The (not so) Big Five of Canada

Friday 3rd October – Wildlife Day!

Waiting patiently for three days in Bear’s Den for its namesake to appear, in desperation we finally went on the hunt for the Big Five. Fully camouflaged with tomahawk and war paint and covered in the scent of a grizzly bear in season, we stumbled across a large group of rutting elk surrounded by a strange camera clicking people from the east. Bedlam ensued as vehicles were abandoned willy-nilly and the Japanese risked their very lives to get another photograph of themselves riding an elk.

Our next wildlife encounter was an air raid attack from a grey jay. We first spotted it as we left our car to visit the huge icebergs floating on the lake at Mount Edith Cavell. It waited to ambush us upon our return and leapt on the boot of our car. In a very loud voice it demanded our bag of trail mix. Prolonged negotiations ensued but we resisted this sustained attack as we believe ‘wildlife should be kept wild’.

At the bottom of Athabasca Falls, Kate stopped to take photos of the First Nations’ rock sculptures but jumped out of her skin when a ghostly white face with big black eyes popped its head out from under a rock right close by. This cute little ermine continued to pop up and disappear, flashing the black tip of its tail as it tried to pass, and finally like a ribbon of light, whizzed back along the shore into the woods.

Next, a black raven coolly posed for our camera. And finally on our way back, we ran over a sweet little red squirrel, who thoroughly lost his game of dare. Sob!

Jasper

Jasper feels less commercial than Banff – and less crowded. Though still a tourist town it doesn’t feel over-the-top. We stayed at Patricia Lake which is about three miles out and above the centre of town, surrounded by woodland and lakes - this accommodation was a good base for some off-road biking, canoeing and walking. We stayed in ‘Bear’s Den’ a teeny log cabin near the lake.

Places near Jasper we visited were Lake Beauvert, Maligne Lake, Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake (a lake that has no apparent water as it drains underneath the glacier silt). The Maligne Lake Road is a classic route for seeing bears and other beasts especially at dusk, but alas we saw nothing but squirrels. Blasted squirrels!!!

One of the highlights of our visit to Jasper was the Jasper SkyTram. Rising at 4 metres a second to a height of 7,500 ft, SkyTram drops you off at its base and then you are left to climb the remaining 800ft or so with your own pegs. The views, 360 were amazing. The mountain was called Whistlers because of the marmots that live up there and spend idle hours whistling. Sweet!

Icefields Parkway

National Geographic states that this the most beautiful highway in the world. About 230km long, it takes you through some pretty impressive scenery from Lake Louise to Jasper through the Canadian Rockies. At this time of year it was also spookily empty – at points we wondered if the world had ended and we were the only ones left on the planet.

Reached Lake Louise before dawn on an on a very chilly morning, surrounded by half the population of Japan taking photographs – lots of photographs! Before you get to the lake you see a huge hotel complex – still in development which is kind of off putting. The lake itself is a bit of a let down and not as interesting as the lesser hyped Moraine Lake which we quickly moved on to and spent a couple of hours walking around as the sun came over the mountain tops and slowly revealed the amazing turquoise colour of the water.

Warmed by an expensive coffee and pastry we moved on and stopped at Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon and then just before it got dark we got to the Columbia Icefield. Luckily the tourist machine had shut down by the time we got there - we managed to get right up to the glacier as there as was no one around. This huge glacier is receding at a frightening pace; once up to and beyond the highway, you now have to drive about half a km to the car park and then walk for about 20 minutes to its base. Along the way signs tell you it reached here in 1972 here in 1982 etc Once at the base you can hear rivers running under the ice and the odd creak and groan from within!

Dusk came and we still had some travelling to do before we got to Patricia Lake in Jasper.

We’re back!

Sorry for the gap in communication but there was not much electricity in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just about enough solar power to turn on the bulb in our little thatched bure! More about that later, first let’s wrap up Canada…

Everybody say, ‘Ahhhhhhhhh!’

There seems to be a theme emerging here. Answers on a postcard please…

Chief Running Butt, and White Witch meet Bob and Karin Bittner

“You should never meet up with strange men you meet on the Internet when they invite you over to a foreign country”. There is an exception to every rule and you may end up having a spiffingly good time. Chester’s photographer friend from the Digital Camera Magazine website, Bob Bittner and his comedian wife Karin met up with us in Banff. A weekend of photography ensued with a drive down to Windermere where we he had booked some amazing cabins surrounded by beautiful orchards and countryside.

Chester received First Nation name from Bob having led group through dangerous bear infested trail. Chester warn group about approaching grizzly’s when he make contact with “Spirit of Bear” who tell them run like hell. Chief Running Butt is now his official Canadian name.

Chester is offered a Job in Canada

Serendipity or fate, call what you will but Chester has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Whilst at Fort Steele a restored a town and fort dating from 1864 Chester met Norm a kind of weird looking character – you know the kind of look that you get when you emerge from the wilderness 3 mths later with nothing but a toilet roll - the long haired, fought with a bear and survived look.

Anyway Chester got chatting with Norm and they got on like a house on fire. Conversation got serious and before too long they started talking GOLD! Norm is a national gold panning champion and wanted Chester to try his hand – “we need guys like you up here, there’s gold in them mountains Chester. I got some grit, you find me some gold.” Chester was a natural and found 5 pieces of gold in his first pan. Norm was astounded – “took me years to move that pan like you do. You sure got a way with grit.”

Anyway to cut a long story short, Chester signed the contract and lease to pan for gold in “Long Forgotten Valley”, which apparently he has exclusively for the next 100 years – a good investment for the kids (?). $5000 dollars later he was last seen up in them valleys shaking his pan like a man possessed.

UPDATE: Chester’s poor navigational skills have landed him in a spot of bother. Instead of Long Forgotten Valley he ended up in the strangely named Argos Valley – the guys up there got wind and dealt with him swiftly. That’s the way out here – no muckin’.