Jasper Revisited

In March of 2018 we visited Edmonton for Spring Break. On a lark one day, we decided to drive several hours to Jasper National Park. We LOVE National Parks, and the idea of visiting one in another country was too much to pass up. But, it was truly still winter. Winter in the Canadian Rockies....  We traveled until the snow was so fierce we couldn't see the road anymore. Driving back a bit, we got out at a trail to catch a glimpse of the glaciers. Only several feet from the car, the wind off the glaciers, mixed with the blizzard drove us back to the car. Collectively we have never been that cold (or scared!) before. Today we tracked down the same spots to see in the heat of summer. 

(Tech tip: Did you know you can use the maps in photos (iPhone) to see where your pictures were taken? There is also a "show nearby photos" option to basically see all the photos you have taken in that area.)

We were so surprised to find that in 2018 we had driven all the way to the icefields. The Columbia Icefields feed six glaciers in the area. And since it's situated on the Continental Divide (the Great Divide here), waters flow to the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. And we were there twice! ;)  But what a difference in time of year! 

One of the six glaciers, and the one that is closest to the road, is the Athabasca Glacier. In the last 130 years, the glacier has receded almost a mile. The rocky moraine left in its path looks so much like the aftermath of mining. 

The Athabasca River, running out of the icefields has that quintessential glacial blue/gray color. We stopped often and once, even dipped our toes in. Yes - it was cold! 

We also stopped at the Sunwapta Falls. It's a fairly small falls, but the water comes out of the falls and slams against a canyon wall. It was mesmerizing watching the power of the water. 

And then, we were back on the road again! Mountains in EVERY direction.

No pictures, but another special part of the day were the bears! We saw four black bears.  💕 One was solo, and the others were in a group: mama, and two cubs of differing ages. They were adorable, and hilarious, and it's definitely a highlight of the trip!