Friday, September 3rd, 2004

This was the day we'd be spending in Jasper, which, at 52 degrees, 53 minutes north latitude, was the furthest north any of us had ever gone. The plan was to do a mountain bike ride in the morning, and hopefully a hike in the afternoon. The mountain bike ride was a 22K ride right at the edge of town that ran along the Athabasca River and out to Malign Canyon. Since we couldn't do a long hike after that on a half day schedule, our plan was to take the Jasper Tramway up to Whistlers Mountain, and do a shorter hike to the summit from there. This was all dependent on the weather of course.

	When we woke up in the morning, it looked like the weather might be clearing, but it was still wet everywhere outside the tent.

	Ty had to spend some time outside exploring and throwing rocks in the small stream that ran behind our campsite.

	We got all our biking gear together and headed off for breakfast at a nice diner right in town. After eating, we went out back and played Frisbee with Ty's hat. The goal was to try and land the hat on his head, and we did manage to get pretty close a few times.

	Our bike route began at a recreational area near the edge of town called Old Fort Point, which is situated right on the Athabasca River. Mom and Ty headed down to the river so Ty could throw rocks (of course) while I prepared the bikes. It was still a raw, cold morning so I had on lots of layers, gloves, and even the winter hat I'd brought. At least we were well prepared to bike in the weather.

Below, I've added a map of the Jasper townsite area. I've removed all the color except for the water (blue) and the trail we took for our mountain bike ride (Trail #7 in red). We started at Old Fort Point near the bottom (see picture above) and headed north along the Athabasca River. At the confluence of the Athabasca and Maligne rivers (see picnic table image at northernmost part of route) we headed up towards Maligne Canyon. Finally, we headed back south past the lakes, and actually took an alternate route past Jasper Park Lodge and Beauvert Lake. The route in red is about 22K, although I'd say our ride was about 30K due to some route finding we had to do. Continue on below to see pictures from the ride!

E hopped on her bike and explored some of the trails near the car with Ty, while I finished getting ready. She quickly came back when she spooked a deer (we were told to especially watch out for the elk in rut). We were some of the only people around on such a dreary day, so there was a good chance of seeing some wildlife. The next animal we saw was an osprey in a perch along the river (picture below). The osprey was very loud, and Ty seemed interested in the "bur" (as he calls them).

	Ty and Dad biking along the Athabasca River

	Ty and Dad stop to watch one of the many trains that pass through the area. If you're a train enthusiast, Jasper is great place to see a LOT of trains in a small town setting.

	A family picture along the Athabasca. Unfortunately, the overcast conditions don't allow you to see the usually vibrant color of the river, but you may be able to make out some of a tint of turquoise which comes from the glacial particles in the water. In the background you may be able to make out yet another train passing by.

	Mom and Ty pause to allow a picture of the trail. It's actually a great trail that's part of an amazing network you could explore for weeks. There were a few muddy sections, which gave E some practice riding in mud (something we don't get too often in the Bitterroot).

After traveling several miles along the edge of the Athabasca River, we came to the convergence with the Maligne River (seen in picture below). I liked this shot due to the nice curving of the river, but also because it showed some of the peaks popping out of the clouds in the background. At this point we couldn't find the continuation of the trail we were riding (trail #7 on the map above) and had to travel around a bit to find it for the next part of the ride.

Once we found the trail again, it took us across the Maligne River on a very nice bridge. This was also a popular starting point for hikers heading up into the mountains, so we shared the trail with others for a bit. They had signs up to be very careful about mountain lions in the area (due to several sightings) so we weren't going to let Ty down out of his seat until we were in a much safer area.

On our next "off trail" experience, we accidentally went further up Maligne Canyon than bikes are supposed to go. We began wondering if we were on the right trail when we had to ride over some very technical sections and start carrying our bikes up and down staircases. Finally, we figured out where we were and turned around. E did manage to get a shot of this neat little waterfall during the experience.

	Riding back out from our unintended trip up the canyon, we had to navigate a very steep pitch. It may not look that steep in the picture, but a little more pitch would have had me doing an endo (I don't think Ty would have enjoyed that). I wish I had a picture of E's face when she came down, she looked like she'd eaten a bird or something.

	Eventually we found the route we should have taken, which featured this fun little bridge that we could ride across.

	On our way home, we had to navigate our way through the massive complex of the Jasper Park Lodge, part of which is pictured here from across Beauvert Lake. There was even a herd of elk hanging around on the grounds, with a huge bugling bull.

	During our last leg from Jasper Park Lodge to Old Fort Point, it started to rain, and Ty got a bit wet before we decided to put on his rain coat. His tuft of hair that usually sticks up through his helmet decided to hold its shape well after the ride was over.

	We spent the evening in town, and went out to Miss Italia Ristorante for Italian food (a huge favorite of Ty's). Actually, everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and I was so stuffed that I had to walk around for a bit before I could sit down, just like after a trip to Bove's in Burlington. Below, Ty and Mom sit with a bear as Ty makes a roaring sound.

	That evening, we got one of our few chances to see the sun in Jasper. It gave us hope that the skies would clear for our trip on the Icefields Parkway the next day.

On to the Next Day