Majestic Alberta (Part 1)

In September, we took our first trip ever to Alberta last week. Our week-long journey was planned around Jasper and Banff. It was incredible. I have not seen such beauty. In fact, I was not aware such beauty existed at all; let alone in my home country. I wrote this post to help me remember the trip and share with my friends and family. Let's dive in.

Day 1

The journey to Jasper was long. We flew from Pearson in Toronto to Grand Prairie. The most challenging leg is the last one - the drive from Grand Prairie to Jasper - which took about 5 hours. It was rainy and dark through mountains and valleys. When we finally got to our accommodation, Becker's Chalet, we were dirty, hungry and exhausted. Ewan was asleep. Becker's is right inside Jasper National Park. Right before turning into Becker's, we saw an elk with its gorgeous branched antlers. By the time we got to our room, it was just past midnight. We grabbed the late check-in envelope (which took us a few minutes to find. We were very close to calling the emergency phone). We were pleasantly surprised to find how clean our room was and how thoughtful it was designed. Florence is a so-called clean freak but even she approved. We still did the obligatory wipe down. The room was small and the walls were lined with wooden planks. The beds were really comfy. Everything was maintained well. The room was beautiful. All three of us drifted off to bed quickly.

Day 2

We were famished in the morning. After washing up, we drove to Becker's restaurant for breakfast. That meal hit the spot! It was ordinary ingredients done right (coffee, eggs, sausages, (potatoes) nuggets and fruits). And did I mention we were famished? During the short walk after breakfast, we learn how close we were to the Athabasca river. 

After breakfast, we drove into downtown Jasper. We spotted a female elk on the side of the road just before we entered downtown.

And just seeing how we are surrounded by snow capped mountains put me in awe. Everywhere I go, I was constantly gazing up. I couldn't get enough. 

Our next stop was SkyTram. It is only a few minutes drive away. When we got there, it was foggy. Very foggy. We ventured up anyway. In full disclosure, I am not fond of heights. The ride up the 2263m mountain was interesting. 

We got to the upper station in about 10 minutes. To our surprise, the sky cleared up. We were left with wonderfully sparse Simpsons clouds. And I slowly pushed myself to look down and assure myself that it is perfectly safe. The fear I feel is only a caveman response. 

At the upper station, it is windy and cold. Snow and ice covers about 80% of the rocky terrain. The view from there was just incredible. I am at a loss for words. It's like we are floating on the clouds. After about a gazillion photos, we took a walk around. I tried to have few quiet moments by myself to be present and take on the experience. My son kept playing with the snow. I wonder if he even realize the view around him (update: he does apparently). In any case, it was great.

Next, we went to the Maligne  Canyon. As I learn, it's called a canyon because similar to a long and deep barrel of a cannon, these are narrow and deep valleys. This was our first hike. Seeing the water pounding the rocks violently was pretty cool. And I thought that the water has been pounding the rocks since millions of years ago and it will still continue to do so after I'm dead. This helps put things into perspective... that I am just a tiny tiny part of this gigantic universe. My worries are miniscule. In any case, walking down and then back up gave us a nice workout.

That afternoon, we took the Maligne Lake cruise. This was a must do from a few blogs and it did not disappoint. Because the lake is located at a higher elevation, the area around the lake is on the chilly side. Snow can be seen everywhere. In fact, someone had made a snowman. When we arrived, we saw a deer meandering about. This was the first lake we visited. The view at the dock was breathtaking. Little did I know, there was even a better view as our boat moved into the more deserted part of the lake. We docked on an island called Spear Island. 

The photo below is that of an iceberg in the valley of the mountain. It is receding, unfortunately, due to climate change.

And the view there is spectacular. No exaggeration. The tour guide did a nice job keeping us entertained and informed during the cruise.

 When the cruise was done, we headed back to the Maligne Canyon wilderness restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, we bought ingredients for a picnic lunch for the following day's hike. There was a small grocery store downtown Jasper where got everything we need.

On the way back to Jasper, we saw this family of elk.

Day 3

This day was the most adventurous. We planned to hike the Sulphur Skyline. We knew it would be a long and challenging hike. But the view at the top is amazing. My goal was to make it to the false peak, not the summit. Little did we know that nature through us a curve ball. 

The sun was out with a slight breeze. We couldn't ask for better weather. The hike started fairly straightforward. We were walking along in good spirit for the first 45 minutes. We even stopped and tried water from a what looks like a fast running glacier creek. While walking, we were making noise and on the look out for bears. And secretly hoping we won't need our bear spray, which we had rented the night before. 

As we progressed, the hike got more challenging. The trail became steep and narrow. And there were muddy patches. My son's running shoes were soaked. 

We passed some hikers and told us in 500m away, the trail was covered with ice and snow. We heeded their warning and kept pushing forward. About half way to the top, there were two very steep hills that were covered in slush. Apparently, it had snowed the night before, which is rare for this time of the year, and the sun had melted the snow into slush. My four year old struggled to get us the first ultra steep hill. His little feet and bum are freezing from falling onto the slippery slush (he had on track pants and sneakers). By the second hill, he was too uncomfortable and started to cry. My wife and I both encourage and commanded him to march forward. But we were tired and getting frustrated. That second hill was so steep he just kept on slipping. At one point, I took off his shoes and socks to make sure he doesn't have frostbite. He cried for almost an hour on that mountain. Hikers passing by were telling him what a great job he is doing. They were all incredibly nice. At this point, we spent about 2.5 hours on the mountain. So we made a call to turn around.

On the descend, my son was still slipping and falling. He'd cry on each fall because it is cold and uncomfortable. He was also exhausted. Though I want him to be tough, it was gut wrenching. So I pull out my secret weapon - the carrier. We didn't have a proper hiking carrier (i.e. the ones like a backpack). Rather, this is one where he can sit in front, which cuts off some of my visibility when walking downhill.

Fighting my own fatigue, I carry him on the descend. He stopped crying immediately and his mood changed. I asked him to hang on tight as I now have limited visibility with a 36 lb dead weight tied to my belly. After about 20 minutes of carefully watching every step, the snowy path was behind us. The trail at his point was steep and full of roots and rocks. But having gone through the more treacherous slushy hills, this was a breeze. The hike became more enjoyable again. And my son was able to walk on his own.

As we walk past landmarks that we recognize, we grew more excited and cheery. On our last stretch before arriving at the trail head, we were greeted by a group of mountain goats. We stopped briefly to watch and take photos. But we were itching to get back to the van and air out our stinky outfits.

We took our socks off and my son had a change of clothes. We all just lounge in the van to rest our weary feet. There is a hot spring right there but too bad it is closed due to Covid. Otherwise, a shower and a nice soak would be ideal.

The entire hike took us five hours. It is by far the longest and toughest hike we've done. Sometimes, we need to push ourselves to know how far we can go. I do want to go back as a family again and attempt to summit. This time with water proof hiking shoes and pants as well as poles for everyone.

After the hike, we were invited to my uncle's RV for dinner. He has been spending a few nights at the Wapiti campsite at Jasper, right next to Becker's. It was our first time entering a campsite at Jasper. I was expecting the area to be beautifully lined with trees. But to my surprise and horror, most of the pine trees are gone. The campsite look very bare. We found out the culprit was these insects known as pine beetles. More on that later.

Dinner was great. My uncle and aunt were warm and welcoming even though we were late quite a bit late. We got to enjoy some wonderful food and conversation. We all loved the atmosphere of the cozy RV especially Ewan, who dozed off around 10. The adults chatted a little longer and us three headed back to Becker's.

Thanks for making it through this pretty long post. To hear the rest of the trip, visit part 2.