Don’t lick the goat!

We arrived this afternoon in Jasper after finishing the Icefields Parkway drive. The drive takes only a couple of hours, but it’s recommended that you take your time.

Yesterday we wanted to take a hike that was highly recommended by "Guy" of GuideAlong. It was only 10 kilometers before the Colombian Icefields Center, where we walked on the glacier yesterday and then camped in their parking lot. So we decided to backtrack this morning to try the hike before it got busy. This hike is supposed to be a moderate hike with breathtaking views. There was a warning about snow, so we packed our micro-spikes and our poles and headed out. Almost immediately from the parking lot we ran into snow. The hike was all uphill and mostly snow covered. We were passed by some couples who were not prepared - no spikes or poles - they all turned around before us. Everyone on the trail was half our age, which should have been a sign. We didn’t make it a half mile before the trail turned pretty steep and we had to turn around. It was worth trying, but the conditions were not good for us. We doubt the trail is better most of the year. We were able to see our vehicle, so we knew how far we had climbed. It’s the first time Guy has let us down!

Next, we returned to the Columbia Icefield parking lot where Amy went inside to get her happy mommy juice at the Starbucks inside while Greg cleaned up.

Then we headed north on the Icefields Parkway. We stopped at several sites that Guy recommended. Mostly waterfalls. Many beautiful waterfalls.

The first one was Tangle Creek Falls, along the side of the road. We had to cross the road to park and cross back to view the falls, but it was stunning.

The second waterfall stop was at Sunwapta Falls. We almost didn’t find a parking spot, but it was our favorite. There was a bridge over the falls or you could walk down for a closer look. It was so close we had to be careful not to get Greg's camera wet!

Next, we came across an overlook called Goat Lick. It is so named because the goats come down from the mountains to lick the glacial flour (rock that was ground by the glaciers into dust). They need the minerals such as salt in their diet, but it makes them vulnerable to predators. This is a spot where they are easier to spot. We did see a few yesterday at the Colombian Icefields Center, but none at the Goat Lick site. Apparently locals will tease visitors that it’s named Goat Lick because you can lick the goats!

Finally, we got to Athabasca Falls, one of the sites on our must-do list. It was beautiful and there were a lot of different viewing spots to see the falls from different angles.

As we continued driving, we reached the area affected by the forest fires a few years ago. We originally planned to visit this region then but had to cancel our trip because the fires were raging. The devastation was enormous and you can see how vast the affected area was. Entire sides of mountains are covered by dead trees.

We arrived at our campsite just outside of the town of Jasper. It’s huge, Fort Wilderness huge! (That's the giant campground at Disney World). There is a second campground across the road. Jasper is clearly set up for visitors. Apparently there was a bear recently spotted in the campground and it is Elk calving season where the female Elk are particularly aggressive. We are really glad to have a hard sided motorhome. The comfort station looks brand new. We are pretty sure that it was rebuilt after the fires.

Throughout the day we have been shedding layers. We started the day hiking in the snow. We ended the day in shorts and T-shirts, sitting under our awning to keep cool!