Jasper

It rained overnight and we awoke to very low clouds. For the rest of the Icefields Parkway, the mountains were seldom visible. However, we made a stop at Athabasca Falls which was well-worth the 30 or so minutes there. Today we also passed the mountain called Snow Dome. It is sort of a three-way “continental divide.” From its peak, water flows to Hudson Bay, the Pacific, or south to the Missouri.

From there we headed into Jasper, where David spent a few hours on the Jasper National Park free wifi. I allowed it since it was really cold and rainy (alternating with hail or sleet – not sure how to tell the difference). I did some texting and downloading of my own and then headed to the museum and a walk through the town. The town is full of the typical shops for a tourist mecca. The museum was interesting. Did you know that a boat made out of ice was conceived and built here during WWII. A gentleman by the name of Geoffrey Pyke had noted that glacier ice is stronger than most ice (no air bubbles) so he conceived the idea in 1943 of building a boat from ice that would be used to fight the German U-boats. I guess the war ended before the boat was finished so we will never know whether it could have been a success, and now scuba divers go down into the lake to look at the steel structure left behind.

We decided to spend the night at Snaring River Campground (Site B4) just east of Jasper. Probably the nicest campground of the trip. Wide level spaces, many right on the river. 66 primitive spaces in four loops. There are probably a dozen units camping here. Once again $15.70 for the night and $8.80 for the fire permit and all the (green, wet) wood you want.

We enjoyed sitting around our fire after dinner as the weather has finally improved. Blue sky with white clouds and only a few grey ones. So tomorrow we turn the corner and head west to Prince Rupert.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)