Opal Hills

Maligne Canyon

Those are some muscular rocks.

Medicine Lake

It started to rain.

It took us amoment to figure out why this guy was standing in the middle of the lake.

And then we realized he was fishing with a buddy.

Opal Hills

We read this is one of the steepest hikes in Jasper.

Distance: 5.6 m, Elevation Gain: 1,673 ft

We also read there were bears in the area.

The trail was steep most of the way up.

We did not spot a bear on our way up, but we did run into some deer.

Much more of this. It never seemed to end.

We were pretty happy when we'd made it to the top.

This was the top. End of the trail.

The view from here was OK, but the lake was obscured by the treeline.

When you've come this far, what's another mile or two?

Surely the view would be better atop atop one of the peaks just ahead.

Totally worth stashing a can in my pack.

Hey there sexy lady!

The rest of Opal Hill loop trail awaited our hike back.

It's easy to feel pretty good around here.

I take one last survey of this gorgeous stretch of land before heading back.

On our way back we kept our eyes peeled for bears.

Though quite beautiful, this meadow was a popular bear habitat.

... amindst an area few humans could easily escape.

YAAA!!!

We did run into this black bear, but it turned out to be harmless.