Now that we’d had a taste of outdoor rock climbing, it wasn’t a hard sell to go out for more. Our friends in Edmonton, who are much more experienced climbers, invited us to join them for a weekend of climbing in the David Thompson corridor. We had to rent and borrow gear, get ourselves a couple of neighbouring campsites, and plan for off-grid camping. And although I had some concerns about logistics, I have to admit that the whole weekend went swimmingly!
Our crew arrived at the campground early enough on Friday to secure two campsites. There isn’t much for cell signal (none, really) in this area so we had to pre-plan the campgrounds by order of preference. We got two great spots beside each other. Check. The weather was great too – not too hot. Check. All the required trailer systems were working (it was our first time using the trailer since Oct 2020) and we were feeling confident in our ability to camp three nights without running water and electricity. Check.
The climbing pitch was a short hike from the campground so the kids and parents loaded up with gear, snacks, water, and sunscreen and we made our way to “the cliff”. The dads set the anchors (with Bryson teaching Erik) and the kids happily climbed a number of times on two different lines. Sadly, after we descended for lunch, the sky opened up and we had to seek shelter from rain for 20 minutes. This also meant that the rocks would be too slippery to continue so the Dads went back up to gather the gear and we, instead, did a scramble up a slope to the top of the ridge with a marvellous view, before hiking back to the campground . Our afternoon was further rained out so we played cards and LEGO, drew pictures, and had a lovely visit.
Sunday was a great day for climbing so we capitalized on the weather and climbed again adding a new route. You could tell that the kids had more confidence as they all went higher than before and tried some more technical spots. Even I climbed to the top! We were so grateful for the chance to do this again and to share that time with our friends. It was tough to say farewell, especially for Simon who has found a kindred ninja-spirit in Ryan.
Monday morning, we packed up and headed for Jasper with a stop at the Columbia Icefields. We ate our picnic lunch before walking the Toe of the Glacier Trail. It was an easy 10 degrees cooler at the Icefields than any other spot on the route, owing to the katabatic winds that blow along the icefields. We bundled up to ensure we made it there and back comfortably. One thing that really struck the kids as interesting was how much the glacier has receded in recent years. Parks Canada has placed dated markers in the ground indicating the edge of the glacier at various years. Although many markers show dates much earlier than their birth, they seemed specifically concerned to see the distance between the current glacier’s edge and the 2010 marker. We chatted about climate changes and what fewer glaciers may mean to the health of our planet as we walked back to Chuck and Taylor (our truck and trailer). Seeing these new sites really does open the door to big conversations that may spark further questions and stoke new interests. It felt like a homeschooling “win”.
We arrived and set up camp at Wabasso Campground and quickly found the neat little beach at the edge of the Athabasca River. In the heat of the day, it felt great to dip our feet in the river, but only for about 6 seconds – it was frigid!
We had booked four nights in Jasper and could have used a couple of weeks to really enjoy the whole National Park. We capitalized on the clear weather and were able to see three awesome spots:
1. Valley of the Five Lakes. This is a 6 km loop that takes you to the shores of, you guessed it, five mountain lakes. Each lake was breathtakingly colourful, calm, and gorgeous. We decided to hike the loop in reverse direction, starting with Lake #5 and ending with Lake #1. We ate our snack while sitting in the red Parks Canada chairs and gazing out over Lake #3. It was a hot day and we were feeling tired by the end, but the scenery was worth it!!
2. Mount Edith Cavell. At the end of a narrow and twisty 14km road lies a large parking lot and the head of two trails. We walked the Path of the Glacier Trail which is paved and takes visitors to a lookout platform from which one can see both the Angel Glacier and the lower Cavell Glacier. Given the time of year (late June), only the first km of the Cavell Meadows Trail was open. I went alone to check out the view and ended up walking ankle deep in snow along the way. But the view was worth it. I had to scramble up some moraine rocks but was rewarded with a mostly frozen lake at the base of Cavell Glacier. There were visible openings and cracks in the ice that were radiating the icy green-blue lake water below. Later in the summer, the lake is fully melted and shines a gorgeous colour. The kids sat and watched ice and snow break off the glaciers and fall to the ground. They marvelled at the creaking and snapping and moaning noises that were so far away yet sounded so close.
3. Athabasca Falls. None of us were prepared for just how large and fierce and powerful the waterfall would be. We knew the river was high with spring melt but were amazed to see the ferociousness of the water as it pushed over and down and through the rocky canyon. Parks Canada has made a wonderful walking trail that takes you to both sides of the falls to get some awesome vantage points. You can also walk down through an old part of the falls, where water no longer reaches, and see the smooth carvings left by the water in the canyon walls. It was quite spectacular.
And I can’t possibly leave Jasper without also bragging about the incredible views and scenery along the entire Icefields Parkway. Just see for yourself…you really must!
Our next stop was Canmore. And although we knew that Canmore has so much to offer outdoor enthusiasts, we arrived the day that the heat dome also arrived. We tried to spend time outdoors in the mornings, before the hottest time of day, but even that was hard to bear. We spent one morning walking the streets of Banff and earning another Parks Canada dog tag. I may have done some shopping too. But the heat soon overtook our coping abilities and we retreated to our very hot trailer. Sadly, relief from the heat only came after we swam in Quarry Lake, a gorgeous but tiny man-made lake on the outskirts of town that was quite cold but that felt awesome to swim in! The main reason for our stop in Canmore was for Claire and Erik to take a cave tour – the final birthday activity that Claire had requested. The two of them were given gear and safety talks and were then led down into the Rat’s Nest Cave where they explored for 2 hours and covered over 2km of distance underground. We were all very proud of her bravery and willingness to try caving.
As soon as they were done, we packed up Taylor and retreated to the safety of air conditioning by crashing at my godparents’ place in Calgary. Goodbye Canmore and 34 degrees, hello family and a cool place to sleep. We spent two days together and had a great visit! From there, we pushed hard to make the drive to Shoal Lake, MB arriving on our one-year tripiversary and in time for Canada Day fireworks. It has been a wonderful year and now it is time to see some loved ones and plan our next edventure.
