Eintritt Rocky Mountains

Yellowhead Hwy We woke up under a thick blanket of clouds. The change of yesterday's program had the disadvantage that Mount Robson disappeared fatally in the clouds today. I was annoyed , because I actually wanted to make the small detour of 30km the day before. And yesterday the sky was crystal clear. Small teaser: Also the following day the sky was cloudless. Only on this day the highest mountain (3954m) of the Rocky Mountains was not visible.
So, I had no desire to stop there even briefly.

Visitor Center Jasper In Jasper we had a late breakfast in the pub. Unfortunately, this took a long time, as the owner and the waitress had not expected so many guests. But the food was very good. Apart from a few apologies, there was no further compensation.
Me and my bear

I took advantage of the waiting time and got information material about Jasper and the Icefield Parkway in the visitor center opposite the street. I fell in love with a little bear, which I took home with me in memory of yesterday's great experience.

After a short shopping in liquor shop (beer and a bottle of wine from the interessting winery "Dirty Laundry" ) and supermarket - which also came up with very empty shelves - we quickly stormed the local Starbucks at exactly 3pm as "last customer of the day". The server told us he was having trouble getting staff, so he would close so early in the day. But that would be the case every season and not due to Covid.

The problem seemed omnipresent, because we saw many signs on the whole trip with the inscription "Now hiring..."

We drove to the Maligne Canyon, where now in the afternoon the rush of visitors eased somewhat. Our plan (on the advice of the travel guide) worked as in fact it was very crowded during the day. The signs indicating a full parking lot were still there.

We walked all the way to the 5th Bridge. The Maligne Canyon is very special, because the water flows not only in the visible riverbed into the valley, but also through many small and larger paths in the rock. At many places, the water emerges from the rock and merges with the river.

We didn't drive to Maligne Lake anymore, because you can't get to Spirit Island – the photo motif par excellence – without much effort (hike or boat rental, time). And with a boat full of tourists, I don't need to photograph the place.

Waterfall at Edith Cavell Trail We preferred to tackle the first attractions on the Icefield Parkway. Here, too, the motto was to visit in the early and evening hours rather than be annoyed by overcrowded parking spaces.

But first there was a traffic chaos at the intersection Yellowhead Hwy / Icefield Parkway. Traffic chaos means animal sighting! And indeed, a group of wapiti cows grazed a little off the road.

Neugieriges Streifenhörnchen The first destination was the Edith Cavell Road at the end of which a short path – Path of the Glacier Trail – leads to the glacier viewpoint including a glacial lake.
I saw a glacier in summer for the first time in my life and the thought that the ice layers I saw were several thousand years old touched me. However, we could also see that the Angel Glacier on Mount Edith Cavell had already decreased in size in recent years, which made me even more thoughtful. The glacial lake was also very reduced, even if small ice floes were still drifting on it in midsummer.

roebuck We drove the 14km long access road back (not recommended with larger RVs, as there are some switchbacks) and the 93A further south, where a small roebuck came towards us.
The planned picnic at the "Meeting of the Waters" was cancelled because none of us were hungry. Our "brunch" had simply been delayed too much. In addition, it dribbled again and again. So, we drove directly to the Athabasca Falls.

Athabasca Falls Now - in the early evening - the parking lot was only sparsely occupied. Very good for us. Unfortunately, the sky continued to close and indeed it started to rain. At first, I was annoyed.
But rain also has its advantages. Especially when the sun comes out in the back. Suddenly, the falls were framed by a wonderful rainbow.

Of course, nothing could stop me now. I left my men and stormed back to the viewing platform, where unfortunately also a "busload" of Indians arrived the same time. Somehow, I managed to set up my tripod in the most favorable place, and I didn't let elbows and bumps displace me for the next 20 or even 30 minutes. I firmed as a rock.
The spectacle was heightened when the sunlight refracted not only in the clouds, but finally also in the spray of the waterfall.

After this great experience we drove "back" to the Whistlers Campground. But not without another stop: A magnificent Wapiti stood directly on the roadside and was not disturbed by the stopping cars.

Whistlers Campground When booking, I had a little concern about the size of this huge campground. I expected small sites and a high volume due to the many visitors. Neither proved to be true. The campground was huge, but also spacious. The sites are beautifully and systematically well placed. Wood could be picked up free of charge, but we were lucky here and were able to save the last wooden blocks in our car. Whistlers Campground
The sky slowly cleared, and campfires were allowed. And so our son learned to split wood. I sent some requests to heaven and preferred to look into my laptop, but somehow they have to learn it. Accident-free and proud, he fanned the fire with his split logs. And in addition to a few sausages, S'mores are grilled under the stars on an amazingly quiet campground.