Skyline Trail, Jasper National Park, Sept 2004

Introduction

This journal attempts to recount a hike of the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park I made along with my sister Sonia. It was to be a final hoorah for just the two of us before I moved to the other end of the country (from British Columbia to New Brunswick). We took the hike slowly, stretching it over 5 days and 4 nights, in order to enjoy the scenery and each other's company. It was my first multi-day hike that I hadn't done solo and I quite enjoyed it. I'd like to do the Skyline again in the future, but about a month earlier so I can catch the tundra in it's full beauty.

We did the hike in late September which meant we encountered some snow at the higher elevations, especially at the Notch and the ridge of Amber Mountain. The daytime temperature hovered between -2°C and 8°C (28°F to 46°F) with overnight lows going down to about -5°C (23°F).

The journal is a bit concise as I'm not a person of many words and, this being my first trip journal, wasn't sure how much detail to include. Not to mention that it is rather uncomfortable writing while scrunched up in the tent. With my short-term memory often eluding me, I may actually remember more details as time goes by, especially when placing picture next to word, and will probably edit the journal to reflect this (this online version is actually more detailed than the written version, with a couple of exceptions.)

The journal contains a selection of photos taken during the trip. The complete set of photos can be viewed in the Skyline Photo Gallery.

Photos:

• Top left: Me basking on Amber Mountain enjoying the five minutes of sun that day.
• Bottom right: Mount Tekarra in the morning sun.

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