For the past two weeks or so, I've been living in the Rocky Mountains with my Norwegian pen pal Jorn. He came to visit and since I was already living in Edmonton, conveniently beside some mountains, and the mountains are one of the best parts of Canada, we decided to spend the visit there, backpacking around and such. We mostly wanted to do two min trips: the Brazeau Loop and the Skyline Trail. I don't have much time so I will cut right to the chase.
The Brazeau Loop!
It's a five day, 81km loop through the southern part of Jasper National Park.
Day one was semi-decent weather, only overcast half the time, lots of up and down and different ecosystems - forest, rock field, alpine meadow, pretty rivers. Only 14km, went by pretty quickly (we also rushed since we didn't even get on the trail until 3pm).
Day two was 18km of forest and mostly flat - pretty boring. It also rained all day and the damn trails were all lined with scrubby wet willow so we got thoroughly drenched . Gross.
Day three went up above the tree line though! Many kilometers of beautiful mountain views and alpine meadows. Alpine meadows are actually even better in fall than in summer; they turn all golden and red and it's just stunning. There were a few late bloomers too, some sedges and aster species were still in flower. Over a pass and down to the campground! This was an especially cold night at a high elevation, probably around 2100m. Brrrrrrr.
Day four began with a big old mountain pass at 2450m. Just hike up and up and up through the alpine until you find a towering pile of scree with some switchbacks heading to the top. Huff and puff and finally over the top aaaaand WOW that's a really breathtaking bottom half of a mountain starting me in the face. Seriously, it looked great. Climb up onto the pass and you're standing level with a huge mountain range of typical jasper colours - warm reddish and rusty tones. The top half was becoming increasingly shrouded in cloud, and then it started snowing. Excellent. Such typical mountain weather, snowing on the first day of September. It looked like Christmas in the mountains, a nice soft friendly snow. Although it was definitely blowing sideways when the wind picked up. Anyways, the view was okay, the next 10km+ was hiking in a valley of alpine meadow between two huge mountain ranges and it was super spectacular albeit very very cold. At the end, hike down a whole bunch into the forest and back to the camp from the first night where two friendly and somewhat drunk hikers have already started a campfire which makes you want to kiss them because you happened to slip in a glacial stream earlier that day and your feet are soaked. Or maybe that's just me.
Day five: develop a bad cold and hike the heck out. There may or may not be a mouse living in your trunk by this point, eating your oats and raisins.
The Tonquin Valley Loop!
We didn't have a ton of time so we just did 20km in to Amethyst Lake and then back out the next day.
Caribou. All I really want to say about this is that we saw caribou. three of them. It's pretty much like seeing a unicorn, but better. Also the mountains are phenomenal (the Ramparts Range, if you were wondering), the campground is the nicest and most scenic I've ever been to, it's a huge alpine valley meadow thing in the middle of these mountains with a giant lake and god damn caribou. If you ever get the chance, go to Amethyst Lake and you will never ever regret it.
Ummm after that we went to Banff, it doesn't hold a candle to Jasper, but we bummed around there and saw Moraine and Louise and I have to go finish packing. Next stops: Colorado, Zion, Arches, Red Rock, Grand Canyon, Sequioa, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc etc etc. XO!
Oh and funny story, on the first day back in real civilization (Calgary) there was a freak snowstorm during rush hour that resulted my car getting seriously crunched. This is why I should live in the wilderness forever. City life is too much.
