Neither of us slept very well owing to the lack of air conditioning and stifling heat in the room. We didn’t even use the blankets that were provided. We awoke early and were on our way to Jasper by 7:15 a.m. The 3-and-a-half hour drive was easy enough and the rolling farmlands that swept by were green, spotted with black cattle herds.
We stopped for gas in the town of Eston where Hans spotted an F-80 Shooting Star. We stopped to take pictures and then proceed to the park. The lines at the entrance moved quickly and before long we had an Alberta Park Pass and shortly after that pulled over to look at some bighorn sheep that were perched on a rocky outcrop, licking the salt out of the sediment. We continued to the town of Jasper and wandered around the small, busy streets to familiarize ourselves. We stopped for some pizza and then drove to the Maligne Canyon trailhead and hiked from the low end to the visitor’s center. Doing the hike backwards from the norm proved to be a good choice because most people start at the other end and don’t make it past the waterfalls to the canyon bottom. This made our hike more enjoyable and less crowded. We experimented with the camera and took some decent pictures of water in motion.
Our first glimpse of Jasper
The waterfalls at upper Maligne Canyon
Maligne LakeAfter our hike we drove for about 30 minutes to see Medicine and Maligne Lakes. Both were incredibly beautiful. We wandered along the lakeside at Maligne and took some pictures. Across the road we saw a small white-tailed deer. We inquired about early morning kayak rentals at the boat house and decided that we’d pack a lunch tomorrow and see how far we paddle.
We checked in at the nearby Wapiti campground. Dinner, however, was back in Jasper since we were intrigued by the Greek restaurant that looked to be popular. We had an enjoyable meal (I tried the AAA Albertan beef steak). Back at the campground our site had a little firewood, leftover from previous tenants.
