We finished the Berg Lake Trail in Mt. Robson Provincial Park and camped overnight at Whistler's Campground just outside Jasper (along with all the elk). The next morning we were woken by the loud and rowdy crows and squirrels - so much for peaceful nature! No worries though, we beat the rush at Bear's Paw Bakery and after some delicious pastries we drove to the Signal Trailhead (8 km south on the Maligne Lake Road). The shuttle company recommends being there by 9:00 am and I would heed this advice. The shuttle is expected to arrive around 9:15 am and our driver was a little early - missing the shuttle would not be a good way to start the hike!

The ride to the southern trailhead at Maligne Lake took about 45 minutes. We noticed how hazy it was from wildfire smoke on the drive. Oh well, not much we could do about that. At least we could get to the trailhead; it was closed earlier in the summer due to fires along the road. We did see the burned areas along the way.

The first day was a shorter day (12 km/7.5 miles) and the first portion was spent hiking through the forest past Evelyn Creek and Little Shovel Pass campgrounds. We came across bear scat on the trail, but it looked to be a few days old. Nonetheless, we were sure to stick together and make noise (especially in low visibility areas). Having a seven year old along on your hike is a pretty good trick to not surprising a bear.

Past the campgrounds we continued to climb gradually and slowly emerged above treeline. There were some views of Bald Hills, but it was too hazy for pictures.