Since I am now in British Columbia (Pacific Time), it is an hour earlier than Alberta (Mountain Time). So, if I need to get up at 7:00 am, I should really set my alarm for 6:00 am. WRONG! I should have set my alarm at 8:00 am. Oops! No wonder why it was dark, when I got up (5:00 am local time). I did not realize this blunder until I had already lock the door to my hotel room (and left the key inside). With two hours to spend, I went on a drive to find me a moose. To my disappointment, I did not find me one. Bummer. So, I decided that I would just go to the diner across the street and eat some breakfast and drink some coffee.
SnowFarmers the outfit that will take me on me all day SnowMobile trip. They picked me up and I followed them to go get the snowmobiles. SnowFarmers was recommended by my friends brother, and I would also pass on the recommendation.
Shown are the two snowmobiles loaded up that Tony (my guide) and myself would use.
On the way to where we are going to put down, we passed by a cow moose along side the road (as Tony put "counting cars.") Yea! I am happy now. I would have been like most tourists, and took a picture, but I was following them, so I did not stop.
I had not ridden a SnowMobile (or non trademark name of sled) since I was in around 10, and that was just around the pasture. This was going to be new. Yet, I was familiar with a throttle and weight distribution, so I was not worried. On the way the up the mountain, we went up a old logging road. They sometimes groom this with a snowcat to remove all the ruts, but will missed that by one day. So the ride up was choppy. To me, that just added to the trip. Soon, I was getting the hang of the sled, we were doing some fairly technical stuff. With all the new snow, and still snowing, it tough work. But I was doing well and having a blast. Tony, took this picture of me at the shelter.
The visibility was not the greatest, and snowed most of the day. Tony was saying that on most days, the views were superb, but I would just have to trust him on that. Trust, is defiantly a needed thing, up there he showed me several places, with out a guide, one could easily ride off the side of the mountain. Yikes. Every once in a while, the clouds would lift just enough to tease you. Here is the view from the shelter, of the sleds and the one of the hills we rode to the top of.
During the trip, I was a little worried about my knee, since in order to do some of the technical stuff, you have to get on your knees. But besides being a little sore, and one stitch out of six missing, in the end, it was ok. I was mostly just tired.
I drove the Tony back to Jasper, where he hooked me with staying at this Approved Accommodation place. Approved Accomodation are private homes that rent outs out rooms to tourist. The one I had a private entrance and was quite nice, and very cheap.
For a listing of Approved Accomodations in Jasper visit here.
On To Day 7 ->