The black clouds billowing from the fires razing Jasper National Park hold more than the reek of charred timber and scorched earth. For thousands of Canadians and mountain-lovers around the world, it’s the smell of cherished memory going up in smoke. “It’s a huge amount of history and memories that are now lost,” said Alexis Keinlen, an Edmonton writer who recalls the winter 2015 wedding of a friend.
Before the ceremony, the party gathered in the evening on the shores of Lake Agnes on the grounds of the Jasper Park Lodge, now at least partially burned. They clasped mugs of hot chocolate around roaring fires or laced up skates for a turn on the ice. The dark of the lake and the clarity of the sky felt “otherworldly,” she said.
“You could see all the stars above. It felt really big. Story continues below advertisement “One of my friends gave her child the name Jasper.
” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "One of my friends gave her child the name Jasper." 1:04 Video inside Jasper shows wildfire destruction A decade ago, Kelley Ware was living in Prince George, B.C.
, and her now-husband was in Edmonton. Every few weeks, they’d meet in Jasper. “It was completely fundamental to building our relationship.
My husband has a tattoo of Pyramid Mountain.” For Janet Millar, the memories go back generations. Her great-grandfather was on a roadbuilding crew in Jasper in 1948 when he noticed that lots were going up for sale around Lake Edith.
He and his wife .