This year we decided to
vacation in the Canadian
Rockies in Alberta.
Most of our time was spent
in the Jasper and Banff
area of Southern Alberta.
These tourist towns are well
known for their abundance
of wildlife, wilderness hiking
trails and glorious landscapes.
I had watched every
episode of the short-lived
TV series in my late 20’s, and
decided it was high time for
me to get in touch with my
inner “Grizzly Adams.”
As usual, I set my goals
extremely high for our trip
to the Canadian wilderness.
First; wrestle with a
bear (preferably a grizzly)
and win: Second; ride an
elk across a swiftly flowing
river: Third; assist a family of
beavers to build a dam: Four;
butt heads with a bighorn
sheep: Five; swim and eat
twigs with a moose. At this
point I must confess that I
failed miserably in achieving
any of my lofty goals.
However, we did see, up
close and personal, myriad
wild animals in their natural
habitat doing what they do
best–looking for food and
eating.
Our first encounter
occurred on our way to Jasper.
Among the “tips” we
gathered about wild animals,
we were cautioned to
be careful of critters crossing
the streets when driving
and to be on the lookout
for cars pulled over, since
this usually meant curious
tourists snapping pictures
of roadside wildlife. Sure
enough, about five miles
outside of Jasper we spotted
numerous vehicles
haphazardly parked on the
hard shoulder of the road
with dozens of folks madly
clicking away. We joined
the frenzy and discovered
a striking, relaxed bighorn
sheep resting comfortably
on the side of a fifty foot
high sheer rock formation.
As he casually observed the
chaotic scene below, I got
the strong feeling this was
a ritual he preformed daily
to pass the time people
watching. Studying him precariously
perched thirty feet
above the ground, it proved
hard to comprehend just
how he possibly got to the
narrow ledge he was nonchalantly
resting upon.
We had signed up for a
wildlife tour for our first
night in Jasper. I’m not generally
a big fan on tours
since they are often overpriced
and restricting. However,
we had conducted
countless hours of internet
research and discovered
what appeared to be an
exceptional family-owned
company with unbelievably
high ratings on tripadvisor
and reasonably priced. The
Jasper Tour Company with
Joe Urie, who is the owner
and head guide, truly lived
up to the rave reviews. Most
of the people we encountered
on our vacation judged
how successful their wildlife
viewing had been based on
whether or not they spotted
a bear. It was a “badge
of honor” to proudly report,
“Ya we saw a black bear yesterday.”
So, when our group
of nine climbed into Joe’s
van the universal question
was, “Joe, are we going to
see a bear?” Joe didn’t want
to get our hopes up; however,
he informed us he
would do everything possible
to find one. Towards
the end of our tour Joe
turned onto a private road,
explaining that a few days
ago he had seen a black bear
in this location sitting on the
railroad tracks. Although not
on the tracks, Joe, with his
x-ray vision, somehow spotted
this impressive creature
eating berries in a wooded
area. For the next fifteen
minutes or so we slowly and
cautiously followed as the
black bear moved from berry
bush to berry bush stripping
the foliage of its fruit, while
nervously glancing at our
van to access if we posed any
danger. Without consulting
Joe, I decided this wasn’t the
appropriate time or place to
fulfill my first goal of the trip.
During the remainder of
our excursion we spotted
bighorn sheep, a bald eagle,
elk with massive antlers,
mountain goats and a coyote.
We also spent some quality
time with a large moose
leisurely bathing in, where
else?, Moose Lake, had a
huge doe just a few feet away
fly past us on a hiking trail,
and witnessed some of the
most breathtaking, scenic
mountains, waterfalls, lakes
and rivers on God’s green
earth. I believe Dan Haggerty
(aka Grizzly Adams) would
be proud.
Pete Whalon, author of “The
Siagon Zoo” has called Southern
California home since age
five.