8/14/2008 - Canada: Day 7 (Jasper NP)

Thursday was perhaps the most enjoyable day of my trip ... the weather was perfect and the setting couldn't get any better. I left the campsite about 9 am with no definitive plans except to take in the sights. I looked at the map and decided to travel up to Maligne Lake. The drive up was beautiful and featured a family of mountain sheep.

Hey! What you lookin' at, punk?

A crappy Chevy! You should've bought a Dodge truck!

Mountains along the Maligne River.

When I got up to Maligne Lake, I grabbed a ticket for the first boat ride of the morning. What a experience and well worth the relatively high price. Below are the pics from the hour or so boat ride.

Perhaps the most famous view of Jasper ... Spirit Island.

After the boat, I took my time and traveled back down the Maligne Lake road. I stopped along the shores of Medicine Lake, which provided an very peaceful setting to relax for about an hour.

Maligne River running through the Medicine Lake basin, which only fills during spring melt.

I can confirm that mosquitoes love this particular spot.

After lunch, I decided to check out the cable car that goes up "The Whistlers" and provides a view of the Jasper townsite and surrounding valley. I grabbed a reservation and was up the mountain in about an hour. The view was stunning!

Cable Car, Jasper townsite, and the Athabasca Valley.

Hwy 16 and the Miette River Valley, with B.C. to the left and Alberta to the right.

Another view of the cable car and Jasper townsite and valley.

Looking up the Athabasca River valley toward its headwaters at the Columbia Icefield.

The lakes really are eye popping!

It was hard to follow up the cable car ride with anything more impressive ... but Jasper didn't disappoint. I had noticed a side road going up to a Mount Edith Cavell and decided to check it out. Wow, I was really in for a treat that included a hanging glacier (I believe it is called Angel Glacier ... for good reason as you will see) and a beautiful ice cave.

Mount Edith Cavell.

"Angel" Glacier.

Glacial lake and icebergs.

Sun sets on Angel Glacier.

Ice cave I found at the terminus of the hike. This thing was blowing out cold, cold, cold air. It was really amazing since it was actually in the 80s this day ... I'd walk forward a couple feet and the temperature would drop about 40-50ºF. I sampled this "cold front" many times!

Peeking inside for a Sasquatch.

Another view.

I was really mad that I forgot to bring my wide angle lens on this hike! Argh!

Now looking out of the ice cave. This was such a neat experience that words and even these photos can't do it justice. It was a real treat ... and a cold one at that!

I ended the day back at the campsite with -- what else -- but a bunch of cold beers. After I got my fire started, my Canadian campsite neighbors (a couple of brothers) invited me over to their campsite to share some company. They even fed me moose steaks, which one of the brothers had killed and processed the year before. First time I'd ever had moose and it was delicious. Thanks to those guys for their Canadian hospitality and a great evening!