We always have a Plan A, and hope it goes as planned. However, it is also good to have a Plan B, just in case Plan A does not work out. Very seldom does one need a Plan C. Well, today we needed to go to Plan C as my A and B plans failed! Let me explain.

We knew today would be a “free day” so I planned to purchase an optional tour to explore the area as I really did not want to sit around the hotel. So months before our trip left I booked a third party excursion on Viator that would show us the highlights of the area. That was my Plan A. Two days before we left on the Rocky Mountaineer train I received an email from Viator stating they had canceled our reservation because they had a problem with my credit card not being accepted! I immediately contacted them to resolve the issue but their response was the excursion was now sold out! Needless to say I complained about their policy of immediate cancelation rather then getting in touch with the customer before doing that. I am not very happy with Viator and you need to be forewarned about their business practices.

We were now on our trip and I figured my best option was to go the the concierge desk once we got to our hotel in Jasper (Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge) and see what they might offer as what would now be Plan B. The young lady suggested a boat ride on the lovely Lake Maligne was available at 11:15AM and they would pick us up at the hotel. We always enjoy boat rides so this sounded like a perfect solution and I booked it for the next day. Back in my room later that evening I looked up the description of the excursion but there was no indication that there is any sort of pickup. Oh,oh. I had better check on this early tomorrow morning.

Bright and early I went to the concierge desk where I met, Lisa, who was the head concierge at the hotel. When I discussed the concern I had with her, she said “oops, the young lady who booked your trip the previous evening was a young trainee and was wrong to tell you there would be a hotel pickup; there is none”. OK, can the hotel provide transportation to the site? You can take a cab that cost $280 round trip, obviously not a good option. How about renting a car for the day? There are only 2 car rental options in town and they are probably sold out for the entire summer! Can you get my money back? Yes, I believe I can, she says as she attempts to call the company on a direct line the hotel has to them. As I waited she is on hold for at least 15 minutes and then they disconnect her! In the meantime Lisa suggested we do the Jasper Skytram and the hotel would provide transportation to it and we could leave for the 11:15 trip. Deal! So we are now on Plan C. We had to leave and she promised she would continue to reach out and get me a refund for the lake cruise.

We did make it to the Skytram which takes you up Whistlers Mountain to an elevation of 7,250 feet. There is an option to hike about 1 km to the summit but when we looked at the steepness of the climb we decided a better option was to have a celebratory anniversary luncheon at the restaurant overlooking the Jasper Valley below. It was a lovely spot with amazing views.

Backing up a bit, while I was at the concierge desk this morning working on my failed Plan B issue I overheard an assistant concierge discussing an evening excursion involving a three hour trip to go looking for wildlife in the area, as the animals are more active then. It sounded interesting so I booked it for this evening. It turned out to be the highlight of the day as our guide (Sebastian) not only found multiple species of animals (3 black bears, a huge male elk, mule deer, chipmunk, marmot, 2 female elk ready to give birth, 2 eagles) but also provided an on-going commentary about the animals, the environment in which they live , and what they eat. Our guide spoke about the ecology of the area, including the importance of forest fires and beavers to our eco system. He told us about the pine beetle infestation and why it is suddenly an issue. It was a fascinating three hours and certainly exceeded my expectations about what we would see and learn. Best tour of the trip!

We did not return to the Fairmont until 9PM and sat out on our patio chairs eating the rest of the cheese and fruit that had been given to us and watched the day turn into night.

The day that started out as a disaster waiting to happen ended up being a delight. Moral of the story: sometimes a Plan C does not turn out to be too bad after all!