Reluctantly, I packed up my gear and left the campsite at Miette. (BTW, the campsite is officially called 'Pocahontas'.) I could have stayed another day or two, but the hiking and exploring further to the south in Jasper beckoned. The nice campsite attendant let me borrow her hiking book on Jasper the night before, so I had identified some potential trails. She also advised me that I shouldn't worry too much about finding campsites. Tenters usually don't have problems finding sites, but the RV'ers do, she explained. Nevertheless, I wanted to find this night's accommodations earlier rather than later.
Due to a minor miscalculation, my "gas tank empty" light come on about 30 miles outside of Jasper Town. I sweated bullets and rode fumes to the Esso on the edge of town where I paid dearly to refill the tank. From the pump station, I drove a mile south of town to Whistlers Campground and reserved one of their 781 campsites for two nights. Just as the campground attendant had told me, the place was full save for the tent sites. Jasper was crawling with people. I did my best to blend in and walked the street for a while with my best expression of contentment and wonderment on my face. I uploaded the previous days' blogs at an internet cafe and then had a coffee along the main street while I mapped out the next few days. I would roll on to Banff on Friday morning...
There were nothing but sunny skies around Jasper and I was very appreciative of it. I had seen a lot of rain in Alaska. It is amazing how much the weather affects one's mood, especially when one spends so much time in it. I did a quick calculation: I have slept in the tent for the past 21 days. The night of June 27th was the last time I slept in a bed with a roof overhead. I wonder what is the record?
I back-tracked a couple of miles towards Miette, then to the east on Maligne Lake Road. I followed this heavenly highway for about 30 miles, past the scenic Medicine Lake and all of the pine trees. As I was crossing a river flowing into Maligne Lake, I looked over the bridge and noticed a moose preparing (it turned out) to cross. I pulled over and took a lot of pictures. I've discovered that taking good pictures means taking a lot of pictures. Thankfully, digital photography makes it possible.
I parked the car a few yards down the road and set off on the Skyline Trail which runs about 32 miles across the park. I ticked off 12 of those miles on an up-and-back hike from Maligne Lake up to Little Shovel. It was a great hike and I was pooped when I returned to the car. After all that driving, finally I was getting some exercise! By the time I returned to the lake, nearly all of the other tourists had left. I had the place to myself. I made a few calls from the payphone, then headed down the road to my campsite.
Thai noodles and tuna for dinner. Girl Scout cookies for dessert. Whoa.
Due to a minor miscalculation, my "gas tank empty" light come on about 30 miles outside of Jasper Town. I sweated bullets and rode fumes to the Esso on the edge of town where I paid dearly to refill the tank. From the pump station, I drove a mile south of town to Whistlers Campground and reserved one of their 781 campsites for two nights. Just as the campground attendant had told me, the place was full save for the tent sites. Jasper was crawling with people. I did my best to blend in and walked the street for a while with my best expression of contentment and wonderment on my face. I uploaded the previous days' blogs at an internet cafe and then had a coffee along the main street while I mapped out the next few days. I would roll on to Banff on Friday morning...
There were nothing but sunny skies around Jasper and I was very appreciative of it. I had seen a lot of rain in Alaska. It is amazing how much the weather affects one's mood, especially when one spends so much time in it. I did a quick calculation: I have slept in the tent for the past 21 days. The night of June 27th was the last time I slept in a bed with a roof overhead. I wonder what is the record?
I back-tracked a couple of miles towards Miette, then to the east on Maligne Lake Road. I followed this heavenly highway for about 30 miles, past the scenic Medicine Lake and all of the pine trees. As I was crossing a river flowing into Maligne Lake, I looked over the bridge and noticed a moose preparing (it turned out) to cross. I pulled over and took a lot of pictures. I've discovered that taking good pictures means taking a lot of pictures. Thankfully, digital photography makes it possible.
I parked the car a few yards down the road and set off on the Skyline Trail which runs about 32 miles across the park. I ticked off 12 of those miles on an up-and-back hike from Maligne Lake up to Little Shovel. It was a great hike and I was pooped when I returned to the car. After all that driving, finally I was getting some exercise! By the time I returned to the lake, nearly all of the other tourists had left. I had the place to myself. I made a few calls from the payphone, then headed down the road to my campsite.Thai noodles and tuna for dinner. Girl Scout cookies for dessert. Whoa.
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