Sleeping in my car was actually kinda nice, as when it got to cold I’d just start the engine and blast the heat for a bit. I managed to catch a decent bit of sleep and started the day driving towards Edmonton.
Clear skies and sunshine accompanied me on my way west and soon I entered Alberta. I had planned to get some winter tires and after some calling around I found a place that would be able to get me all set up bright and early the following day. With some time to burn I decided I’d hike Elk Island Nation Park as it was close by.
Soon I was in the park office, grabbing a map and planning out which trail I was gonna hike. I ended up picking one of the longer ones at close to 17 km and proceeded to head on over to the trail where I laced up my boots and began the lengthy adventure.
Autumn leaves covered the path, cushioning my steps as I moved forward. The trail took me through a thick forest of aspen trees, occasionally opening to fields of tall grass where gusts of wind caused the fluffy white plants to let loose their seedlings as they took to the skies.
Eventually I made it to a vast open field, a home to many of the bison that grazed on it’s abundant supply of food. I even managed to see one of the massive beasts far off in the distance as it peacefully chowed down.
The sun was beginning to set as I passed a few lakes where beavers hurried about as they added to an already impressive dam. I kept stopping to take pictures but I was also aware that once the sun went down it would get dark quickly. With poor trail markers at times I didn’t wanna mess up and venture down the wrong path getting stranded in the dark. I pulled out my map repeatedly, navigating my way to the end of the trail.
I still had around 4 km to go after the sun dipped down and the path grew dark. Twilight grew more pronounced with every passing moment, a reminder to hurry along as quick as I could. By the time I reached the end of the hike I could hardly see, but I’d made it, phew! I returned to the car and set off to a campground a little further north. With the early arrival of night the bison were out in abundance, many of them coming out of the brush and taking to the paved road. I navigated my way through the beasts, making it to the campground safely where I managed to get a much needed shower in and pitch my tent. Feeling a little sore and exhausted I crawled inside my sleeping bag at last and dozed off.
