A day off the road. I decided that it was time for a rest day. My legs were hurting and Dennise had a day off. She packed me into her car and we headed east towards Jasper. The destination was the Ancient Forest a more than 1000 year old Cedar forest with some of the oldest trees reaching back to the Roman times. On the way up we saw a couple of black bears, young adults, and one beautiful Grizzly Mum with her two cups. Like the day before the bears were within a few miles, on the side of the road. The Grizzly Mum was pretty impressive, but also pretty shy. As we pulled over onto the shoulder she soon disappeared into the forest soon followed by their two adorable cups.
There was still a lot of snow in the Ancient Forest. From the parking lot the hike went up the hill into the impressive forest. This old growth forest provided an interesting glimpse into the natural ecosystem. Several meters in diameter the trunks of these old trees provide lots of shelter, numerous smaller caves and larger caves, which can be used as dens to winter over or raise kids safely. Now in spring life was restarting and the floor was covered with sprouting grasses, ferns, and other greens. You can imagine what paradise this must have been. Plenty of nutrient rich food for everyone accustomed to the life in the wild. Passing by the water fall the trail was circling back to the parking lot and with this we were heading back to town.
A quick stop in the food store and off we were for a leisurely afternoon at home. Some of Dennise’s friends came over for a chat and invited for dinner. We had some lamb chops and I was making my Swabian Spaetzles and Mouse of Chocolate. It was a lovely afternoon and evening among friends.
