day 9 : backpacking in jasper
After three days of no reception and pure backcountry, we made our way into jasper to restock our consumables before jumping back in the backcountry for a short backpacking trip to Celestine lake.
Cant get enough of the beautiful mornings
Waking up from the sunlight we made our way back to the lake to enjoy our breakfast and coffee in front of a magnificent view. Somehow, the lake got even prettier with the morning sun rising over the mountains where clouds ran down the steep slopes making their way into the valley. We could really get used to these beautiful mornings.
the final stretch
With our spirits high we continued on the final stretch of our journey through the stunning icefield parkway. We took a short detour along the way to stop at Athabasca falls, a set of violently raging waterfalls carving its way into narrow canyons; as the canyons tapers and becomes narrow, the faster the water flows making the falls overwhelmingly fast and powerful.
the five lake hike
On our final stop before jasper, we decided to go hike the valley of five lakes. This very nice hike takes you in and around a set of five magnificent lakes. It was really warm today so when we saw a dock where people where diving off, we immediately decided to join them! the icy cold water was shockingly welcomed after hiking in the heat. Swimming, jumping and flipping into a lake was one of the things we looked forward to do and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
a quick stop in jasper
Finally making it to Jasper we made a short stop at the grocery store to re-stock our eggs and bread before heading off again to go on our little overnight backpacking trip to Celestine lake. we didn’t have time to explore and take in the cute mountain village because we had to make a tight time window to go on the one-way mountain pass going to the trail head.
Off-roading the rental car.
As we started our way to the mountain pass we realized that it was more of a wide ATV trail then a road. Bumps, rocks, small river crossings and big puddles were scattered along the dirt road. At few points along the pass, we were driving along a crazy narrow road carved in the side of a mountain, vertical rock wall to our right, vertical cliff to our left. driving this was nerve-racking but thrillingly fun to say the least. Our little rented Hyundai Kona took it like a champ taking us there with no problems.
The hike to the lake
Making our way to the trailhead we ate supper, packed our bags then started our 6.5km hike up the mountain to the lake. the hike was a nice winding double track full of switchbacks, we sang our hearts going over rivers, birch forests and a few small lakes before arriving at our campsite. We set our tents up then met with a small family of bikepackers who already had a fire going. Meeting new people from all around is one of my favorite parts of this trip, sharing stories and adventures while laughing over a fire next to a lake was just my definition of a good time.