The Rocky Mountain Sheep are Talking at Wilcox Pass!?!

We're sleeping good with temperatures close to freezing here on the Icefield Parkway. We love two-blanket-snuggling weather in August! We aren't in any hurry to get on the trail today, as it is good to let it warm up a little. Around noon we were hiking up the mountain with the sunshine streaming through the trees with our jackets on.

After gaining most of the elevation quickly, now we could enjoy the views high above the Icefield Parkway highway on a relatively level trail.

That trail took us to the turn-around spot for some hikers--the national park's red chairs found at especially picturesque spots. We should count how many of these spots we have found this summer, as we always take at least one picture.

Now that many of the hikers returned to their cars, we can enjoy the wildflowers and the mountain views with fewer people on the trail ahead of us. We were also lucky enough to spot a few Rocky Mountain big horn sheep on the far ridge, silhouetted against the blue sky today.

We also found one taking a rest in the grass. They're not close, but it's always fun to spot wildlife on a hike.

We headed higher up the meadow, and crossed over another ridge. That's when the magic happened.

A group of five bachelor mountain sheep topped that same ridge from the opposite direction and came to a sudden stop right in front of us. They were as surprised to see us as we were to see them!

Three of them started grazing on this new ridge with the blue sky background. But the two leaders began whispering to each other.

The leader of this small herd started the conversation, "Hey, see those two hikers from Oklahoma? Do you want to really make their day? Let's run right toward them, and when they think we're going to run over them, we'll dart to the side!

The other sheep replied, "Oooooh! That sounds like fun! Good idea!"

Those two hikers from Oklahoma were still snapping pictures, but one of them was smart enough to turn on his video when the clatter of hooves heading straight toward us started.

As fast as they started running, they put on the brakes and stopped again within easy viewing distance. Now the mountains were behind the group as those two hikers from Oklahoma continued snapping pictures.

"Haha! Did you see the expressions of their faces?!? They'll be blogging about that for sure!"

And that big horn mountain sheep was exactly right! We stood and watched the five sheep checking out each other's big horns.

Occasionally they would start a little sparring contest, and we'd hear the clatter of their horns as they butted foreheads.

Then just as quickly, they would be whispering more secrets,

or grooming each other like best buddies.

We had a great time watching these wild animals in their natural habitat where we just happened to be hiking at just the right time. We have once again wandered into more of God's wonders!

We finally pulled ourselves away and continued our hike to the end of the trail--the overlook high above Athabasca Glacier.

We have been looking at this famous glacier from our motor home at ground level for the past two days. But today we get the view from the top, and we can even see the parking lot where the cars and RVs are parked far below.

It was a great place for lunch as we looked out over Mount Athabasca, Mount Andromeda, Snow Dome Mountain, and the glaciers that they harbor.

Mark wandered off to get views of the meadow beside us, and you can barely see him in the picture below. At this height we can even see the Columbian Icefield--the cap of ice that rests on top of these great mountains.

A glacier is a moving thing, and we had learned at the Glacier Discovery Centre that Athabasca Glacier has two wrinkles at the top, formed from its slow downward movement. From our viewpoint now, we can see the wrinkles.

When we zoom in, we can see the road that the big-tired monster buses travel to take the paying passengers to the middle of Athabasca Glacier.

We can even peek in to see how crowded that turn-around zone can get at the peak of tourist season.

After a good rest, it's time to head back on the trail. We didn't see our group of five bachelor big horns as they have wandered off to make someone else's day. But we do see 15 sheep in the meadow far away.

One of those wandered out across a patch of lingering snow.

It's a beautiful view of the mountains on the other side of the meadow as we head in a new direction back to the car.

As we head back through the meadow, we'll be remembering this hike for a very long time. It's sure to make the list of the top hikes of 2019, largely because it was the day that the Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep were talking.