After the devastating wildfire that quickly spread through Jasper National Park this week, many Albertans took the opportunity to share their feelings about the situation.
CBC’s Edmonton AM and Radio Active shows asked listeners to submit their favourite memories of the national park, and dozens responded.
Here’s what we heard from some of the feedback.
Thabiso Hlatshwayo, 31
Jasper holds a special place in my heart; it was one of the first resort areas my cousins took me to when I was new to Canada.
I vividly remember spending an entire day on the bunny hill. Toward the end of the day, one of my cousins encouraged me to try the big mountain. As the lift ascended, I glanced back to see the cars, buildings and people shrinking below us; we were soon above the treetops.
“Are you telling me I have to ski all the way down there?!” I asked my cousins in disbelief. They laughed, and we disembarked from the lift. I tried to descend slowly, with my cousins cheering me on, but fear had already gripped me. Despite taking a green run, I couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Being in my second year of university, I told myself, “I came to Canada to study, not to die in the mountains.” Luckily, a ski patrol officer was nearby and helped me down. That experience made me determined to conquer my fears.
I got married this year. Though we honeymooned in Africa, my wife was eager to have a Canadian honeymoon in Jasper, and we were planning to go this year. The news of half the town of Jasper being burned down brought us great sadness, dampening our plans. I guess we will have to wait until it’s rebuilt to make new memories there.
Roberta McLean, 59
When I turned on my radio and heard that the town of Jasper has been breached and Maligne Lodge was engulfed in flames, I broke down in tears. As the hours passed, my eyes welled up several more times. Jasper is my favourite place in Alberta — it’s our jewel in the Rockies. My parents met at Maligne in 1953. My dad took me on my first trip to Marmot in 1975, and I have skied there countless times since.
A Boxing Day I spent in Jasper is one of my favourite memories. I can still see the bull elk standing quietly in the middle of town that morning. I am heartbroken for the residents of Jasper, for the temporary foreign workers who most certainly are fraught with unknowns and have nowhere to go, and for all Albertans and other Canadians who have been reliving the nightmare and devastation of forest fires and climate change for several years now.
Andrea Murrle, 31
As a born and raised Edmontonian, I have too many memories of Jasper to count, but this one in particular will stay with me forever. In March, my mother was suddenly diagnosed with Stage 4 bone cancer. In April, my brother flew home from Toronto, and we took a family trip to Jasper. We walked around Lake Annette, splurged on fantastic meals in town, and visited magnificent waterfalls. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the forests were awakening with the new life of spring.
We did not know at the time that this would be our last trip together as a family. Since then, my mother’s cancer has spread quickly and aggressively, and she now has weeks left to live. I will forever cherish those golden memories of two perfect days spent in one of the most magical places on Earth. How lucky are we to have such beauty in our backyard and to have been able to experience that one last time together as a family. I am heartbroken for the loss suffered by those who live and work there and feel their grief as my own. I am confident that the community will pull together and come through this with renewed life, much like the trees do every spring.
Robert Pruden, 63
A part of my heart is on fire. Forty-four years ago, I bought my first car, and the first place I drove it to was Jasper. I went there six times that summer, once with six friends packed in with our camping equipment. Since then, I’ve travelled to Jasper at least twice each year and stayed in most of its hotels. I am sad this morning, so many fine memories now burning.
Dorothy Ritz, 70
As a young farm girl living about an hour southwest of Edmonton, our family could not afford long vacations, but if it rained around hay-making time, we could take a short vacation and head to Jasper. Inevitably, Jasper was also cloudy and rainy, but we did not mind. We were very excited to “go somewhere.”
Dad would rent a cabin, and we marvelled at the glorious majesty of the mountains. We usually stayed for two to three precious days as that was all the time we had before our parents had to head back to do the farming. We loved the hot springs and drove into the Jasper townsite to buy souvenirs. Sometimes, there was enough money for us to go onto the gondola lift. They were memorable vacations for a young Alberta girl.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fought tears on Thursday as she spoke about the devastation experienced by Jasper residents as a wildfire ravages the historic townsite. ‘The feelings of loss and fear and loneliness must be overwhelming,’ Smith said at a briefing in Edmonton. ‘We share the sense of loss with all of those who live in the town, who care for it, and who have helped build it.’