Our goal destination for today was Hinton, right outside the gates of Jasper National Park. Jasper National Park is right next to Banff National Park and is part of the Columbian Icefield Parkway. When we arrived at the Columbian Icefield Center, it was still raining, but the rain let up just long enough for us to enjoy the glaciers- and this glacier was what I would consider an actual glacier in my mind. Although Banff has taken full advantage of the natural beauty of the park and turned it into quite the tourist industry, we were still able to enjoy it without getting too caught up in tourist traffic. Across the street from the welcome center was the Athabasca Glacier, and we were able to drive to the base of the hill and hike up to the base of the glacier.
We hiked up onto the glacier, which they say is as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall. The glacial run-off had carved small streams flowing down the face of the glacier-which had a grade that was easy to walk up. Although the top of the glacier was covered with a thin layer of brown silt, the small streams were full of crystal clear water that we were able to drink. On top of the glacier, there was a very noticeable temperature change, and we were absolutely freezing by the time we got off of it. The glacier was very tightly packed, but every once in awhile when we looked down you could see water running below your feet- a little disconcerting if you ask me. |
My family is definitely a Chaco-wearing family, and we have been wearing them exclusively this whole trip- even to walk onto the glacier. Despite popular belief, or maybe just my own belief: Chacos are not popular in the Western United States, and especially not in Canada. I even had someone blatantly stare at my shoes as I walked by them near the Athabasca Glacier. I don’t know why they aren’t popular, but I have not seen a single person outside of my family wearing the wonderfully versatile sandals we call Chacos. It has now become a personal goal of mine to find someone else out here that wears Chacos. |
Shortly after we got back in the RV, the sun came out- the first time we were able to get pictures with direct sunlight since we had been in Canada. There is an easy way to look for and find wildlife in National Parks. All you have to do is drive down the road looking for a mass of parked cars on the side of the road. Once you have found this make-shift parking lot, you have also found an animal. We came across a bunch of cars on the side of the road and sure enough, there was a black bear about 10 feet off the side of the road. By the time we parked the RV at the end of the line and walked back to where the bear was, the bear had decided to cross the road and began casually walking across. This bear was quite adorable, and just casually strolled over to the other side of the road and continued to walk right in the woods.