Bald Hills ...

Stream at the beginning of the trail

The problem with living in a travel brochure is that there is so much to see and do, it is hard to know where to begin.  After doing some research on the area and highlighting the hikes that we might like to do, we headed to the Parks Information Centre to get an expert opinion.  One of the recommended hikes was closed due to a grumpy grizzly bear who was bluff charging hikers.  Not wanting this extreme experience, we opted for a hike on the other side of Maligne Lake, the Bald Hills hike.  It was about a 50 km drive north of Jasper to Maligne Lake, passing by the incredibly beautiful Medicine Lake.

The first glimpse of Maligne Lake on the way up

Getting higher ...

We arrived at the Bald Hills trailhead mid morning, along with every other tourist in the national park.  I wasn't keen on hiking with the hordes but C. felt reassured ... unlike me, he didn't want a bear encounter.  Luckily, the groups were well spaced out and the trail didn't feel too crowded.  The climb wasn't difficult but the altitude (the summit had an elevation of 2300 metres) ensured that I was breathing hard.  It was a hot day, so plenty of drink breaks gave us time to admire the view, which only got better the higher we climbed.

... and higher

The shy little marmot

The first part of the trail was shaded by the forest before opening up into the alpine meadow.  If you looked closely, you could see tiny wildflowers sheltering themselves behind rocks and bushes.  I peered into the distance, hoping to see a bear.  I didn't see one.  But we did see a marmot, a large ground squirrel that kind of looked like a cross between a possum, a wombat and a ferret.  It was a shy little thing, darting between the low lying bushes before peeking its nose out to check the coast.

The marmot scuttles away

The alpine meadow

Once we reached the top of the alpine meadow, we hit snow and rock.  After growing up without much exposure to snow, I still get excited when I see snow and feel the urge to walk on it and throw a snowball or two.  It was a steep climb to the top of the hill, which was, as the name suggests, bald.  The view from the top was spectacular, just like the pictures in the guide books.  We ate lunch while we watched Maligne Lake (Jasper's biggest and deepest lake) change colour as the clouds passed over top.  With a cloud-free sky and the sun shining, the lake sparkled with such a bright turquoise colour, it almost looked like it had been dyed.

First encounter with snow on the peak

View from the first Bald Hill

After lunch, we headed up to the summit of the second Bald Hill (there were many of them to climb), where the view was different, but equally beautiful.  We rested and looked down into the valley on the other side which offered a birds eye view of the network of streams that flowed quickly with runoff from the snowcapped mountains.  Here, we shared our rest spot with several golden-mantled ground squirrels who were clearly used to humans.  They scuttled around our feet, hoping to be fed.  I kept on the move, I didn't want a close encounter with these furry, friendly rodents.

Stopping for lunch

And another view

With dark clouds rolling in, we headed back down to the trailhead.  The walk down, as to be expected, was a lot easier than the climb up.  On the drive back to Jasper, we stopped to watch an elk calmly grazing on the roadside and again to soak our hot feet in a fresh mountain river.  In the evening, over a glass of wine, we consulted the hiking books to decide on our next hike in the picture perfect area that is Jasper National Park.

The view from the top of the second Bald Hill

Rest stop on the second Bald Hill

Not so shy golden-mantled ground squirrel

What a poser!

Admiring the view into the valley

Heading back down

Still excited by snow

Elk on the side of the road on the way back to Jasper

Stopping to cool our feet in the cold river