Day 17, August 29

Day 17, August 29

Locations: Peyto Lake; Athabasca Falls; Jasper

Miles driven: 179

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My alarm went off at 5:30 and I looked out the semi-fogged window. The sky appeared to be clear and full of stars, so I snoozed for a bit since it looked like I’d be going to Lake Louise for sunrise, but I set the alarm early enough to give me the extra time needed to get to Peyto. I got up at 5:50 and saw there were clouds to the north in the direction of Peyto and there weren’t any to the east that I could see from here. Dang it! I’m late! Change of plans! Lake Louise will have to wait. I made a mad dash for things as I would’ve preferred more time to arrive at Peyto in time.

On the drive to Peyto, the clouds had built up a bit to the east. Ugh! I got to the parking lot, got all my stuff out and started up the trail. I made it up to the rock pile (the same place that I’d been previously) at 6:45 and in time for sunrise. The colors were great off to the east, but they never materialized over the lake, however there was some great color back towards Peyto Glacier and Peyto Peak. The sweet light soon faded and the sky turned mostly overcast, but there were a number of windows in the clouds and the sun was able to shine through them from time to time, which really made for some awesome imagery. I stayed until around noon when the first two tourists walked up. Every time I come up here, it is so difficult to leave. I try to soak in the view as much as possible and to make the scene permanently engraved in memory—and I don’t want people apart of that scene!

I headed back down and left the parking lot at 12:20. The skies had turned a consistent shade of gray and a light rain had started. I stopped in at Waterfowl Lakes Campground just up the road where I brushed my teeth, replenished my water supply, and changed out 26 sheets of film. I would stop here a few more times on the trip to do the same thing. Oddly enough, it always seemed to be raining when I stopped in here.

I headed further up the Icefields Parkway and stopped at the pullout at the apex of Big Bend, a large, sweeping hairpin turn just below Bridal Veil falls (near the Banff/Jasper border) and rested for a little over a half-hour. After I awoke, I walked over to the gorge to the west that is mostly hidden from the road and took some snaps of the thundering water. I left here at 5:38.

I headed into Jasper and stopped at Athabasca Falls long enough to take a couple of snaps, though oddly, not of the falls themselves. I didn't even take a shot of them on this trip. Peculiar indeed! I left here at 7:40. I checked out the nearby Mt. Kerkeslin Campground and found it was $14, so figured I’d come back here to camp tonight. I drove into Jasper to fuel up and also got two bags of ice for the cooler. It remained overcast with off and on rain.

At 8:45, it started raining the hardest it had all day. I arrived back at the Kerkeslin Campground a bit before 9:00, which is 22 miles south of Jasper. I stopped at the entrance to pay and found that their forms don’t accept credit cards, unlike the Banff campgrounds. I still had yet to make it to a bank to exchange currency, and I had no idea where else in the area I could camp, so I figured I had no choice but to stay here. I decided on site #24 at the far end of the campground as it was away from the other campers and it was a more level space than most. I fixed some tortellini and went ahead and set the alarm for sunrise hoping the weather would clear by then. If it were to clear, I’d shoot sunrise from somewhere along the Athabasca River.

7:03 AM — Mt. Habel