Views from the summit
It ’ s the second pole erected here ; the original 1916 pole was removed due to deterioration after 93 years . Totems are not traditional to the area ’ s Indigenous peoples , but this one offers a striking reminder of those who inhabited the land long before Alberta was Alberta .
A short bus trip later and our small group sets off down the Athabasca in a bright orange float boat . For the first few minutes , we glide along without much incident , but we know there are thrills ahead . Our guide expertly steers the raft around the waves and rocks . Eventually he points us toward the larger eddies . The passengers sitting opposite me shriek as a standing wave covers them . I laugh , but our guide warns there will be no dry bums by the end of the ride .
The 60-minute voyage concludes at Old Fort Point , where the river becomes slow and shallow enough to allow the likes of elk and moose ( and people ) to cross . Stepping from the boat , I can ’ t help thinking about the challenges early explorers like Thompson must have faced along their own journeys . Though they travelled this way out of necessity , it was a thirst for adventure that pushed them onwards . Centuries later , our collective appetite for trailblazing remains , as
Ascending Whistlers Mountain
evinced by the thousands of people who make the trek to Jasper National Park each year .
Later , we sit down to a meal at Jasper Brewing Co .’ s brewpub and eatery . The diverse menu has much to offer ; we settle on blueberry alebraised sausages , a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich and a salad . Casual conversation fills the air . My bestie and I reminisce about previous trips together
An invigorating raft tour on the Athabasca River
and recount the humorous tales of our decades-long friendship . Not once do we discuss our harried lives back home . This is the escape I craved . Jasper does that to you . It ’ s small and quaint , unlike other mountain towns .
The nexT morning , we set off just south of Jasper to conquer a mountain . We plan to take the Jasper SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain and then complete a short 1.4-kilometre hike to the summit . ( There ’ s a hiking trail that ascends all of Whistlers Mountain , but it ’ s more than three times as long and tackling it requires at least five hours .)
Our guide turns the ride into a breezy
Skytram : Jeff Bartlett / touriSm JaSper ; HikerS : touriSm JaSper ; raft : JaSper raft tourS
56 Summer 2017 AMA InSIder