I n honour of Canada Day — yes, honour, as I will even honour how Canadians spell the word honor — I thought I would offer an easy game to play while simultaneously bringing about awareness to what I believe is an interesting program.
Can You Find the Red Chairs in This Photograph?
Here is the same photograph as the one seen at the top of this article, on which you can click to see an enlarged view:
Can you find the two red chairs?
Red Chairs in National Parks Throughout Canada
The chairs which you see in the photographs in this article are found in the Valley of the Five Lakes between Third and Fourth Lakes; but there are six other quiet and scenic locations throughout Jasper National Park where you can find similar pairs of red chairs which have been placed by Parks Canada — as well as in national parks throughout Canada.
The purpose of the red vinyl Adirondack chairs is simple: for visitors to enjoy the exquisite mountain and lakeside vistas; and each location shares a great story about the landscape and history.
I was hiking in the Valley of the Five Lakes in Jasper National Park — a trip report in a future article is forthcoming — when I suddenly saw a pair of two red chairs, which stuck out amongst the landscape like a sore thumb.
Curious, I walked up to the two red chairs, which were attached in the middle by a small table — and the message on that small table was simply to “sit quietly and discover”.
So I sat in one of the chairs, which were facing northwest…
…and admired the view of the Third Lake of the Valley of the Five Lakes in Jasper National Park peacefully and quietly.
Even Parks Canada creates a game out of this program, challenging you to find all seven locations; but tools are also provided to help you find the locations of the red chairs — such as this map.
Summary
What a nice and yet simple program Parks Canada has to promote Jasper National Park: it piques the interest of visitors of the peaks, lakes, forests and other natural attributes of the locations while simultaneously providing restful places for visitors in which to relax and enjoy.
The text on that table alerts visitors that when we move through the wilderness, we influence everything around us: “Song birds are silenced, mice will scurry and hide, and the red squirrel will scold you with loud chatter. Sit for awhile, remaining as quiet as possible, and open up your senses. Let yourself blend in with your surroundings. With patience, something remarkable begins to happen. The natural world returns to life. In silence we discover.”
That is great advice. Sometimes we need reminders to slow down and appreciate the world around us.
In case you did not find the red chairs in the photograph shown at the top of this article, here are two visual hints…
…each of which you can click for an enlarged view.
You have now been nominated as an official red chairperson.
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
