A Day In Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park sits just north of Banff National Park in Canada. Admission to one buys you admission to the other.

Kenny picked out another hike for us in the southern tip of Jasper National Park. He was very eager to see and touch a glacier, and this hike offered the chance to see one.

After our first day of hiking Big Beehive by Lake Louise, I realized that hikes in Canada are not like walks in Texas, so I was better prepared that the view would be worth the pain in my lungs and my thighs. (Forget stairmaster…take a trip to Canada!)

The view on this hike was ABSOLUTELY worth any discomfort along the way. We ended high above the tree line in the tundra along a ridge looking down into a canyon a thousand feet below us. Off to our left was the huge Saskatchewan Glacier melting down to form a lake and a river running through the canyon. The mountains straight ahead were rocky and steep.

We stayed at the top for probably an hour, laughing and enjoying our picnic lunch.

I’m always amazed how much easier it is to hike down a mountain after hiking up it. In no time at all we made our way back to the trailhead.

You just thought Canada was our friendly neighbor to the North.

I, for one, am thankful for the helpful advice to not touch the warheads. Whew! Crisis averted there.

And Kenny did get to touch a glacier.

Ummm…okay people…see how big this thing is? Imagine it one hundred years ago! It would be twice the size it is now.

I wouldn’t say I’m overtly green, but mile posts on our exit out of the Athabasca glacier’s parking lot showed how much it has melted. I realized, “Hmmm…maybe I can change a few things about how I live…just in case my grandkids’ water supply depends on it!”

Tags: Jasper National Park