Despite all of the exercise the day before, it was a restless night of not sleeping. The last time I peeked at my indiglo watch, it was 1:30 in the morning. Not sure why that happened. Maybe it was the loud bus idling at 11:30. I was a little cranky when I rolled out of my sleeping bag at 7:00 AM, but then I remembered Kook, who slept with the mosquitoes on the top of kayaks so the mice wouldn't run over him in the Broken Islands.
I fired up some oatmeal, then took a shower. I went back into Jasper to upload the previous day's blog and I made arrangements to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with Matthias for three nights beginning August 6th. Trying to find an entry permit in the Boundary Waters this late into the busy season is like trying to find a diamond in a glacier. I snatched the last one on a lake near Ely, Minnesota. Forest fires are raging in the BWCAW right now following a blow-down windstorm back in 1999. With luck, the fires won't affect our plans. Unfortunately, the fires are within one or two miles of affecting other peoples' lives; There has been talk of evacuation of certain areas.
I called an outfitter in Ely to reserve a canoe, packs and a bear rope to tie our food in the trees. (But if those wimpy Minnesota bears know what's good for 'em they won't mess with me; I've played with the Alaskan grizzlies...)
I had a coffee at the same place as the day before - I took note this time - it's called the Soft Rock Cafe and they make great java. I had my day all dialed up; I would do two hikes in two different areas. From downtown Jasper, I drove south just a few miles on highway 93 where I turned off to the west towards Mt. Edith Cavell. Conrad and I climbed a switchback-filled road for about 8 miles to the base of the mountain near a glacier of the same name. The mountain is named after a British nurse from WWI who was executed by the Germans for shuttling about 200 Belgian POWs out of hospitals. I hiked the Path of the Glacier Loop, which brought me closest to the glacier and the ice-filled pond at the bottom of it, and I hiked the Cavell Meadows Trail for about 7 miles which led me through a forest, then the meadows, and on up above the tree line for a good view of the surrounding valley and the glacier. As I descended, I watched and listened to pieces of the glacier crack and rumble down the hill.
I drove back to the highway, then turned again to the south for only a mile. I parked the near the Valley of the Five Lakes. The loop trail was 3 miles round-trip and brought me by all five lakes. I stopped for pictures at a couple of particularly scenic spots above the emerald green lakes. The air temperature really heated up during the day. I guess it reached 85 degrees. I was dusty, hot, stinky and sore by the time I got back to the car. I drove back into town to shop for groceries. I returned to camp and fixed the last of the macaroni and cheese packets I had purchased at Costco in Minnesota in May. I wondered what I would eat for supper in the future? These are the difficult choices I face each day. I took another shower, wrote in my journal, and hit the hay.
I fired up some oatmeal, then took a shower. I went back into Jasper to upload the previous day's blog and I made arrangements to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with Matthias for three nights beginning August 6th. Trying to find an entry permit in the Boundary Waters this late into the busy season is like trying to find a diamond in a glacier. I snatched the last one on a lake near Ely, Minnesota. Forest fires are raging in the BWCAW right now following a blow-down windstorm back in 1999. With luck, the fires won't affect our plans. Unfortunately, the fires are within one or two miles of affecting other peoples' lives; There has been talk of evacuation of certain areas.I called an outfitter in Ely to reserve a canoe, packs and a bear rope to tie our food in the trees. (But if those wimpy Minnesota bears know what's good for 'em they won't mess with me; I've played with the Alaskan grizzlies...)
I had a coffee at the same place as the day before - I took note this time - it's called the Soft Rock Cafe and they make great java. I had my day all dialed up; I would do two hikes in two different areas. From downtown Jasper, I drove south just a few miles on highway 93 where I turned off to the west towards Mt. Edith Cavell. Conrad and I climbed a switchback-filled road for about 8 miles to the base of the mountain near a glacier of the same name. The mountain is named after a British nurse from WWI who was executed by the Germans for shuttling about 200 Belgian POWs out of hospitals. I hiked the Path of the Glacier Loop, which brought me closest to the glacier and the ice-filled pond at the bottom of it, and I hiked the Cavell Meadows Trail for about 7 miles which led me through a forest, then the meadows, and on up above the tree line for a good view of the surrounding valley and the glacier. As I descended, I watched and listened to pieces of the glacier crack and rumble down the hill.
I drove back to the highway, then turned again to the south for only a mile. I parked the near the Valley of the Five Lakes. The loop trail was 3 miles round-trip and brought me by all five lakes. I stopped for pictures at a couple of particularly scenic spots above the emerald green lakes. The air temperature really heated up during the day. I guess it reached 85 degrees. I was dusty, hot, stinky and sore by the time I got back to the car. I drove back into town to shop for groceries. I returned to camp and fixed the last of the macaroni and cheese packets I had purchased at Costco in Minnesota in May. I wondered what I would eat for supper in the future? These are the difficult choices I face each day. I took another shower, wrote in my journal, and hit the hay.
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