TOWARD JASPER NATIONAL PARK, A NEVER-TO-BE FORGOTTEN MONUMENTAL JOURNEY (Part 2/2)

Reaching the 270 degrees elbow curve that welcomes you to the bottom of the long steep hill bringing you from the valley floor to the upper reaches of the highway offers you some more vertical thrills to contemplate, if your heart can take it...

On your way up, make sure you stop at the north end of the parking lot of Panther Falls, on your side of the highway. From there proceed mindfully through the very short walk among the short pine trees quickly opening up onto a canyon where loud and dizzying rushing waters coming from above find their way through an ever narrowing maze of columns. Finding stillness on the last pillar at the edge of the waterfall is in itself a challenge for most and should not be considered for the ones with vertigo. A breathtaking opportunity for the thrill seekers and photographers…

More easily accessible is the platform-like rock that towers beside the south wall of the waterfall which also provides for a great photo shoot of boiling waters falling on the rock below and forming evanescing rainbows during a long part of the day.

From what I gather through reading, these last two waterfalls are extensions of Tangle Creek waterfall which runs from much higher grounds and to which another more "classic" and common picture is usually taken later on up the road:

Reaching the upper most slopes of the highway also allows for amazing backcountry hiking as you find yourself in the “alpine”, a zone known to be mostly empty of trees where only a few shrubs eek out existence. The vistas of the world famous Columbia Glacier and its surroundings see themselves overflowing with ice where hanging glaciers and snows burst out of the cliffs sides, above and beyond the mountains located to the west of the road:

Just north of the glacier, the dry and cold katabatic winds come from the glaciers environment and the scenery changes once more to offer you two of the most spectacular ranges to be found in the Rockies. The “Rainbow Range”, to the west, and the “Endless Ridge Range”, to the east, face each other in a gargantuan display of colours ranging in contrasts of forms and colours.

On the west hand-side, the rainbow-mountains and, on the east side, the immensely and appropriately named “Endless Ridge Range” following:

A quick detour around the old highway brought me some luck nearing Athabasca Falls and weather created contrasts of light quite positively appreciated:

Near Jasper, there are also many opportunities to connect with the rarely seen and even more remotely experienced world of high mountains environments. A mandatory pit-stop at Mt. Edith Cavell offers you a rare and accessible opportunity to this world and even has a little remote hostel where you can stay, if you are lucky enough to have space… Make reservations as early as you can if you want to spend the night in the cosiness and warmth of a shelter that even has electricity, only a short distance from the mountain.

The little lake across from the hostel offers magnificent opportunity for pictures and opens up into a world-class hiking world that one can travel on foot or even on horseback.

Over the years, I often wondered how to save a bit of money to spend some more time in the mountains. On the northern bench, just above quaint little Jasper, lakes and mountains are at your doorstep whether you are looking for a nice swim or a quick stroll. Seen down below, Pyramid Mountain on the edge of Pyramid Lake offers a short but worthwhile little walk onto Pyramid Island.

On the very end of this magnificent day heading up north toward Jasper, I decided to sleep in front of Mt. Kerkislin which towers above the campgrounds:

From there, as the weather was a bit uncertain, I thought it would become increasingly easy, weather permitting, to shuttle back and forth chasing rainbows during the famous"Golden Hour" among the peaks, lakes and rivers of this last day on that unforgettable highway.

Trying to catch a glimpse of rainbows over the Endless Ridge Range, I stumbled upon what was an unknown jewel to me. I parked my truck by the lake, walked out to the calm music of two banjos playing bluegrass music around a quite fire where a small crowd was attending the magic. the rest of the campground crowd was hardly audible. I walked a few seconds to reach the waters of Honeymoon Lake, the warmest lake in this part of the Rockies making it the indisputably best location to go for the warmest spirit swim I have ever had. The scenery as well as its ambiance are now deeply tattooed in my soul:

On the morning after, a good bath in one of the local lake was another beautiful and rejuvenating opportunity for healing among swarms of fish the likes of which I had never seen in my entire life! Along the shores of this lake nearing Athabasca Falls, I met with a former B.C. firefighter, now living in South America. standing by the lake, we shared a warm tulsi tea, a.k.a. holy basil, over a long and peaceful conversation. He had brought his Columbian fiancé over to introduce her to the marvels of our countries. I dove into the lake and continued visiting with them realizing the ever mounting oneness of our souls and synchronous connections while discovering that him and I had a common close friend named Philippe, living in Terrace, B.C., with whom he used to work with many moons prior.

The whole trip from Banff to Jasper which could too easily take less than three hours has so much attractions that it will flood your senses. There is simply too much to see and experience in one’s lifetime and so much more to share than what I have sparingly touched on during this short article.

Thinking about it in retrospect or while you are experiencing these parks can very easily overwhelms one's mind... A stop, becoming a restful moment, becomes mandatory for the soulful travellers reconnecting and entering in communion with the land and themselves. For those who have eyes to see and a heart to listen, the park continuously offers spectacular emotions among some of this Earth’s most incredible vistas. Whether one comes through the Rockies to experience mountains or its stupendous elementals or for its astonishing diversity of life and wildlife it has always more, much more to offer.

Either way, one’s soul is sure to be enlivened and most probably rejuvenated, and thrilled by the beauty of life and its immensity. I wish it all for you and take this opportunity to wish you time to reconnect with this world through a journey of that nature, a journey back to one heart of the world.