I had hoped to have all my Ironman Canada posts finished by now, but I still haven’t finished writing a couple of them! I plan to have them posted in the next couple days. (If you missed them, you can read about the pre-race and swim.)
We took off to Jasper for the long weekend to cap an amazing summer.
This was only our third camping trip this year due to training and Kelly’s work schedule. I’m so glad we made it one last time before the real fall and cold weather sets in.
We got up there in time for dinner on Saturday night: a delicious pot of vegan chili I had cooked on Friday.
We woke on Sunday ready to tackle the day! We went for a fun, 21.6km hike and saw some gorgeous views!
The little guy got pretty tired towards the end so had to be carried the rest of the way.
On Monday we woke up when it was still dark out to drive to a hike we’ve been wanting to do all year: the Sulphur Skyline.
Last year we tried it in May and got stopped due to waist-high snow. It was also super foggy so we wouldn’t have been able to see the views.
It’s been bugging us for a while! On the drive there we got pretty excited since the skies were clear and the views would be top notch.
At this time of year most of the bears are mid- and upper-mountain eating all the ripened berries, and this climb goes pretty high. So I asked my husband to go over our plan for if we see a bear. (He’s read a lot about them and isn’t scared, whereas I’m terrified of them!)
We were just starting out. I was a couple steps ahead of Kelly (husband) and Harold (dog). We had walked only a kilometre before I saw a big black bear around a corner and calmly told my husband there was a bear in the middle of the path. We literally ran into the bear!
We slowly backed up to around a corner and talked really loudly. Kelly went back up and the bear had retreated. We tried going up a little further, but I was too nervous to continue. So, it was another bust and the Sulphur Skyline still eludes us.
I was glad we did call the hike off, as we talked to people in the parking lot and they saw a momma and cubs earlier. They were only black bears, but I don’t want to risk seeing more or getting up higher and chancing a grizzly.
It was still an amazing weekend and an ideal way to cap off summer!
What was the highlight of your weekend?
Change of Pace 
This all sounds amazing, but let’s get to it – how did you make your hair look that good while camping?! 🙂
Ha- thanks, Nichole. I was going to add something in there that my hair is normally in a greasy ponytail when we camp!
Kelly worked on Saturday, so I got my roots taken care of. My hairdresser decided to curl my hair and we were laughing about me being all fancy at the campground!
I would love to know this too, your hair looks amazing! On a camping trip.. wow.
Ha- I just explained to Nichole that Kelly worked Saturday, so I got my roots coloured and hair trimmed that morning. Believe me- normally my hair is in a {greasy} ponytail or I wear a hat!
What a great weekend! Seeing bear is scary – we watched that movie The Grey this weekend about wolves in the wilderness and it got me freaked out about how territorial animals are!
Animals are so amazing, but I don’t think I want to watch that movie!
My husband says bears don’t want to harm us, so long as we don’t surprise them. I’m still scared of them though!
Actually…it was hiking!
We backpacked along the Manistee River Trail ~23 miles in 2 days. I am working on my posts and pictures now, but I loved every minute. The biggest highlight…waking up next ot the river Sunday morning!
Sounds beautiful! I can’t wait to see your photos. And, I bet the water sounds was so soothing.
Can not believe your bear encounter!! How insane! On a prettier note, what beautiful scenery!
It was pretty bizarre!
I can’t get enough of the scenery. You and Josh should plan a trip to the Canadian Rockies!
Would love to! May have to be next on the list. We leave for a 3 month South America trip in 3 weeks… can not wait to be reunited with the wilderness:) What trekking shoes do you hike in?
Oh, amazing…three month?!! I can’t WAIT to hear about it and see your photos. Where all are you going?
I have North Face hiking boots. They’re Gore-tex (so awesome in the snow and rain) and have Vibram soles. I can’t seem to find what kind of North Face though.
Thanks 🙂 Went shopping today for boots and I found a pair also with Goretex (thanks for the heads up on that), and they fitted with my orthotics well. We are doing Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and see if we have time for Columbia. Super excited!
Good call on the Goretex. That will be a dream holiday. I hope you blog while you’re away!
I’m cracking up that your dog had to be carried! You think he’d fit in a Baby Bjorn? LOL
Ha- we actually tried finding a dog pack he could fit in but none fit his size! We ended up buying a running stroller for him, but we can’t take it on hikes!
We’re those crazy people who treat our dog like our child!
OMG! I would have freaked out about the bear……running and screaming the other direction! I was just telling my husband we need to get a doggy stroller for our dog. I had to carry him a mile back to our vacation rental in the scorching heat. I was afraid he was going to have a heat stroke! Looks like an awesome place to camp.
I definitely recommend a stroller, but a jogging one instead of a dog one! That way you can do more with it!
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