The Icefield Pathway stretches from the tourist mecca of Lake Louise in the south, 230km northward through two national parks to Jasper. The route is one of undeniable beauty. Simply imagine every postcard image you have ever seen of Canada, they are all here in stunning reality. The towering craggy peaks, the lakes of supernatural blue, the patchwork forests and the powerful waterfalls, it is truly breathtaking everywhere you look.
We had chosen to travel in the first few weeks of fall, and the initial glowing embers of the aspens, were now being fanned into flickering flames that sprang up the valleys. The warm colours of the trees contrasting with the sharply defined peaks, covered in their early dusting of snow. It is a landscape to bring out the poet and the artist in anyone, though I fear I am more McGonagall than Keats.
Lake Louise is a stopping point for every tour bus passing through the Rockies, and is therefore a constant circus. This is entertaining in itself, but rather distracting from the beauty of the lake, sadly already heavily marred by the monstrosity of a Chateau that squats by the shore. To have a chance of a bit of serenity you would be advised to arrive very early, whilst everyone else is imbibing coffee and pancakes.
A few kilometers away, and of equal, if not greater beauty is Moraine lake, where ten peaks stand strikingly over the glacial lake as if arranged specifically for the photographers lens.Our plan was to camp out, and we intended to stock up in Lake Louise, a painful look around at the prices quickly changed our minds, nothing is cheap in this town!
The whole route is peppered with passing places and viewpoints and it is tempting to stop at every one. Each day bringing new colours, weather and atmosphere to the mountains, and when driving in the opposite direction, each vista seems so different from the new angle that you have to stop and gape over and over again.
Our stroll at Lake Peyto brought us to the view described in the current lonely planet as “More photographed than Paris Hilton”. This may be true, but it is with great justification. This was one of my favourite views of the trip, looking down from Bow Summit to the lake below, the lower forested slopes of a mountain framing the water shaped like a three-toed claw, which positvely glows with an intense, seemingly unnatural blue. The colour is caused by the very fine rock flour that is released as the glacier melts and which suspended in the lake, absorbs most of the spectrum and scatters the blue-green colours. The result is magical.
Travelling further north, we had our first wildlife sighting of the day. A moose was grazing down in a marshy plain below the road level, and whilst it was extremely tempting to pull over and whip out our cameras, we stoically followed the sensible wishes of the wardens and drove on. Traffic jams are frequently caused when wildlife is spotted and damage is often caused to both parties.There are many fabulous creatures that live along the parkway, the most famous being those such as coyotes, wolves, moose, elk, mountain goats, big horn sheep and of course bears, both black and grizzly. There are no guarantees, but standard advise is that sunrise and sunset are your best chances are of catching a glimpse.
Half-way to Jasper, we came to the Columbia Icefield, or more specifically the Athabasca Glacier , this glacier flows down the side of Mount Andromeda, dominating the area, despite its sad and rapid retreat. It seems rather strange to me that with this continuing deteriation in the size of the glacier, that buses would be allowed to drive out onto the ice. 
We wished to take the guided 6 hour hike up onto the glacier, but the price made our eyes water, so had to content ourselves with standing behind the barriers and staring into the icy wind at the ever changing features of the ice. Only last year, you were permitted to touch and walk upon the glacier, but with the danger of crevasses they ended this practice.
Before arriving at the Icefield from the south, you can stop at Parker Ridge and make the short steep walk up to view the Saskatchewan glacier from above. We chose a very windy time to make the hike and with snow blasting into our numb faces it was hard to see much, then suddenly the wind dropped and the view of the tongue of ice, gliding down the valley in the solitude of the mountains, was well worth the climb.
Pushing on to Jasper we stopped at two gorgeous waterfalls. The first, Sunwapta Falls cut deep into a vertical gorge, viewing from high above, whilst at Athabasca Falls a network of paths and bridges criss-cross over the rushing water and lead you down the old route of the river, where you can see the entrancing patterns of the water carved into the rock.
Jasper itself is charming. Inevitably touristy, yet still warm and unique, dotted with many local art and craft shops, and with a wide choice of local restaurants making a welcome change from the fast-food chains. Though for us there was no such luxuries, we picked up some food to heat on our reliable wee stove and booked into the Whistler campground for the night.
To be woken
0 comments:
Post a Comment