The road from Banff to Jasper is the most wonderful journey a photographer could imagine! It is roughly three hours, IF you don't stop! On the way, you can visit Lake Louise (to be covered on another blog day), Columbia IceFields (also covered later) and many, many, many beautiful rivers, rocks, waterfalls, and hikes.
Three of us started our morning in Banff, with a fresh cup of coffee and pastries for the road. The air was crisp and clear and our whole day was ahead of us. This was the day we wore our jackets and hats since we were going to be in cooler climates by evening.
During our drive, we noticed that there were several cars pulled over to the side of the road and park rangers were out on the highway, directing traffic. What could it be??? Could we actually be lucky enough to see a bear (which I didn't really believe existed since we had only heard of them and not witnessed any, at ANY place in Alaska or Canada, so far)? Sure enough, when we pulled over to inquire from the ranger, she told us to get in line and that there was a grizzly bear, eating plants and we could surely get a glimpse......How exciting!!! The rangers were telling everyone to stay in their vehicles........of course, some people seem to know more than anyone, and decided to get out and gawk.......A man walked around all the cars, campers, and stopped to talk with other drivers........the park ranger finally yelled at him to "GET BACK IN YOUR CAR!!! BEARS ARE WILD AND DANGEROUS!!!!". We didn't see him go back to his vehicle, but we did get a glimpse of the bear!!! This is the first time any of us had seen a grizzly in the wild!!! We were soooooo stoked! And here is proof! Thank you Neenah, for the photo!!
This other photo was taken at a hike, along the way, where they were giving warnings about bears. Don't worry......this bear met with a natural demise from its habitat.......
ooohhhh.......a bear!!!
ReplyDeleteA Park Ranger told Robin and I to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. He said he was advising park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking.
ReplyDeleteThe bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
Very interesting story!
ReplyDelete