Hey Steemies!
Hope you had a great weekend! Here in Alberta we now have snow 😠 😠 it's still officially summer, what gives mother nature? Well this will be the last post for my earlier trip to Jasper National Park so it doesn't have snowy tops in these pictures but I am planning a future trip for the fall season, your are going to have to wait a little longer to see the frozen marvels.
Finally, on the last night in the Rockies, it stopped raining and we were able to have a camp fire...YAY. @silvergingerman went to bed early but I stayed up until every last coal went out to make up for the other days we didn't bother having a fire. Left Alone with my thoughts, I felt a little melancholic that it was time to leave soon. I was happy to return to my beloved pets but still wished I could stay here forever...Maybe someday I wont have to leave but for now to the prairies we shall return. Before leaving, we had to give our favorite Athabasca Falls one last visit as per usual but first, I would like to return to a previous post, after visiting the glacier at Columbia Icefields, we stopped at the Upper Sunwapta Falls but the post was getting long and I knew I wouldn't have much for the last day post. Considering they are connected to the same water shed and are so close to each other , I felt it made more sense to have them in one post.
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 18 mm, ISO 220
First of all, where does the name come from? Sunwapta means turbulent water in the Stoney Indigenous tribe language. Located on the Icefield Parkway around 55 km drive from the Town of Jasper in the Sub-Alpine Forest Region. It is part of the Athabasca Glacier watershed that originates in the Columbia Icefields melting cluster of glaciers (If you missed my glacier post, I will include a link at the bottom of this post). The water gets carried to the limestone canyon from the glaciers via the Sunwapata River and has an impressive drop of 18 meters (59ft) over 3 tiers, not quite as violent as Athabasca falls but still holds quite a powerful flow. No need to hike too much to view the Upper Falls, they are near the parking lot and a few kilometers of hiking around the grounds gave us a good visual of the falls.
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 18 mm, ISO 200
There is a trail that will take you to the lower falls but it's much further and it takes a few hours to get there, it was getting late and we were hungry so we decided to save that for our next trip to Jasper. We still started the trail to see where the flow settles to tame waters into the wider valley and taking a peak of the local plant life and mushrooms. It was raining on and off, I must admit it was little irritating another reason to delay any longer hikes. Here is a closer look to some of the things we found.
The picture above is the Grizzly's favorite snack, Buffalo berries, If you see these bushes anywhere, keep a look out! This was in a popular area there was no cause for concern but in more remote parts of the forest, have a bear bell and bear spray in case of an unwanted surprise encounter. Chances are, the bear doesn't want to eat you, you are just in the way to his berries but they will attack to protect their turf (and berries).
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 116 mm, ISO 1250
Shot 1/200 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
We spent about an hour exploring then it was time for us to find a spot to have a bbq. To be fair, we already had one in mind, Tangle Creek Falls seemed like the perfect spot, it is one of our regular places to stop anyway. Tangle Creek Falls are not quite as impressive as Sunwapta or Athatbasca Falls but it is a charming 114 ft multi-tier gentle cascade. It's fairly easy to view from the parking area across the highway. It is possible to do the short hike up to the top tier and walk or sit on the edge of the "water bowl" it is not recommended you do that, it is dangerous, I tend to live on the edge and I'm experienced at heights and climbing. Watch your step because the wet rocks surrounding the cascade are very slippery! I didn't get a picture of the whole cascade because it was full of people and it took away from it's beauty. The best time of year to view this little feature is in the fall after a light snow, it really adds to the beauty of the surroundings.
This is the bottom tier of the Tangle Creek Falls.
There are many gorgeous scenic spots to stop and take in the view, of course after our bbq we went on a quest to find one to finish the evening and just chill. We found the perfect spot over looking Mount Edith Cavell and the Athabasca Pass, has been made famous being part of the fur trade route during the early settling of Western Canada. It was cloudy and over cast and the light was too dim to take landscape pictures but I did find a new friend!
Shot 1/200 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
This friendly soul was in prime hunting times with all the moths and mosquitoes coming out, we watched him for a while, it was an interesting sight how he would quickly fly strait up in the air and would catch his prize and just as quickly return to socialize with us. I didn't have my camera with me, it was in the truck because I didn't intend to take pictures. After seeing this little cutie, I thought to myself, I better go get my camera and left for a short walk. Well this little guy came running after me like his life depended on it, from that moment on I knew he was going to be my buddy. After a while, he landed on my hat and stayed for quite some time, maybe 5 minutes, until he decided to continue to show off his hunting skills. I thought maybe he was getting fed by tourist, explaining his friendly nature, we saw someone else show up and tried to give him bread, he denied it and went back to his moth, good to know he is smart enough to stay away from the free meal. Just a reminder, feeding wildlife in a national park is ILLEGAL...Don't do it, it isn't worth the penalty besides feeding birds bread is a BAD idea, they do not have the enzymes required to digest it and it's harmful to them.
Taken by @silvergingerman with iphone8.
Obviously above happened on a different day, now time for the finally of the trip, Athabasca Falls!! Located near Sunwapta falls around 30 km from the town of Jasper. We have been there several times, just as a quick stop or to hike a little while, this time our mission was to check around for potential day trails to do in the future. Of course we still did the short hike all around the main area. The falls themselves are a short walk from the parking lot, no need to be fit to access its power and beauty.
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 10 mm, ISO 200
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 10 mm, ISO 200
Most of the stone around the waterfall is quartzite, A fairly hard mineral with a similar strenth to steel, The power of this waterfall have been carving it's path thru the canyon for quite some time, just imagine the power it must have, it's quite intimidating much more so than Sunwapta. The rocks are extremely slippery from the spray water, respect the handrails, they are what is keeping you from being another statistic. The powerful summer flow of the river can carry someone a long ways before having a chance to be rescued.
Shot 1/200 sec. f/7.1 10 mm, ISO 200
A short video taken by @silvergingerman with his iphone8, the quality isn't the greatest, the spray of the waterfall really messes with the visual but it's enough to give you an idea of how wide it is, the violent flow and the deafening sound that comes with it! It's always an experience to be here! It is one of the most powerful and impressive waterfall in the area, if you only had time to visit one, I would say this is the one you want.
Shot 1/30 sec. f/3.5 18 mm, ISO 800
Shot 1/30 sec. f/3.5 18 mm, ISO 800
The pictures above are where the water used to flow once upon a time until it carved a new easier way into the canyon. Now this has become the trail down to the river. It's a short lovely walk for any level of fitness, I would say this is a very family friendly trail to take. You will not be able to see the waterfall from below in the summer, but in the winter, it's possible to walk on the ice with caution once it has become thick enough for a closer view (beware, even in the winter it has a violent flow).
Shot 1/60 sec. f/4 18 mm, ISO 720
Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 18 mm, ISO 360
After our walk down, we came back up and went the opposite way, getting a nice clear view of Mount Kerkeslin from across the river. This trail is part of the day hike we had been looking for so we decided to take a gander and see wht we were looking at for terrain. We didn't go to far because we didn't have our bear gear with us. It had more biodiversity then the more popular trails of the area. I'm glad we came down this way. Hopping from rock to rock to get thru the muddy shores to get to wildflowers that were growing on the shores proved to be easier said then done but it was kinda fun, I know...Easy to amuse ! 😆 😏 I have to admit it was pretty slippery but worth it!
Shot 1/160 sec. f/6.3 18 mm, ISO 200
Shot 1/250 sec. f/5.3 78 mm, ISO 640
Shot 1/500 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
I'm glad I took pictures of the different fungi on the way there, on the way back they had all been destroyed and stomped on by the other family that was on the trail ahead of us. I was astounded at the level of disrespect for our land shown by some of the tourists. 😡 😤 The worst part is, when they are made aware of how wrong their disturbances are , they just don't seem to care. Not only is it rude to the other visitors, The national parks are a sanctuary for nature and some of these species are rare and are part of scientific research. Please do not disturb plant life when visiting our parks it is also illegal and rangers will issue fines if caught, guess what it is possible for other visitors to report such behaviors, each and every visitor it is our duty to protect the land (generally easier done with a license plate #).
Shot 1/100 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
Shot 1/80 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
Shot 1/125 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
Shot 1/100 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
Well all this fun had to come to an end now. 😭 It was time to start thinking about returning home, it never gets any easier. We planned the drive home strategically so we could catch the elks coming out of the woods to evade the mosquitoes, it was another success. When we got to the an area known for sightings, there they were! Only two of them were spotted, one at a road side rest area and the other across the street. For whatever reason all the tourist clogged the road to view the one that was across the street and we had the other elk in the rest area all to ourselves for over 20 minutes!! Imagine that, sometimes I question the logic of people. Here is a few more pictures and that concludes our summer Jasper National Park camping getaway. Hope you enjoyed! 😉
Shot 1/60 sec. f/4.8 105 mm, ISO 800
Big Horn Sheep. Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 400
Shot 1/100 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 1600
All images taken with Nikon D7000 and 18-200mm Sigma lens or 300mm Nikkor lens.
Cheers friends! X🐞X