Day 21: Glacier National Park

Originally, we planned to make another detour to Joho National Park today, but there is road construction and there may be temporary closures of up to 30 minutes, so we skip the visit to Wapta Falls and continue on Highway 1 westbound. Our route takes us through a valley along two to three-thousanders. The road often leads through narrow tunnels. We arrive at the visitor center of Roger Pass, which is also the information center of Glacier National Park. Here, we learn that the tunnels were built to keep the roads snow-free due to the heavy snowfall in winter. In addition, controlled explosions are regularly carried out using howitzers due to the risk of avalanches. The avalanches slide over the tunnels. After exploring the visitor center, we start a hike in the national park. Initially, we walk along the old railway line from 1885, but the rails and track bed have been removed. Then we come across a small park ranch station and learn a lot about the bears in the region. There are authentic footprints of the bears. We are impressed by the size of the paws. Then the trail continues for about 1 kilometer along the ruins of the first Glacier House and a hotel complex. Then Asulkan Brook and the Illecillewaet River meet and flow together. We linger for a short while and observe the nature before we return. We don't see any bears, although a grizzly bear was spotted in the region 2 days ago. In the region of the many national parks, there are 500,000 black bears and 250,000 grizzly bears. No wonder we encountered some. Bears are warned against in every park, especially not leaving any food outside. It is often said that a fed bear is a dead bear. In other words, if it is accustomed to humans, it becomes dangerous and is then shot. The bears constantly search for food and have a calorie requirement of 20,000 per day, which is equivalent to 28 to 38 kg of berries. Only when the bear mother is fat enough can she give birth to cubs. This usually happens 2 times per litter every 5 years. Very interesting facts for us.
After a lunch break with homemade pasta salad, we walk through the rock garden. A short path through lichen and moss-covered boulders and evergreen forests leads us to a magnificent view of the nearby peaks and glaciers. Then we continue with the camper to nearby Revelstoke. We refuel again and inquire at the information center about visiting Mount Revelstoke. Unfortunately, we cannot drive the road to the summit with our camper. So this national park is off the list. We reach the campsite around 4:30 pm. There is a hot pool here and we enjoy a warm bath in 30°C outside temperature. In the evening, René and I go to the hot tub without the kids. We are once again attacked by mosquitoes at the campfire. Since we gained an hour today due to entering the North American Pacific Time Zone, which we lost in Jasper. This makes it dark earlier and we retreat to the camper early.