Day 13 – Columbia Icefields & Jasper, Alberta

Day 13 – Columbia Icefields & Jasper, Alberta

Today was our rest day from yesterday’s hike. We woke up a bit later, at 0800 hrs. this morning. We ate a breakfast of yesterday’s leftover vegetables and hotdogs. We left our extravagant suite behind at 1030 hrs.

I do believe that I have found the perfect souvenir for my mom…my pair of sweatpants…saturated with lakewater! (To all moms out there…that was a joke…I’m sure your kids have gotten you some beautiful souvenirs!) We went to Moraine Lake first. There was a giant stack of rocks. We automatically wanted to climb it. So, running forward, we discovered, that it really was sitting out in the lake…it was, essentially, an island. However…there was something linking the shore where we stood, and the rock mountain. It was logs…floating logs.

We bravely pushed on ahead. The logs were slippery and thin, and some of them were completely unsecured! They would bob, and dip into the water at the slightest weight. But we made it over onto the rockpile without incident. The view from there was pretty. The water at Moraine Lake was a different colour than Lake Louise’s turquoise; it was an electric blue, almost like aquamarine.

Getting back down to terra firma, though…was a different story. We discovered that there was a dry patch in the logs. So, we all headed that way, hoping to be able to get to shore quickly, and stay safe and dry. We were wrong. Maggers slipped, but with her lightening-quick reflexes, she managed to regain her footing, and only her shoe got wet. Everybody else, seeing this, decided that it was too risky, and decided to go back the same way that we had come.

So guess who decided to try crossing that supposed dry patch? Well…who has the worst luck here? I decided to attempt it, trying to be safe…ish. I’d test the logs before I stepped on them; but that wasn’t enough. One wrong step later I figured that out. With my non-existent reflexes, I ended up soaked from the waist down. I was lucky enough to have been able to grab onto some logs and haul myself out. We learned later that if the log had rolled over, or if I’d fallen in beneath the wood…I’d have been trapped, and more than likely drowned… (There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity…funny how that line doesn’t exist anymore.)

Anyways…on a lighter note, we’re all fine now. So it’s all good. :D We visited the gift shop there before we continued on to the Columbia Icefields…or rather, more specifically, the Athabasca Glacier.

We travelled along Highway 93. Otherwise known as the Icefield Parkway. Along this highway, you can see the most glaciers than any other place in the world.

We ate lunch there; a mix of the cafeteria food, and our own stocks (we carried the cooler all the way from the Sprinter, through the parking lot, up quite a bit of stairs, and finally into the building where we were situated…as you can see, we work hard for our food :D)

After eating, we went down to the glacier museum below the dining area and main floor. The exhibits were informative, and detailed in their research and facts. It talked about the geographical features (did you know that the glacier we saw was actually only part of the entire Columbia Icefields?), wildlife (there are different ‘zones’ where diverse species of animals reside and plants are found), and about pollutants (more than 50 kinds of pollutants—such as DDT, yes DDT—have slowly began to build up in the ice of the glaciers; this was seen in the samples taken yearly from the Athabasca glacier).

We then headed out to the actual glacier. There were warnings about the high altitudes, lower oxygen levels, all concerning people with heart or lung conditions. We’re young, we’re healthy…so were good to go!

We hiked up a bit to get to the edge of the glacier. (Not a lot…not like yesterday…Whew…)

We took a few pictures, then we reached the barrier. Oh no! The BARRIER!!!!! It said that if we crossed the barrier, we would be taking s risk, and that it was recommended that we only cross with a certified mountain guide. What’re we going to do? Well, what did we do? We crossed the rope. Billy’s a certified guide. ;D

We walked up onto the glacier. Snow in the summer! (To make up for our practically snowless winter in the GTA) It was a bit unsettling, having to walk over a small crevasse—it was barely a hand wide, and it was only a small ‘v-shape’. The crunch of the snow and ice under my feet was like the sweet music of winter. It was our own personal winter. :3

We couldn’t reach the clean flowing water, as it was underneath the ice, in a sort of cavern. It was too dangerous to get near, so we couldn’t get glacier water…that is…until we found a place where the ice was melting. We maneuvered our water bottles so that we could catch the falling drops. It was slow work…but after approximately an hour, we managed to fill them all up. It tastes exactly like snow. I’m sure that’s been mentioned before. That water is clean and pure…not to mention a couple of thousand years old!

We hiked farther down to the patches of ice peeking out from beneath the soil. It was white, with blue tinges. Pure ice. Perfection. The river flowing from the glacier was a steel blue shade; somewhat dusky, but its power was conveyed by its churning waters.

Snapping a couple of pictures, and cleaning off our shoes, while being careful not to fall into the river (it runs under the glacier. You fall in…that’s pretty much a guaranteed death.), we then climbed aboard the vehicle once more.

We set out for Jasper. On the way we saw 6 deer, and an elk! It was male, and its antlers…wow…they were pretty impressive. It just ambled along the side of the highway. It seemed almost like it was posing for us as we quickly took photos of it before it got too far out of sight.

Now that Viv’s finally seen some wildlife, she wants to see a moose, since she missed the last one by the highway a few days ago. As for the rest of us? Well, we still want to see that bear! :D

The scenery was augmented by the typical mountain weather of alternating rain and shine. This weather pattern created the nice effect of rolling fog. As the sun broke trough the thick cloud cover, it illuminated the mountains, including Mount Edith as it came into view. The sunlight hitting the fog powdered the pensive peaks with a blue blush. And as the sun veiled her face shyly, she flushed a golden red, and ducked behind her mountain refuge. We will see her again tomorrow, stepping out from behind the peaks with her pink sunrise.

Speaking of Mount Edith…We’re climbing Mount Edith tomorrow! Whew. Yup, the great Mount Edith Cavell. 3363 Metres high! We can do it!

Stay with us to see our epic ascent to glory!