Jasper National Park

After just a few hundred meters from the train station to the hostel, it was clear to me: I like it here! Jasper is an idyllic little village in the Rocky Mountains, located in the Jasper National Park, very touristy but not as crowded as the more famous Banff. It reminded me a bit of a village in the mountains of Austria or Switzerland, a impression that was reinforced when we passed a souvenir shop called 'Edelweiss'.

In Jasper, this time I didn't book the HI Hostel, because it is a few kilometers outside of town, making it difficult to reach without a car. Instead, I stayed at the Downtown Hostel, which I liked. Two girls I met on the train, one German (Veronika) and one American (Wen), also chose the hostel and we planned a few activities together. We drove to several lakes, canyons, and waterfalls with a rental car and took a few short hikes. We have already seen some wild animals, such as moose and deer.

After a few days, Veronika continued her journey, and then Wen and I made a few more trips together. At that time, Jasper was hosting the 'Dark Sky Festival' with many events related to the night sky and Jasper's function as a 'Dark Sky Preserve'. As part of the festival, we participated in an evening trip to Lake Annette, where all flashlights, illuminated phone screens, etc. were prohibited, and only the paths were lit by the organizers. There were various offerings, from trying out different telescopes to a short night hike, and drum performances and stories by two First Nation women at the campfire. The atmosphere there was absolutely amazing, the organizers really put in a lot of effort.

On the evening before Wen also had to leave, Michelle suddenly appeared in the hostel kitchen. We knew that we wanted to travel in the same general direction, but to meet again in the hostel in Jasper was a nice surprise. She had already teamed up with two other travelers and planned a few trips. Both of the guys had a car, and since they had some space, I spontaneously joined them. So we became a colorful group, a German, a Brit, a Dane, and a Pole.

During our trip to Maligne Lake, we had the huge luck to be able to observe three moose from quite close, as they were standing right in the middle of the parking lot when we arrived. The highlight of my time in Jasper!

Despite all the great trips, I didn't forget about my actual goal: finding a job. Since it is very difficult to rent a room or an apartment in Jasper on my own, jobs with staff accommodation (employer provides accommodations for its employees) were the only option for me. Since the summer season had just ended and the winter season was still a while away, the search was quite difficult. I mainly applied to hotels, but they took a long time to respond.

After ten days, even the actually quite affordable hostel became a bit expensive, so I decided on my plan B: I go to the city, to Calgary, and continue searching there.