed for the showers. While we appreciated not having to pay a quarter for each minute, we did have to press a heavy valve button every 20 seconds to ensure the water kept flowing. Both of us laughed as we had devised the same solution, we leant our backs against the button as we attempted to shower. Afterwards we compared the giant red imprint on each back. We would have stayed in longer but the accupuncture didnt seem to work.

   The following morning, with a very mild hangover, we prepared scrambled eggs with salami, tomato and mushroom for breakfast. Getting ourselves organised, included topping up our water and throwing a quick clothes wash through the Scrubba machine. For the days activity, we decided on a drive North of Jasper, up behind the town towards some scenic lakes. Heading out at 11am, we stopped first at Patricia Lake, which gave us some pristine views and a small stroll to appreciate the morning sun. Following this we drove a little further and came up to Pyramid Lake. There we found a small rental boat house and went in to investigate. Turns out there was a girl from Frankston inside who was up for a chat and willing to rent us a dual kayak for an hour. So we had a quick yak about Franga, then settled in for a paddle around the lake.
   Once again, we were simply amazed by the scenery. Everywhere we turned we were yelling at each other to make sure we both saw. A lot of pointing and broken english, 'Oh my god.... Look... just... its.... I mean... Wow... incredible... are you seeing this?'
   Together, we both agreed this was a special moment.

   By the time we returned to shore, it was time for lunch, so we stayed up at Pyramid, ate our sandwiches and admired the view. Following this, we trecked back into town for some groceries, gas and some wifi. We wanted to double check the weather forecast as we had seen a likelihood that a cold front was passing through. Our plan was firstly to stay the night somewhere South near the Icefield Glacier, however, reports of -10 celsius made us rethink that. Instead, we will drive only a short 15 minutes South of Jasper and camp there. Temperatures in that area were only 2 degrees at night, still cold, but more manageable. The following day we will visit the glacier, but move on further South near Lake Louise, where it warms up again for the next nights accommodation.
   So with this planned, we made one final trip to a liquor store. With the temperature dropping, we felt less like a beer. Fortunately a special bottle stood out to us both, Maple Liquor. A special blend of maple syrup and whisky. That sounded like the kind of thing to warm us up at night.

   We left Jasper, having thoroughly appreciated the area and voting it our number one destination thus far. We also have noticed a surprising number of similar 'Escape' vans on the road. We laugh as we give a wave and receive another in return. We wonder if other camping vehicles do this to each other?
   Further South, we crossed another Jasper National Park gate entry. The Park Officer greets us, "Hello, Bonjour." He inspects the sticker on our car and waves us through.
   Unfortunately, the first camp site that we had chosen had a closed sign covering its entry as well as a locked gate across the drive. We did know of another camp site another 10 minutes South, so while being a little bummed, we shrugged our shoulders and kept driving. We took time out to stop at a few more scenic look outs. More remarkable views of majestic mountains, these now with more prominent snow and even ice formations.
   We came up on our second camp site, a little unnervingly, this too was closed. We began to question our planning and options ahead. We knew of an info centre at the Icefields, a further 30 minutes South. We could get their advice and then choose to drive further South still if we wanted. So off we went again, stopping each 10 minutes for more scenic outlooks.
   We reached the Icefield Glacier, sure enough, there is an impressive glacier that comes within metres of the roadside. We pull into the car park and notice plenty of other RVs in the area. Unfortunately the info centre is closed, so with a quick discussion, we opt to join the RVs and attempt an overnight camp in the carpark beside the glacier. There is a formal registration booth which we deposit an envelope and $15.70 into. We make our way back to the car and coordinate our plan of attack. This revolves around how to limit the opening of the doors, cook our dinner outside and retain as much heat inside as possible. Impressively, as the sun begins to set and the cold creep in, we reheat our left over curry and boil some water for tea outside. Then settle into our van to enjoy the view.
   We do notice others wrapping plastic on various parts of their vehicles. We wonder if we should do the same, but end up not. Others have also put their vehicles up on chocks, under the wheels to get them a little more level than the gentle slope of the car park. We look at each other and figure we're okay sleeping on one side of the bed, together.

   Curled up in bed, darkness outside and the cold air reaching in. We wonder how we will go. We are both wearing clothes to bed, we have four heavy blankets on top, and the Maple Liquor has certainly warmed our bellies. Either way, we figure if we freeze completely shut tonight, we're in no hurry to leave and have enough time to wait around to thaw out. Our faith is in Big Bird. She has certainly looked after us so far, we expect this to be our coldest night in Northern America and tomorrow we will continue our adventure South.

   Throughout the night, we stir a few times, moving away from the edge of the van and closer to the warmth in the middle. We hear a few more vehicles come into the parking lot, some leave their engines running for awhile. We fall back to sleep easily, snug as two bugs within rugs. In the morning, ice has formed on the inside of our windows, we scratch away to see the sun slowly rising across the glacier. We survived the night quite well and are thrilled at the view. We crack open the doors and make our way up towards the information centre that has a restaurant. A rush of warm air greets us and we settle in to a table looking back across our Big Bird and the glacier across the horizon. Bacon and eggs for Ian, cinnamon scroll for Jamie. We take our time enjoying the warmth, food, company and view. We will wait until the Park office opens at 9am, gather some info about hikes and next camping spots, before we head back out to explore. Jasper, you are amazing.