Running in Bear Feet

Easily one of the best pictures of the trip! 

Today was a fun and exhausting day. Although the clouds were menacing, we had superb weather. We took full advantage of it. In fact, today was so tiring that, even though she knew we were returning to the campsite to make s’mores, Evelyn put herself to bed right away. Perhaps she is not fully aware that s’mores = crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. In any event, she’s plumb tuckered out.

It was a slow and lazy morning. As we pulled our carcasses out of bed around 9, it was funny to hear Peyton, in her sweet little voice, immediately ask Leia how she slept. The pancakes I hoped to make in Rushing River finally made an appearance today. I’m positive that Leia did a much finer job than I could have. They were the fluffiest camping pancakes I’ve ever had.

The group (minus Leia) at Athabasca Falls

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With bellies full, we decided to head to Athabasca Falls. It is an awe-inspiring place. It was six-years ago that Seth and Kayla, who were at the time dating (engaged?), accompanied us and baby Jordan to Jasper with our friends Ben and Naomi. It was Jordan’s first camping trip, and as she had just started eating solid food, it was a constipated one. I’ll never forget her little face as she tried, in vain, to empty her solid-food plugged bowels. That is when prune juice became a staple in our young kid’s lives. Anyhow, for several years pictures from that trip adorned the walls of our home (some still do!), including a special picture at “Pride Rock”.

The girls and Dan posing at the Falls.

Seth was walking with Kayla and Lucas, and so we did not recreate that moment, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a group shot. It is incredible to think of all that has changed since that moment in 2007. If the walls of the canyon, carved by the waters of the Athabasca River, are a testament to the subtle changes that occur over millions of years, the four girls standing beside me are a testament to how profoundly life can change in just a few years.

Pride Rock 2013.

Note: Pride Rock 2007 picture to be added later!

After the Falls, we decided to head back to the campground, grab some lunch, and give the kids some quiet time. Dan and Seth headed into town with Lucas, Leia and our girls relaxed in the trailer, and Peyton occupied both Kayla and Sharline’s time, before finally having a quick nap with Sharline. I decided to go for a run. As we were driving to our campsite, my vision of running from our campsite into town – and perhaps back, if I was ambitious enough! – quickly faded. The road to Wabaso is essentially a few kilometers of incline, followed by some rolling hills, and then a few kilometers of decline. It seemed like an impossible road, especially given my aversion to hills.

The mountain climbing girls, resting out of the wind.

So I decided to run part of it. Knowing I was in bear country, I elected to leave the iPod behind. Running through city streets is likely more dangerous with an iPod blocking out the sounds of traffic than running through the wild with the off chance of drowning out the sound of a bear – besides, one doesn’t need a distraction with such beautiful scenery to occupy the mind. I wanted to reach the Edith Cavell turnoff. And, so with no hop and no skip, only the steady, grueling pounding of pavement, I set out to tackle the hill. It was quite the hill. I ran 10km. The first and last 2km each way was mostly flat. The stretch in between, however, was 3km up and then 3km down. It took me 31 minutes to do the 5km up and only 26 down (it was my best 10kms to date, especially considering the hill) – and by the last 2km I wasn’t pushing myself too hard, just cruising happily.

I didn’t see any bears.

Seth and Dan did. They left for town shortly after I started my run (they passed me at km 1). As they were heading to town they saw a bear with two cubs. They returned shortly after I did. This time they saw a black bear. I did not see, hear, or smell any bears. I did hear a creature at some point to my left rustle some bushes, but it seemed too small to be a bear.

I know I am in bear country. That doesn’t scare me too much. Perhaps it should. Later this evening, as we were returning from dinner in town, I convinced Leia and the kids to accompany me to do some fishing at Moab Lake (total bust: 30 minute hike to the lake, so we just turned back). En route, a few kilometers south of our campsite, we saw a black bear on the side of the road. So as to prevent another “I didn’t see it” moment with Evelyn, we got her out of her car seat while we slowly drove beside the bear as it bumbled its way through the bushes. We wouldn’t have seen the bear were it not for a tour bus of some kind tracking its movement. Perhaps I did run past some bears.

Leia and the girls at the top (sort of) of the mountain.

Prior to dinner, we all went up the Tram Way. This was exciting for several reasons. First, neither Leia nor I have ever been up the Jasper Tram Way. Second, as Leia was 9 months pregnant with Marley at the time, I didn't join Dan for his bachelor party in Jasper in 2008 – and they took the Tram. Third, our family took the Tram in Palm Springs this past winter. And, finally, it meant getting the kids up on a mountain. It was a cool and breezy afternoon, but that didn’t deter the girls. Well, Evelyn eventually grew tired of the cold wind, but initially she was gung-ho. We climbed up to the peak. It was great to see Jordan and Marley both so enthusiastic about climbing the mountain, and hopefully foreshadows many future family hikes. I hauled Evelyn up – which was tough, given the earlier 10km run and the thin air. By the end of it all, my legs were quite tired. Not Jordan’s! I bet she would have run back up, were one of us willing to accompany her. As Jordo and Mars returned to the Tram station, both were exclaiming that they touched snow in July.

Jordan standing in July snow!

Mountains can be inspiring and demoralizing at the same time. Today, as we climbed up to the peak, all three girls were so optimistic that we were almost there. The thought of almost being there certainly kept Jordan and Marley motivated. Having done a fair amount of hiking, including along the ridge of mountains, I know that the “top” is elusive. It appears to be straight in front, but just as you begin to reach the crest, it levels off some and continues. There is always another peak. Or so it seems. I suppose this is what motivates people to climb mountains like Everest. Once there, you can confidently say that you’re about as high as you can possibly go. Today, we didn’t reach the top of the highest mountain. We weren’t even close. We did one better: we, especially the girls, demonstrated our resolve to reach the top. I can’t wait until the girls are old enough to strap on a backpack and tackle some of my favourite trails, like the Skyline, Jonas Shoulder, and Berg Lake.

Evelyn and I at the top!

All in due time, of course. Today I’m more than satisfied with having Evelyn nuzzled up against me as we climb up and down.