Day 13 -- Icefields Parkway

Summary:

• Drive from Jasper to Banff
• Distance Travelled: 426 km
• Scenery that took my breath away:  all of it
• Wildlife Seen: (7)
• deer
• caribou
• brown bear (mama and cub)
• bald eagle
• beaver
• stone sheep
• long-haired sheep

Jasper

Today's drive was ... absolutely breathtaking.  The Icefields Parkway is stunning ... if you ever have the opportunity, you MUST drive it (I wouldn't recommend it in winter though).  There wasn't a moment that didn't make me catch my breath in wonder.  Even now, as I'm tucked away in my AirBnB, I have a gorgeous view of the mountains.

somewhere in Banff

Athabasca Falls

Rainbow anyone? (Athabasca Falls)

Though much of the day was spent in the car, I did manage a stroll through Athabasca Falls (just outside Jasper National Park).  They're quite beautiful (as are most waterfalls).  Sadly the stroll was a bit short but it did let me stretch the legs before the long drive south today.

On the drive into Banff, I did stop at Lake Louise.  Sadly, it's still frozen, so I don't have the quintessential photo of Banff ... I guess that means I'll have to come back at some point 😁

I stopped by Morraine Lake too ... also frozen.  I may have to rethink my planned hikes for tomorrow.  As much as I love Canada, I'm not sure that I want to go trudging through snow and ice ... 

Lake Louise, stylized by google

Sadly, my powers of foresight are limited and, before I could start today's drive, I had to make a trip to Canadian Tire to get a bulb for my headlights ... however, this may have been fortuitous because had I not had to stop, I would have missed Daniel, my hitch hiker for the day. 

Daniel

As I was heading south from Jasper, I noticed a young hiker with a thumb out looking for a ride south.  At first, I drove by but at the next opportunity, I turned around to see  if he was still there.  I rolled down my window and there was a nice smile on a young face.  I asked him where he was going; "Banff" he said, in an accent that I couldn't place.  "Me too.  Hop in" I replied.  (shush!  I have good judgement and I used it ... I wouldn't have offered a ride otherwise!)  We got his ginormous backpack into the CRV and started south.

I have to say, it was nice to have someone to talk to for the day, even though Daniel was not the chatty sort.  We conversed off and on and we stared in awe at the mountains and scenery around us.  He was from Israel, on a break after finishing his 3 years obligatory military service, trying to "decide what to do with his life".   When Daniel said this, I couldn't help but chuckle.  I offered some wisdom that I wish I'd been smart enough to listen to when I was his age ... "just focus on what's next.  Eventually it'll be time to move on to something else (the next "next") and that will continue on ... and before you know it, you're living your life".   He said he was struggling to decide what to do next.  Me, in my ancient wisdom of 35, offered "the worst thing you can do is be too paralyzed in fear to make a decision and end up being carried away by the tides OR make a decision that turns out to not be good for you and decide to suffer in misery because you refuse to make another decision to move on to something else.  If you can manage to not do either of those, you'll be fine."  Good luck Daniel.