We packed up wet again.

Stopped at the Mount Robson info centre, and discovered that there was a trail head nearby. I needed exercise, so spur of the moment, we decided to hike to Kinney Lake, 5km each way. Those Johnston Kids started out slow, with many comments on how long it was going to take, how long we had been hiking, what was their longest hike ever, how long you could survive in the wilderness without food or WiFi, et cetera. The river we were hiking along was a fantastic kilometres-long whitewater run, coloured a brilliant chalky blue the entire length. There was a killer log jam at the top, and one impassable waterfall that I saw along the way, but the rest from Kinney down to the parking lot looked doable. It would be horrendously fun, albeit horrifically dangerous. If you were to blow it, the river would scour your face off on the shallow rocky bottom while carrying your remains out to the Fraser River.

We turned around at Kinney Lake, but stopped there to enjoy a picnic that also happily lightened my pack. The kids’ spirits picked up after the picnic at Kinney Lake, especially Baby Girl’s. Food and half a papa bear gummie worked wonders. And maybe also going downhill.

We were back in the car by late afternoon and drove southeast to Jasper National Park. We were able to squeeze into Whistlers Campground, with electricity and everything. The otherwise full campground was only able to accommodate us because we were staying for just one night.

The campground was large and packed, with tents and trailers nestled between the lodge poles pines. It was still nice though, and quieter than some smaller campgrounds we’ve been to.

I made a vegetable and tofu curry with rice for dinner, while Alison played Uno with Those Johnston Kids. And – drum roll – we had our first campfire in a week and a half. Marshmallows were sacrificed to commemorate the occasion.

Somehow, and the details are unclear, all of us managed to stay up until 1 AM. I blame it on the time change. We lost an hour crossing break into Alberta.