Jasper NP - Who would have thought...

The morning in Valemount didn't look very promising for the day ahead. Especially today, dry and at best a little sunny weather would be desirable, especially since we had booked a boat tour on Maligne Lake in advance and this excursion will only be successful if the weather plays along...

It had been raining all night and in the morning it didn't look like it would be over in half an hour. Somehow it looked like a rainy day in Bad Füssing or something...

Our destination was Jasper National Park with various stops. We had booked the boat tour at 12:45 pm, so that was the goal that had to be reached. After all, we had about 125 km to drive and there was also the time change from British Columbia to Alberta. The state border subtracts one hour from British Columbia time.

And you have to consider that there is no highway, but a federal road with campers, sleep-deprived locals, and extra-long trucks, which you can only pass in designated passing lanes. Our 'compact car' with a few horsepower under the hood supports us here.

Our first small stop was the highest mountain in the Rockies in Canadian territory, Mount Robson. However, he somehow didn't feel like seeing us so early and hid behind low-hanging clouds. So we had to move on unnoticed...

On the long journey, we were lucky again to observe wildlife: Today we had our 'zoo excursion'. We saw - now also photographically documented - a black bear, a brown bear, and a female bighorn goat. In the end, we even saw a bald eagle raising its young in the nest. Really fantastic. Oh yes, and at the beginning of our tour today, we also saw a moose very soon (although it is very confusing here with the elks and mooses...), but without a photo...

The weather got better already on the way to Jasper. The rain stopped and the clouds cleared up as well. The temperature, initially 7 degrees, also warmed up to about 15 degrees.

Just in time for the departure of the excursion boat, we also reached Maligne Lake. Under expert guidance, we drove along the lake for about 45 minutes. The color of the water changed from greenish to emerald towards the end of the tour. The goal was 'Spirit Island', a picturesque small island in the lake surrounded by the mountains of the Rocky Mountains, most of which were covered in snow. The confluence of two glaciers colors the lake in this wonderful color, which looks fantastic in the sunshine.

Even the pictures do not capture what the eye has seen. (Although there is still room for improvement for the photographer...)

After almost 2 hours, we returned with the boat and approached the next destination, passing Medicine Lake to Maligne Canyon. Here, six bridges invite you to cross them... We decided to cross five bridges, you don't have to do everything...

The bridge path led through partly completely muddy paths. It was good that we had our hiking boots with us and had them on. But there were also mainly female hiking companions who waded through the mud in long summer dresses, flip-flops, or sandals...

In any case, we were able to observe the large amount of water roaring through the partially 50-meter-deep canyon, carving its way through the rocks. It has always impressed us again, no matter at which of the previous waterfalls, that these waterfalls transport masses of water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and countless years, which one cannot imagine where they come from and if they will ever end...

Where we will end today we know in any case - in a bed in a Days Inn in the village of Hinton with 10,000 inhabitants... And our keen sense of direction even led us perfectly there, after today our navigation system has been searching for a GPS signal in vain all day long...