Our trip to Jasper National Pak happened nearly a month before the out-of-control wildfire hit, destroying some 358 of the 1,113 structures in the town, as reported in a BBC article dated Friday, July 27..

A giant of a fire, it rose some 328 ft. Unimaginable, even to the mind of a novelist, at least this one anyhow. Of course, I prefer to think of the peaceful, quaint resort town bustling with life, exemplar of the Canadian Rockies.

And the astounding beauty that we witnessed driving along the, now closed to the public, Icefields Parkway to reach Jasper. It is still fresh in my mind, particularly the Athabasca Glacier, as is the lovely Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, where we stayed overnight before heading back to Lake Louise, a beautiful small village in Banff National Park. And the Rockies themselves cannot go unmentioned in a piece trekking the drive to Jasper.

I must have imagined hundreds of castles in the mountains and all the rest but alas there is a real Castle Mountain.

In the meantime, though the fire has left many businesses and residents homeless and laden with grief, the Fairmont miraculously escaped irreparable damage and posts on its website, its heartfelt sorrow for everyone who has been impacted and confirms that though the hotel did incur fire damage, most of its structures, including the main lodge, remain standing and intact.

Ah, the main lodge. That is where we checked in and later had a drink in their cozy lounge and enjoyed dinner in their restaurant.

Though I didn’t post so much as a single photo on social media while travelling, so hypnotised by nature and quite frankly traumatised by the lack of phone service, I poured over my amazing images every evening and sent some off to family and friends in both the US and the UK, who oohed and aahed as if they were there, too.

With them I had much exchange about the beauty of Canada in general, as we took the first week of our holiday in the Maritimes (another fantastic story). Particularly, however, when we entered the Rockies, the natural beauty took on a level that I have only ever seen in Norway. Arguably, Icefields Parkway is one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

I can’t help but feel deep gratitude for having had the opportunity to witness one country’s astounding beauty. In Banff National Park, for example, we viewed Moraine Lake, unmistakably the bluest lake I have ever seen. And the scenery in Lake Louise was phenomenal, too. There, our hotel, where we stayed for two nights, overlooked the famous lake itself.

I have never been an outdoorsy person, as I don’t think cartwheels in the open air in Georgia and sitting in the grass taking in the smell of freshly ploughed peanuts counts. Not to mention the time I abandoned a Girl Scout Camp out in the middle of the night for the safety of my bed. Still, I enjoyed being in the open air and hiking up steep hills to discover more astounding beauty, even if it did feel more like a very cool Autum, when it was in fact summer.

As for the wildlife, we saw our fair share of bears, deer and the odd elk, though admittedly we admired them from our rental car or the safety of a restaurant. These animals are the real deal, so much so that every garbage bin in the park is bear claw proof, locked and only openable by human hands. Took me a while to figure out how to open the thing, admittedly with the help of a Canadian tourist.

Anyhow, it is hard to imagine the smog that continues to hover above the Rockies, masking the beauty and disturbing life that abounds there. It has surely left its mark on Jasper, devastating acres and acres of land and hundreds of structures and broken thousands of hearts.

But from what I gather and read, it has not crushed the fighting spirit of the locals and their fellow Canadian citizens to rebuild and to heal along with its beautiful land.

What a pleasure to have visited and to come away with breathtaking memories. As mentioned early, other narratives unfolded on this trip, too—the Maritimes story is not the only one. We attended the Calgary Stampede. Yes, you read that right, a rodeo in real time and a chuck wagon race too, all organised and powered by authentic professional cowboys.

Watch this space, you will be glad you did.