Simple Decisions Lead to “Great” Discoveries

A few days ago the most amazing thing happened to me, I took/had/grabbed (whatever verb you use) a shower.

It was my last morning in Jasper, Alberta before I headed to Yoho National Park.  My plan was to get up, grab a quick breakfast, and get on the road.  I was going to complete the Wilcox Pass hike in the Columbia Icefields part of Jasper National Park on my way to Yoho so I didn’t want to hang around the town too long.

I looked on my phone for a coffee shop to grab some coffee and breakfast and found “SnowDome Coffee Bar” but when I got there I found the place was a public laundromat with a little place in the corner that serves coffee with minimal food.  It actually looked like a nice little coffee bar and was fairly busy but I wanted some hot food so I walked down the street to Coco’s Cafe.

I got my hot breakfast but decided against the coffee because for some reason I wanted to get a coffee from a laundromat.  Whether it was divine intervention, dumb luck or fate but it turned out to be an amazing decision.  I went back to SnowDome, got my coffee and I saw the sweetest words I had seen in a long time, “Co-Op Coin Shower”.  Holy crap, I found a pay-to-shower establishment. 

Now this may not seem like a big deal to you readers who have immediate access to a hot shower 24/7.  But after about 10 days living in my car, hiking most days, using glacial lakes to wash off your sweat and difficulty running my fingers through my greasy Italian hair, the notion of taking a shower felt like heaven.

I debated for about 3 seconds on whether I should delay my trip South for a shower.  I went back out to my car, got my soap and shampoo, change of clothes and walked back to the shower.  It was the best 5CAD I had ever spent.