Into the trails

While much of Canada's mountain towns are packed for the winter, it is the summer when Jasper swells. Why? This little town, home to about 4000 year round, is surrounded by miles and miles of trails. It is a outdoor enthusiasts heaven. Hikers, horse riders and mountain bikers have endless routes to explore.

After a much-needed sleep in and meeting Reece's latest Couchsurfers, two French girls, the three of us headed out to explore the trails. The maps are great and each trail is numbered so it's hard to get lost. We chose a path that was about 5km, but took several detours resulting in a six-hour hike over hills, alongside beautiful lakes, through bush and back home.

Oh and did I mention the weather was A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. I think I'm actually a little bit sunburnt.



 We were on the lookout for wildlife - out of interest and safety concerns. As much as I'd love to see a bear close enough to get a great picture, I'm happy to achieve that from a train window. Reece had also warned us the elk have been moody lately and to keep our distance.

 

The first part of our walk took us through quite sparse bush, which has been thinned out to create a fire break. On another trail the trees were quite dense and the track a little muddy. The edges were covered with moss. Then it was back to thin little trees and a dusty track before coming out at a gorgeous lake. Wow. I took my boots off and paddled, but didn't last long before the icy waters got too much.



Further on we came to Patricia Lake. We stood on the shore staring out over the turquoise blue waters stretching out before the snow-capped mountains. Stunning. It was an image straight out of a tourist brochure. The kind of setting you only imagine seeing. And yet here we were with the whole place to ourselves.



It was a few more kilometres to Pyramid Lake, our initial destination. Each lake more gorgeous than the last. Aside from the tourists pulling up at some of the scenic spots, we saw three other hikers and two people on bikes. In another few weeks I suspect we wouldn't be able to count the other people on the trails. Jasper is about to get busy.



The trail back took us past some stables. There was lots of horse droppings along some of the trails, but we never saw any riders. The next trail brought us out to the road. After hours in secluded bush land we finally saw our first animal (aside from some squirrels). On the grassy bank by the road, an elk was grazing, oblivious to the traffic and us, across the other side. We sat down and watched it for a while, although cautious of Reece's earlier warning.



Another kilometre or so and we were back home, with a quick stop at the supermarket for supplies.

Today's spending: Ice cream and drink: $6; groceries: $25. Total: $31