Days 57-59: Jasper

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Leaving Vancouver, I started the long drive to Jasper. In order to break up the journey I stopped just outside Kamloops at the BC Wildlife Park. This would allow me to see all the well-known Canadian wildlife, most of which I didn't see in the wild (thankfully in some instances). I saw cougars, wolves, bison, moose, elk, mountain goats, bears, eagles, and more. I also happened to see the most well kept racoons ever, with clean, beautiful fur and a healthy, lean physique. These were not the giant, pad thai eating racoons you see hanging out of garbage bins in downtown Toronto. Once I arrived in Jasper I set up camp and made the most out of my two full days there. The first day I hiked the Sulphur Skyline, an 8km return trip, 700m vertical hike into the mountain range. It was stunning. I rewarded myself with a soak in the hot springs afterwards. The second day I visited the nearby sites, including the Angel Glacier and Athabasca Falls, with the latter being an intensely populated tourist destination. The following day, on my way out of the park towards Drumheller, I stopped at the Columbia Icefields to hitch a ride on a massive truck, called an Ice Explorer, up to the Athabasca Glacier. We were able to walk around on the glacier, being careful to remain within certain boundaries due to the possibility of falling through a hole in the 365 metre thick glacier.

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