The Border Crossing

The Border Crossing

The border crossing into Canada would have been insanely smooth if I hadn’t been caught smuggling illegal paraphernalia into the country.

Well, sort of… 



When I arrived at the border crossing I was literally the only vehicle in line and I drove right up to the booth where a very friendly border patrol agent asked for my passport and began going down his list of questions, specifically asking whether I had any illegal drugs, firearms, large amounts of cash, etc. 

“No. No. No.”

“Any swords or knives?” He asked. 

“No swords, but I do have a few knives, is that okay?”

“Knives are fine.” He replied.

He then asked about bear spray, which I admitted to having. 

“No problem.” He said. 

This is going smoothly!

He then asked if I had pepper spray, to which I confidently said yes, certain that if bear spray is “no problem” then surely pepper spray is too. Surprisingly he said: “I’m going to need to see that.” I handed it to him, he examined the label and politely informed me that he was going to have to confiscate it. 

Huh?! The large canister of powerful bear spray is fine but this dinky little bottle of pepper spray isn’t…?

He must have seen the confusion on my face, as he proceeded to explain that bear spray is intended to be used on bears, while pepper spray is intended to be used on humans, which is illegal in Canada. 

As if bear spray can’t also be used on humans… but I digress.

To confuse the situation even further, he shared that in Canada they sell the exact same pepper spray he was confiscating, only it’s labeled as “dog spray.” Which makes it legal because it’s not designed to be used on humans. 

I was speechless.

Anyways, I parked the van, checked-in with a border control agent inside the building, waited 15 minutes for them to process the confiscation and then was free to go. No fees or penalties, just a slightly comical, very confusing and surprisingly endearing story for my first-ever border crossing in the van. 

Oh, Canada.

Wildfire smoke was still lingering in the southwest section of the Canadian Rockies at this time, so I made the decision to punch through the smoky area as quickly as possible, aiming for the cleaner air in the northern part of the mountain range. I stopped at a few provincial parks along the way, which are the Canadian equivalent to our state parks (only much nicer, if I may say so). The two clear standouts were Wells Gray and Mount Dobson Provincial Parks—both of which would provide my first glimpses into how incredible the Canadian Rockies truly are. 

Wells Gray Provincial Park is not only home to the 4th tallest waterfall in Canada—the impressive Helmcken Falls (463 feet tall)—but is also said to have more waterfalls per square mile than anywhere else in Canada—there are 42 officially named waterfalls in this one park. What makes this park particularly popular is that many of the most notable waterfalls are just a short stroll from the parking lot and almost all of the others are accessible by hiking trail, meaning there’s a great waterfall adventure available for just about anyone. Looking back, I definitely wish I had spent more time in Wells Gray.

Mount Dobson Provincial Park was where I took my first Canadian hike and got to experience the gorgeous Kinney Lake—a lake that I’d never heard of before but which ended up being one of my favorites of the trip. The water was crystal clear and the entire scene was so beautiful that my heart nearly skipped a beat. I spent a lovely half hour relaxing beside the lake and, even though the water was freezing, couldn't help but strip down to my shorts and go for a swim. This is not the last time you’ll hear about me swimming in frigid lakes. 

After my hike to Kinney Lake I was preparing to hunker down at a local campsite for the rest of the day, when one of the friends that I met at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado (the one with the cute dog that wandered over to say hello) messaged me saying, “Hey, I’m in Jasper, where are you?” I pulled up Google Maps and it turns out I was only 1.5 hrs away, so I fired up the van and made an evening push towards Jasper to hang out with my friend and his dog. 

The second chapter of my Canadian adventure was about to begin!

"Life in Canada is waking up to mountains, lakes, and possibilities." —Anonymous