Today we drove deep into Banff National Park, so far in fact that we came out they other end into Jasper National Park!
Our destination was the Columbia Ice Fields, and the Athabasca Glacier.
Having already ventured up part of the Ice Fields Parkway we knew what to expect in terms of scenery. Unfortunately for us, the massive Forrest fires in BC were still raging, and the wind was not blowing in a favourable direction, which meant we didn't really see much apart from smoke.
Never the less, the odd peaks of the peaks that we got were spectacular, and we were assured by Mum and Dad that this is some of the most amazing mountains around.
On the drive we used an app called GyPSy. This provides a tour as you drive, giving information on the area including history and geology. In our case, our 'tour guide' took us on a journey following J. Norman Collie and Herman Wooley (with the famous mountain guide Bill Peyto), the first men to discover the Columbia Ice-field in 1898 . What took us about two hours by car, took these early explorers 12 days. They were hard yakka blokes, who risked life and limb in the name of discovery and adventure.
We stopped at Peyto Lake, but again they view was obscured by smoke. That's not to say it wasn't still amazing, if not the beautiful punch in the face we were expecting.
Eventually we came over a ridge and ahead of us was the massive glacier and the information centre sitting snug in the valley, nestled behind the terminal Moraine.
Our main adventure involved taking a bus from the information centre to a holding area atop one of the lateral moraines. Oh, quick side note: 'moraine' has come up a few times since we've been in Canada; Moraine Lake, Terminal and Lateral Moraine. If you didn't already know, a Moraine is a geological feature that happens when rocks, boulders and other materials are pushed in front of a moving glacier. When the glacier melts and recedes (as happens at the end of ice ages etc.) it leaves behind these huge build ups that are basically small (sometimes large) hills. The Lateral is where the debris is pushes to the side, and the Terminal marks the end of the Glaciers reach.
So, we were on top of the terminal moraine when we boarded the Foremost Terra Bus, a huge arctic bus designed for scientific research missions and retrofitted for tourists. This beast was a behemoth; 14m long, 4m high, 25tons, 250hp, 6 wheels, 26 in the world, and only operated by the US Antarctic Program and the Athabasca tour group!
We set off, making our way down a 36° decline (the Terra Bus will max out at about 45°) before heading on to the icy section if the glacier. A short but slow drive up saw us at the dedicated 'walking area'. The Athabasca Glacier is 200m deep at its thickest, and cuts its way back to join the rest of the Ice-field - in an area that is twice the size of Vancouver!
It was super windy and super cold when we got out. The 'air temperature' meant squat when we were standing on a giant ice cube. The rivers of glacier melt were trickling along their striking blue grooves. We were told to try some, so of course we took a bottle up with us. It was delicious! Aside from the fact that it was in part 10,000 year old melt, it had also taken on a unique smoky flavour from the particle hanging about in the next valley. Mum thought it tasted like old salmon!
There is something deeply special about standing on a glacier. It makes the fragility of the Earth feel real. You gaze out at this massive feature on the landscape and realise that, at least geologically speaking, it's only a fleeting thing. I know that mountains and deserts and oceans are too, but somehow, and maybe because it's nothing but ice, you can almost grasp a sense of its age and longevity. In saying that, it's almost impossible to actually get your head around that fact that this thing your standing on is constantly moving, shifting, and in a way evolving.
The Athabasca Glacier is completely unique in that the melt and the subsequent streams and rivers feed into three separate oceans. It's hard to believe but that smoky, 10,000 year old water will make its way into the Pacific, the Arctic, and the Atlantic Oceans. Which means, if nothing but a single molecule, the Athabasca Glacier is directly connected to Orewa Beach...
After fifteen minutes of reflection it's time a jump back in the Terra Bus and head back to the original bus. This then takes you to the SkyWalk, a glass bottomed, half donut shaped walkway that takes you out over the cliff edge to look down on he valley below. My expectations for this were blown away. You start by walking past dozens of interesting fact boxes that tell you everything about the area from the animals to the hills. With your complimentary audio guide you could spend a good while there taking in the views and generally increasing your ken. All the while, trying to spot mountain goats, and most definitely not mistaking them for mountain sheep.
At the end of our glacier adventure the only thing left to do was have a picnic outside the information centre and continue to ponder the wonders of our world.
Labels: Canada 2017
