YIMBY

Yes in my back yard!

The kids and I are prepping for Project Epic, our Taster's Tour of Canada.  Since part of the trip will involve back country camping in Jasper, we are need to test and break in some of our new gear.  The kids got some hiking boots, which is a first.  So far they've done all their hiking in running shoes, but given that they'll be carrying packs and climbing rocky trails, I figured they were due for boots.  Besides, we don't know what the weather will be like.

 Saturday morning I threw a 1 L water bottle in their packs and we headed out.  In retrospect I should have put their backpacks and ground rolls in their as well, but oh well.

We climbed the imposing Mont St-Hilaire, which commands a view of the Richelieu and St-Lawrence valleys (ok, I might be improvising a bit on the geography, but it certainly sounds plausible, doesn't it?)

Our first hike in Jasper 4.8 KM from the parking lot, so we chose a trail that would cover 5 KM on Mt. St-Hilaire: Pain de sucre.

When we arrived the morning rains were just ending but given that the weather front due for later in the day hadn't pushed through yet, heat and humidity were tropical.  As usual, Emma set off with her antelope-like strides while Oscar, little mouse that he is, seemed more preoccupied with the leaves on the trail than on making any progress up the mountain.

Nevertheless, after a lot of coaxing and cajoling we made it to the top, where we were rewarded with nice views, a visit from a junco and a squirrel, and a well-deserved rest on the rocks.  Along the way we saw a doe and her fawn nibbling in the woods.

As we we approached the visitor's centre at the bottom we heard the first rumbles of thunder.  We got back to the car before drops started pelting down.  After 2 hours and 5 KM, we now know that our packs and boots should hold up fine, and that we should be able to make it to our campsite in time in Jasper.