The weather has changed and so have my plans. The original plan was to leave tomorrow (Thursday), drive south on the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise, then continue south and west through Kootenay National Park, to end the day somewhere between Radium and Cranbrook, depending on how the drive went.
But with conditions overcast and snow in the forecast, I’ve decided that route would be somewhat pointless. I have no doubts about my ability, and the capabilities of my aging but wonderful Honda in snowy conditions, but there isn’t much point if the scenery is not visible. Besides, Jasper has been fun and tacking on a quick run through some other places on the way is exactly the kind of “squeezing things in” that I’ve been avoiding. I’ll have to come back to explore them more completely.
So I decided to spend another day exploring more locally, then drive home on approximately the same route as I used for the trip up, but do it in a single day on tomorrow. With the time change now favoring me, it should be possible unless the roads are really bad.
My friends at the hostel were also forced to change plans. Originally I was going to drive them down to the Banff area, but with snow in the forecast they decided to leave this morning on the early bus. With nobody else around, the day ended up being quiet, much of it in the car exploring some of the more touristy spots.
I started the morning at Pyramid Lake and Pyramid Island, before driving down the Icefields for a bit to see Athabasca and Sunwapta falls in the snow. As with the other waterfalls I’ve seen, they’re less interesting behind ice than I might have expected, and access is limited to the established viewpoints. It was a slow and lazy day, with multiple stops, ending up back in town where I prepped the car for the drive home.
As I was pulling up to the hostel parking lot, an elk dashed across the road. It joined several of its friends in the hostel complex, feasting on the grass that is beginning to grow. I watched and photographed for a while before going upstairs to start packing, then loading up for tomorrow.
Had my final pasta meal, leaving little more than some cereal for breakfast in the morning. I will return with an empty cooler. Mission accomplished!