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Published: June 12th 2017
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Geo: 52.8267, -119.277
I got up early this morning, determined to see wildlife, and set off along the same path we'd hiked the night earlier. Though it was very early, aside from an errant rabbit, I came up short. I did come across a far wilder animal -- David -- as I exited the woods, and he entered, with the same goal in mind as I. I startled him a bit, but not enough to keep him from exploring the path further. I continued the other way, and literally stumbled across a wildlife preserve behind our cabin complex. It was a very nice and well-marked trail -- unlike the night before -- but aside from some great views, I saw no one and no things out there with me.
Everyone was up and ready for breakfast when I got back, and we were soon on our way back into Jasper Park formally, and headed to the Miette Hotsprings. There are several areas in Banff and Jasper Parks where you can swim in natural hot springs, and Miette is the largest. I'd forgotten my swimsuit, so explored while everyone else "took in the waters." It must have been nice, as everyone was far too
relaxed when we did get back on a road about an hour later.
We had to drive back through the Jasper townsite, before turning northwest toward British Columbia. We did a little shopping and grabbed lunch, as Jasper was the last real town we'd see for a while.
The weather was perfect, and as we got closer to the border with British Columbia, I was worried our luck would turn, but that was unfounded. Mt. Robson -- which is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at nearly 13,000 feet -- is similar to Mt. McKinley up in Alaska, in that it is shrouded in clouds on average more than 300 days a year. The weather gods were smiling, and we were blessed with crystal-blue, cloud-free skies.
After hitting the visitor center, we visited Rearguard Falls, in hopes of seeing spawning salmon. These particular falls mark the most-distant spawning route for Chinook Salmon, who swim more than 800 miles up the Frasier River from Vancouver Sound and the Pacific Ocean. We were told in the visitor center that we should have been there in prime season to see them, but that the salmon "were late" this year, and had not yet arrived
in very large numbers. We saw no salmon jumping the falls, though they must have been there, as we saw several serious photographers set up with huge telephoto lenses, ready to snap when they saw a fish. We weren't there long enough to see one, or simply missed it.
We stayed in a couple cabins located at the end of a meadow, on a bluff above the Frasier, and with clear unobstructed views across to Mt. Robson. We could not have asked for a better setting. The price in return was having to deal with our first mosquitoes of the trip, but I judge it worth the trade-off.
That evening we took a float trip down the Frasier, which offered simply breathtaking views of the mountain and surrounding valleys. Some of us saw some spawning salmon up close, and those who did see it, were shocked at how huge they were -- some three-feet in length. We also trailed a pair of nesting Bald Eagles down the river.
As the sunset, we drove about 20 minutes further north into the nearest town, which is Valemount. We saw some salmon up close at a narrow point in the river with a spawning viewing area.
As for the town, it was eerily small (some 1,000 residents) and had an incredibly remote feeling to it. While a beautiful area, we all agreed it would be a very difficult place to live year round.
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