I Spy With My Little Eye...

29/06/15

If you thought the room we were in couldn’t get any worse you would be wrong. Turns out there’s no air conditioning so I spent the entire night rolling around, covering myself in wet face towels and complaining that this was the worst night of my life. Come 5am Rory actually had to go to reception to ask for a fan, which they didn’t even have!

Naturally this traumatic start to my day put me in a rubbish mood so we decided to spend the day in Jasper. Spending $20 on nachos certainly cheered me up but not even I could finish them! Canada is clearly taking a leaf out America’s book with their giant portion size! We had a nice dander around town and then Rory made one of his best suggestions yet – that we go on an evening wildlife tour. After a quick look on Tripadvisor we found one with excellent reviews and Rory gave them a call. Unfortunatly there was only one space left. As much as I love wildlife, I would obviously never leave Rory alone in a foreign country... Just kidding! I was out of there faster than you could say “David Attenborough”.

When 6pm rolled around I was patiently waiting to be picked up and Rory was patiently waiting for our washing at the Laundromat. Thanks Rors! As the first person to be picked up I had my choice of seat so I opted to sit up from with the driver in what was arguably the best seat on the bus. When we’d picked up the other passengers we set off in search of wildlife and our first sighting of the evening was some bighorn sheep! We snapped a few photos and I noticed that one of the sheep was missing an eye!

It was onwards and upwards and our next sighting was a group of elk. They were quite happy sitting between the road and the river and while we were really close, I was always really mindful that they’re wild animals and they have been known to ram people and even cars! I was also impressed by their size and by the antlers on some of the older males! I definitely wouldn’t want to get on their bad side! 

We then set off in search of the main event – some bears but instead we stumbled across a mountain goat. We watched as she scales a rock face and were pleasantly surprised when we realised she had a baby with her! Like its mother, it was completely sure footed and happily followed her up the cliff and out of our sight!

Our tour guide was determined that we see a bear so we headed to the railway line where they are often sighted. When they wake up from hibernation, hungry and sleepy, they set off in search of food and the train tracks are often their first stop. Throughout the winter train carriages travelling along the line spill grain which begins to breakdown and ferment. The bears gorge themselves on the grain, becoming drunk in the process. They fall asleep and unfortunately they are no match for an oncoming train. Every year dozens of bears die on the railway line and on the roads in Canada. Despite not seeing anything he didn’t give up and we moved on, stopping occasionally for a scenic picture or to hear some traditional stories about the surrounding area.

As we drove alongside medicine lake we noticed something – bear scat. We kept our eyes peeled and within minutes found what we were looking for – a black bear. He was a fully grown male, walking along the road without a care in the world. We stopped and took some pictures and also slowly drove alongside him. I was really surprised at just how close we were. Had I wanted to I could have reached out my open window and stroked him but I quite like my hand and didn’t fancy loosing it to a hungry bear. I was also struck by his thick fur and the leathery soles of his feet. When we went on our Grizzly bear safari I was conscious that I took a lot of pictures and afterwards I felt that I’d perhaps missed out on being present and in the moment. This time around I made a conscious effort to take less photos and to actually look with my eyes and take it all in. It’s disappointing that I don’t have any National Geographic worthy snaps but I have some really good memories which is what is most important!

Even though we’d seen a bear we didn’t give up and the tour continued. As the evening went on we spotter eagles, deer and even some more bears! The next bear was again by the side of the road but more hidden from view as he paced through the shrubs and bushes. 

Our driver was really careful not to crowd any of the animals we saw. We got close and had a good look but we never overstayed our welcome. Going on a trip with someone who not only lives in the area but really loves it was amazing. He clearly cared about the animals and he wanted his passengers to have the best time possible – we even stayed out two hours longer than we were meant to, returning when it was dark, because he wanted us to have the best possible experience. Seeing animals in their natural habitat is something I will never forget – I only wish Rory had come along too but hey, we’ll just have to come back!