It was this final dichotomy that compelled Glory and I to take Frankentrailer to Jasper for one final outing before sequestering him to the patio for the winter. In the weeks leading up to our sojourn, I had warned Glory that snow had already fallen a couple of times, and that the nights were likely to be below zero, but she was resolute, and confident in the insulation of her sleeping bag.
Besides, since the focus of our sortie was to partake in a final dip in Miette Hot Springs on the last weekend of the season, cold weather would make our soak seem even more worthwhile.
The other x-factor was our ability to set up camp as a twosome, something that had never been attempted before. It is certainly possible for one person to deploy Frankentrailer, but it is tedious, the real sticking point is my inability to back up with a trailer attached. In order to navigate in a rearward fashion, we must disconnect the trailer from the hitch, and while I grasp the front frame and lift it up, Glory (and whomever else is at hand) will push the trailer into to needed position.
We didn't get into our campsite at Wapiti until after 9:00, and it was well and truly dark, but we shouldered Frankentrailer into position, and Glory got the insides set up while I got the corner legs into position. We were safely ensconced in fairly short order, although it was cold enough when I woke up at 5:00 am that I was grateful we had brought along a space heater.
The next morning we breakfasted on cold smoothies and hot oatmeal, then made our way to the Jasper Skytram, discovering that Glory still qualified as a Youth and was eligible for a half-price fare until her next birthday (Sunrise, sunset...) It was fairly cool and extremely windy at times at the top of the tram, but we were well bundled up and decided to take the trail to at least the false summit.
It turns out that the exertion of the ascent pales in comparison to the terror of the descent, as our return angle made us far more susceptible to slipping on the icy trails and loose scree and shale. Glory crabwalked and butt-slid for the trickiest portions, while I took a small spill but abbreviated my slide by barking my shin against an particularly immobile chunk of stone. Two days later it is still remarkably unappetizing to look at.
Eventually we hobbled back to the tram station, our necks and shoulders sore from the pent up tension of our tentative and tenderfooted declination. On the 7-minute ride back down, we marveled at the tidy terminator that demarcated the wintry upper mountain from the still autumnal valley floor, another example of mountain strangeness. Soon enough, we were sharing a cold lunch on our way to Miette.
22 years ago, Audrey and I had come to Miette on the same weekend, or perhaps the one before, just before we moved to Toronto for four years. At that time, there had been hardly anyone at the springs, but now we found the pool nearly at capacity. The deck turned our feet into tingling, ham-like slabs by the time we got into the deeper pool, but we could feel the tension melting away from our upper bodies as we looked up at the sleet falling from the heavens.
As we returned to Jasper, we though we were going to see two male elk battling it out, but it turned out they were disinterested in combat, and were only accidentally entangling their horns as they grazed to near to one another. Even more astonishing though, were the number of people getting out of their cars and coming within 15-20 meters of these massive and unpredictable ruminants.
In the end, the fact that we hadn't had a campfire all summer due to the fire ban convinced us to take a chance on eating outdoors, and I am glad we did. The rain never amounted to much and we were able to get a roaring blaze established in our firepit, finishing off the evening with hot s'mores and cocoa.
All too soon though, the wintry chill pushed us away from the flames and into the trailer. We turned on the space heater before we left to brush our teeth, and Frankentrailer was downright cozy by the time we returned, which was fortunate, as Glory was fighting a cold.
The next day, we crawled out of our sleeping bags at 8:08, briefly broke our fast with a few gulps of smoothie, and had the trailer packed and hooked up by 9:15. This gave us plenty of time to head over to the Best Western for their brunch buffet, possibly the best $12.95 I've ever spent on a camping trip.
Bellies full and spirits refreshed by our time in the mountains, we headed for home. We alternated our picks of albums as we traveled, limiting ourselves to soundtracks, just for fun. Conversation varied from vacations past and future, work, school, and how fortunate we are to live a stone's throw from an astonishing place that draws visitors from all around the world.
There were quiet periods too, which I do my best to respect, but after a while I broke the silence with a recollection I felt compelled to share with Glory.
"When I was in high school," I began, "I found teenage girls beguiling, mysterious and intimidating. There weren't many of them I was comfortable talking to, even though there were a few I dearly would have liked to. I swear, there were times when it felt like maybe we were two different species.
"When it turned out I was going to be raising two daughters, I was thrilled, but I always figured that once you and Fenya became teenagers, I would become less and less relevant. This is why I took so much joy in sharing your childhoods with you, making pretend, watching cartoons, that sort of thing.
"Glory, I cannot even express how grateful I am that not only have I not become irrelevant, but we can still talk to each other about damn near anything. And you are not only willing to listen, and share your ideas with me, but you are happy to spend a weekend camping with your old man in Jasper in sub-zero temperatures! More mountain strangeness, I suppose.
"So, thank you for that."
In a weekend filled with astonishing moonrises, glorious wildlife and magnificent alpinetableaux, her quiet smile may have been the most beautiful thing I saw.
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