Jasper & Yoho National Park

After the Columbia Icefields, we continued our journey to Jasper. Since the weather was not exceptionally nice, we made only a few more stops. After a three-hour drive, we reached the planned campsite Wapiti. Unfortunately, as feared, it was completely booked. Somewhat disappointed, we continued driving to the Overflow Campground. This huge campground offers plenty of available sites even during peak season. However, campfires are not allowed there. To our surprise, this campsite was located by a large river with a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains. The only downside was the nearby train tracks. The regular freight trains made quite a lot of noise.

We set up our tent. Since the weather forecast for the next few days was miserable, we decided to use our tarp as an additional roof over our tent. Better safe than sorry. After a delicious late lunch, we went to Jasper to finally take a long awaited shower. Right in the village, there is a large laundromat set up for campers, equipped with a trendy coffee bar and several coin-operated showers. For five dollars, we could enjoy a warm shower for exactly eight minutes. What a relief! Freshly showered, we explored the small but charming town. Some buildings, such as the post office and the fire station, still have their historic exteriors. After a visit to the grocery store, we headed back to the campground. On the way back, we encountered huge elks blocking the road. We stopped, took some photos, and enjoyed seeing the animals. Later at the tent, we had a quiet evening with delicious fajitas for dinner. Shortly after preparing the food, light rain started. We sought shelter under the trees with our chairs and enjoyed our meal there.

Unfortunately, the next day didn't bring much sunshine either. Nevertheless, we took a trip to Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park. On the way, we made our first stop at Maligne Canyon. We also took the four-kilometer loop trail. Several bridges crossed the canyon. However, the most spectacular one was the First Bridge, which led 51 meters above the roaring water. The canyon was deep at this point, but rather narrow. The further down we went, the wider the gorge became, but less deep. Several streams emerged from under the rocks. We learned that the water comes from the nearby Medicine Lake. The Medicine Lake is like a huge drain - depending on the season, huge amounts of water are drained away through numerous underground channels. After our walk, we drove to Medicine Lake, which is about a fifteen-minute drive away. It probably also has a wonderful turquoise color. However, you can only see the colors when the sky is clear and the sun is shining. Without sunlight, every lake looks roughly the same - a dark body of water. On the way to the lake, we spotted our second black bear from the car.

We only stayed here briefly and continued on to Maligne Lake. This lake is so large that tour boats navigate on it. However, we decided not to take a boat trip but rather enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine. In Jasper, the Rocky Mountains have a different shape than in Banff. The mountain ridges are less sharp but more elongated. Everything appears elongated overall. Above the tree line, one huge rock slab follows the next. Even the valleys, rivers, and lakes are wider. Even the forests are different. When transitioning from Banff to Jasper, it feels like going from summer to autumn. The forests are a mix of red and green. The red trees are caused by bark beetles. A tree infested by these beetles dies within a few years. In Jasper, there is a veritable bark beetle invasion. Here, fire has a cleansing effect in the truest sense of the word. The beetles are eradicated in a forest fire and new healthy trees can grow back. However, the downside of fire is obvious. When a forest catches fire for the first time, most trees die, and with them numerous animals. We saw how devastating such a forest fire can be in Kootenay National Park. About two-thirds of the forest there had burned down - a severe destruction. Canada is trying to burn individual forest sections intentionally. However, this is a major challenge. By the way, the indigenous people of Canada already knew about the healing power of fire. They intentionally set forest fires as well.

We drove the wonderful route from Maligne Lake back to Jasper. We browsed through the shops in Jasper without success before returning to the tent. The weather was in our favor - the big thunderstorm passed us by.

The next morning, we drove via Lake Louise to Yoho National Park. We managed to get one of the last available campsites at Kicking Horse Campground and set up our tent. We were looking forward to a warm shower. However, that was not possible as the completely newly built toilet and shower facility was not yet in operation. The friendly lady at the reception suggested that we go shower in Banff or Golden. Once again, we realized that Canadians have a very different concept of distances. Both places were 80 and 100 kilometers away from the campground, respectively... It's like someone in Bern would say that the nearest functional shower facility is in Zurich - crazy. Despite the smell, taking such a long drive for a shower seemed too inconvenient for us.

We spent a peaceful afternoon and studied the hiking trails in the area. There are plenty of hiking opportunities in the national parks. We decided on a moderate hike in the area of Takakkaw Falls. The decision was made, and hunger slowly set in. Unfortunately, at the wood gathering spot, we could only find wet or completely water-soaked wood. It must have rained heavily here in the past few days. This is quite possible since such thunderstorms are usually very localized. We had no idea how to start a fire with wet wood. Therefore, the first ten attempts failed miserably. Mathias then took out his army knife and started to chip off small dry pieces of wood from the larger ones. Not only did we manage to get the fire going, but also to save our evening, which had been quite depressive. Hungry but satisfied, we grilled our meat over the fire at nine o'clock in the evening. After that, we warmed ourselves by the fire before going to bed. Once again, the night sky was extremely clear, and the night was accordingly cold.

After breakfast, we packed our hiking backpack and drove to Takakkaw Falls by car. With a height of 380 meters, with a free fall of 250 meters, it is the second highest waterfall in Western Canada. The water masses crashed down with a roar. It was truly an impressive sight. We joined the numerous tourists and walked the approximately ten-minute footpath to the red chairs. These red chairs can be found at different locations in the national parks. We took the obligatory photo. Our easy hiking route followed the river for six kilometers towards the glacier. Since we generally don't like to walk the same route twice, we decided to do a circular hike along the Iceline Trail. And just like that, the moderate hike turned into a challenging one - we just can't help ourselves... The ascent led right through the forest. Every now and then, we met hiking groups. Some were even equipped with tents and sleeping bags. There is a 'campground' on the plateau. We don't want to imagine how cold it gets up there at night. We had no problem following the trail. In terms of trail maintenance and signage, Canada is on par with Switzerland. We took our lunch break by a river and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on our skin. Without it, it's also cold at this altitude during the day. After nearly four hours, we reached the highest point at 2,200 meters above sea level. In total, we climbed 770 meters in altitude. We were rewarded with a stunning panorama. Wherever we looked, we were surrounded by mountains and glaciers. The trail led along the base of the Emerald Glacier. We were only a few meters away from the ice layer. On the opposite side, we spotted the Takakkaw Falls, which is fed by the Daly Glacier. The stretch across the high plateau is probably one of the most beautiful (if not the most beautiful) routes we have ever hiked in our lives. Simply indescribable. After the twenty-kilometer hike, we reached our car tired but happy.

After our last night in the tent, we carefully packed our camping gear. At the beginning of the trip, we photographed and posted all the equipment online. We had succeeded in finding a buyer for the camping set and other items. We had arranged to meet with the buyer in Calgary on the same day. Since we had enough time until the handover appointment, we visited the Upper Hot Springs in Banff on the way. On one hand, we desperately needed a shower (yes, we showered thoroughly before bathing :-), and on the other hand, we wanted to warm our frozen bones.

Afterwards, we visited the touristy Banff. In this regard, the town strongly resembles Interlaken. The town is pretty and modern. There is certainly no shortage of shopping options, trendy restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops. We enjoyed a strong coffee before setting off for Calgary.

In Calgary, we went straight to Nikita (son of Warren and Natascha), who has been working in the city for some time now. Once again, we were warmly welcomed. We explored downtown Calgary together. There are numerous modern bars and restaurants here. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed and cheerful for a Tuesday evening. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the good beer. In one restaurant, they served 75 different types of beer directly from the tap.

After dinner, the buyer arrived, and we completed the sale of our camping equipment. We gave the remaining items to Nikita, who was happy to receive the addition to his household. We were relieved that we didn't have to throw away the almost new cooking utensils. Before going to bed, we still had to book a onward flight, a rental car, and an Airbnb.

Early in the morning, we continued to Calgary Airport. Returning the rental car was smooth. After the security check, Andrea's entire carry-on baggage, including souvenirs, was thoroughly inspected, so we had plenty of time until our departure.

Next, we are flying further south to the Americas. Texas, here we come!