Canada > Winter hiking around Jasper

Today is a free day. A large part of the travel group goes skiing in Jasper, others go ice skating in the afternoon, and the four of us go hiking in the Jasper area. Graham provided us with a hiking map and suggested a route. He advises us to walk to Pyramid Lake, a roughly 7-kilometer trek through the forest. This is the same area where we cross-country skied yesterday.

Canada - A mule deer in the forests of Jasper National Park

We set off at nine o’clock. First, we buy some sandwiches at the bakery for the journey and rent spikes at the equipment shop. With all our gear, we walk to the start of the trail. The path is snow-covered but well-trodden. I strap on the spikes, though they aren’t really necessary on this trail yet. We decide to follow Route 2, which branches into several sub-routes. We take the outer (and longest) loop toward Pyramid Lake and then plan to return across the lake via yesterday’s cross-country ski track to the island in the lake. The first section of the route goes smoothly. A narrow 30 cm-wide trail is easy to follow. Stepping off the trail, you sink into the snow, which makes it tricky to look around. Via Route 2B, we reach the edge of the mountain, offering a beautiful view over the valley and Jasper. Just around the corner, we spot two mule deer. They remain calm, allowing us to approach within about ten meters for a good photo. At the next fork, things get trickier. On the planned Route 2i, no one has walked before. We take a gamble that we can still distinguish the path under the snow. Soon, we lose track among the trees and the snow where the trail should be. We continue through the forest, trudging through the snow, which is exhausting because we keep sinking. Further along, we find tracks of a deer or elk.

Canada - Walking through the snow

Walking in these footprints makes progress easier, and we follow the trail. Other animals also use these tracks, and we spot fresh predator tracks. After some time descending, we arrive at a crossroads of trails, coincidentally exactly where we can resume our planned route (not too surprising, as animals also prefer trails to avoid sinking into the snow). Via Route 2i, we reach Pyramid Lake. By now, we have been walking for three hours. Crossing the lake proves unsuccessful; unlike with cross-country skis, our regular shoes sink through the snow—sometimes past our knees. Not ideal for walking, though it makes for good photos. We walk along the road by the lake to the island in the lake, where we have lunch on a bench with a beautiful view of the snow-covered lake—pleasant in the sun but very chilly in the wind. We continue to Patricia Lake and take Trail 6 along the shore, then cut over to Route 8, eventually heading back toward Jasper via Route 2. Around 4:30 p.m., seven hours after departure, we return and return the spikes. At the pub, we enjoy a beer and estimate that we’ve walked about 18 kilometers. Unfortunately, we saw little wildlife, but the scenery alone was stunning. In the evening, we have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Graham tells us about the program for the coming days, and after a beer in the hotel bar, we go to sleep.