Alberta man writes the book on best day hikes in Jasper
Scott Hayes,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
For Jasper’s Ben Nearingburg, publishing is an exercise in time distortion.
“The weird thing with books: the part that I submitted was a long time ago,” he said. “The publisher chews away at it for a while. You almost forget about it, and then it’s out.”
The book he’s taking about is the new title in Rocky Mountain Books’ bestselling series on hiking scenic trails from well-established staging areas. Nearingburg’s “Popular Day Hikes: Jasper” offers the low-down on more than 30 routes and trails covering all of Jasper National Park as well as Mount Robson Provincial Park and the areas surrounding Valemount.
Of course, the author didn’t really forget about the work that went into the writing, and there’s no way he could have forgotten about the beautiful and splendid hikes that formed the research for it.
Overall, the entire process took approximately three years, but much like the hikes in the book, there were hills and vales in the journey. The publisher proposed it during the COVID shutdown, Nearingburg said, so it might be considered easy for the reading public to ascertain why there were hiccups.
“They didn’t really have a fixed timeline. They just said, ‘If you want to start working on it, start chipping away.’ I submitted the manuscript a year and a half ago now, so it’s been in the pipes for a bit.”
The guidebook is meant to offer something for people of all ages and abilities, with routes varying both in length and difficulty. As you might expect from Jasper hikes, the views themselves range from picturesque to spectacular.
Nearingburg, not one to shy at the thought of a rollercoastering dirt trail, rather revelled in completing each and every one of the scrambles. He’s a certified hiking guide who operates his own backpacking, guiding, and photography business called Starry Summit Mountain Adventures.
Likewise, he wasn’t a newby to the prospect of writing a book. This is his second title, after the same publisher put out “A Peakbagger’s Guide to the Canadian Rockies: North” that he co-authored with Eric Coulthard in 2017.
Some of this book’s featured hikes include Folding Mountain, Wilcox Pass, Fitzwilliam Basin, Mount Terry Fox and the Overlander Trail.
“Many are the kind of classics you’d go to for a lot of different visitors in town like Valley of the Five Lakes is in there, Signal Mountain Lookout, Bald Hills, and a few others that have a little more character, I guess,” Nearingburg said.
“Maligne Pass is really a more adventurous day hike almost bordering for people who might work up to something that long or adventures in the Tonquin. Even Morro Peak is in there as well for people who are a little more adventurous.”
He added how there was lots to do in the area.
“I felt like it was worthwhile at least putting things together into one book that people can just pick up and have a bunch of walks and hikes to take away.”
Scott Hayes,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Jasper Fitzhugh
