In Jasper: Day One

July 30, 2023

Maligne Lake

Somehow, with all the time in the world I still manage to get behind here. It’s easiest to write up the day in the morning when I’m fueled with a bit of caffeine - somehow this is more effective than an IPA for this purpose - but today’s another hiking day at a popular location when we want to get an early start to beat the crowds, so I’m time boxed. I’ll see what I can bang out in twenty minutes.

Today’s forecast is for intermittent showers and thunderstorms, but we’ve got several hours at the start so we drive out to Medicine Lake for a ride out to Maligne (pronounced Maleen, I think) Lake and back. The plan takes a hit though when partway there I start musing about whether I’ve forgotten my cycling shoes - I’m wearing my sandals for the drive because they’re more comfortable.

Unfortunately I’m right, we find when we arrive at our starting point at the near end of Medicine Lake. I tell Rachael I’ll just bike in my sandals. It won’t slow her down after all because she’ll just be biking off the front of the pack anyway. But it’s pretty cold, and it starts showering just as we arrive at the lake so the bike plan is bagged. We continue driving out to Maligne Lake for the views, which are spectacular - and once there we enjoy a short walk along the shore to a stunning view of the mountains at the far end of the lake.

Afterwards we drive home, stopping a few spots for the views, taking note of the fact that this would work much better on a bike when you can stop anywhere instead of the few pull offs that exist, and the fact that the crowds are arriving and there’s ten times the traffic that was present when we first arrived.

So that’s the morning. Ten minutes so far. Right on track.

Mounts Charlton and Unwin, from Maligne lake.

Bunchberry again, in bloom this time. It’s easier to see here that bunchberry is a member of the dogwood family.

The drive back gives us a dramatic view of the Colin Range. Astonishing geology. Look at those dipped beds!

Around town

Afternoon gives us more of a break in the weather, so we decide to scrap plans for an afternoon lunch and explore the lakes close in to town on the opposite side of the Athabaska. We explore them in our own way, each taking an out and back. Rachael takes a horseshoe-shaped walk, crossing the river a couple miles east of town and then looping back to about Mildred Lake before backtracking. I take the bike and approach the lakes from the opposite direction. She puts in a brisk and impressive ten miles, while I rack up a very pokey 18. The colors are stunning. I see a new bird. Done!!

Rats. The captions slowed me down, so I’m ten minutes over. Now I’ll have to rush through breakfast. Chow.