Hey everyone,
We headed off this morning for a walk around town. We were blessed with
stunning sunny weather again today. We have been so lucky on our trip
overall - my Canadian friends tell me this is the best and sunniest
spring they’ve had in a while!
We were once again taken aback at how beautifully the mountains surround
and frame the town here. It’s so quiet in the streets near our motel
and the town isn’t packed with tourists like it will be come summer. So
we walked along leisurely and first went to the museum. A really kind
Ukrainian woman who has moved here greeted us and we spent the best part
of an hour reading about the town. I know not everyone is a museum
person, but I personally enjoy gaining a context of a place when I am
visiting. What it’s been like for people in the past, why the place is
here etc.
The museum was good, enough info without being too much. We learned
about the makings of the town which obviously had First Nations people
living in the area first and then westerners penetrating the west of what’s
now Canada in the mid 1700s. Quite differently to home, many of the
European men exploring and settling here were encouraged to marry
aboriginal women in the area to create alliances and so the local women
could help teach them the ways of the land.
As with many towns around these parts, they were heavily involved in the
fur trade and the Hudson’s Bay Company that we heard of in Vancouver
and Victoria were here too. There was a decline in the fur trade in the
area in the mid 1800s, and due to the formidable nature of a lot of the
terrain, what the Hudson’s Bay Company were transporting back to London
at the time they began to send via Panama which meant this area wasn’t
as busy anymore.
In 1857 the British government approved a scientific expedition led by a
man named John Palliser to study the region and recommend a suitable
pass for wagons. In the early 1900s the Canadian National Railway built
lines out this way and this opened up avenues for transporting goods and
sightseeing. The famous Rocky Mountaineer journey people can take
these days has that line to thank. Far too expensive for us, but maybe
one day!
In 1907 the area was deemed Jasper National Park, but at this time the
government here only had revenue in mind despite this designation.
Mining and forestry were somehow still allowed! Luckily for us a man
named James B Harkin was the Parks Commissioner at the time and put a
stop to that when in 1930 he had the National Parks Act passed.
The town of Jasper began around 1910 when the area was selected as a
railway divisional point, but it was called Fitzhugh then. It was named
Jasper in 1913, and it and the national park are named after a post
manager in the area back then called Jasper Haws. Jasper remained a
largely isolated community until
the 1960s, and today is a town of nearly 6000 people. I think I like it
better than Whistler. The mountain peaks seem more dramatic, and overall
it’s more wild and peaceful out here. Each place has its own charm
though!
At the end of the exhibition they had a special exhibition on for the
75th anniversary of Jasper the Bear, a cartoon character created in 1948
that the town adopted. There were some funny cartoons here. There are sculptures of him around town!
We continued to wander in the sun, 21 and sunny feels hot here! We had a
look in a souvenir shop, enjoyed a coffee and a walk past the train
station and big steam engine they had there. Then we went back to the
room for lunch.
In the afternoon we set off for Maligne Canyon, a beautiful canyon
formed which was sort of like a cave under a glacier before the glacier
receded. Cue bear fear - but we didn’t see any here! Prime territory for them
though. We made our way down winding paths and across bridges, enjoying
seeing the rushing water through the canyon and some of the snow left
behind from winter. In winter you can do an ice walk here through the
bottom of the canyon. The word ‘Maligne’ means evil in French and the
area got this name when a Belgian tried to cross the river on his horse
in 1846 and found it very difficult.
We saw two crows and their babies in a nest lodged in the canyon wall,
and enjoyed the cool breeze the lower part of the canyon afforded us.
Apparently there are a network of caves underneath where we were walking
where water flows through as well.
The return section of the loop we took had a huge uphill section, but
the views up the top were insane. A green carpet of trees, a blue lake
and Jasper town in the distance, we could even see a train trundling by,
and of course the stunning mountains in the background. The
only downside was it was very much a forest track, and very isolated. We
even saw a bear scratch in the soil at one point (it didn’t look fresh
though). We did have a genuine concern we would see a bear here, so we
kept talking loudly to each other.
Once back at the car we went for a bit of a drive towards Maligne Lake.
On the way the landscape changed and we think there must have been some
wildfires through this area as many trees were burnt. In some areas
there were lots of lighter green trees amongst the darker ones, and we
thought these may be newer post fire growth. At the end of the road we
stopped at Maligne Lake. It was still frozen enough we could walk on it,
and it now made sense why the boat tours don’t run for another month!
But even after the amazing day and views we enjoyed today, the drive
back was the highlight of the day. First we rounded a corner and saw two
moose (with no antlers - female I guess?). We sat and watched them for a
while and they even wandered towards our car. Five minutes further up
the road we saw two parked cars and people standing with binoculars, and
we knew this could only mean one thing. There was a black bear downhill
from the road, about 30m away from us!! He put on quite a show for us all, walking into a
clearing, lying down and having a rest and then walking up to a tree,
standing tall and scratching his back on it. It was amazing!!! We then
also saw a grey deer amongst the trees on the way back. The drive had
been beautiful and all this wildlife spotting just topped it off.
On
the way back to Jasper, we stopped at Annette Lake and Edith Lake.
Annette Lake in particular was absolutely stunning, and we think we may
come back here for a swim tomorrow as it's going to be warm and sunny
again.
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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