First snow

Wait…first snow? It’s the middle of August. Yeah, the locals tell us, we usually get one summer snow, pretty isn’t it? Yes, pretty but a little soggy at camp. The snow was at the higher elevations, it rained all night at camp.  Temperature around 40. Camping and hiking is always easier in dry weather, but “rains happens". 

We hike into the Plain of Six Glaciers area, above Lake Louise

 take our rain jackets and pants, and they are needed. The views are specacular though and the unsettled weather makes great clouds and lighting.

As if the beauty above weren't enough, whenever you 

look down there are trail-side treasures 

On the drive east towards Calgary, the next day we are rewarded by the light dusting of white, which accentuates the striations in the rock faces.

(I'm posting two entries at one time, read about Mr. Grizzly below.)

 

Bear on track

On the way from Yoho to Lake Louise we see cars stopped ahead on the road. This usually means wildlife and we don’t always stop at these traffic hazards, but this is moose country and we stop in hopes of seeing this illusive ungulate. Well, no moose, but a grizzly bear sitting on the train tracks having lunch. 

This is the first grizzly encounter for either of us and although we realize that if it were on the trail we would back away and leave the area, with the car close by we watch for a half hour, impressed by his (her?) size and beauty. Eventually a park service truck comes and the ranger fires a couple of shots in the air. Mr. Bear lopes off into the trees. The Canadian Park Service is quite concerned about preserving the freedom and safety of bears (and other large wildlife).This often means keeping the bears away from people. We’ve learned to appreciate their “wildlife without bounderies” policy. The Jasper, Robson, Banff, Yoho, Kootany area encompasses a vast expanse of wilderness mostly crossed by few foot trails but also crossd by two major highways and two railways, and includes three townships. To keep the wildlife free and safe the highways and bounded by a tall wire fence. Tunnels and now wide landscaped bridges provide corridors for migration and movement. People are free to use these but they are built for use by elk, bear,deer and all their furry friends. The campground at Lake Louis was found to be on a migration route for grizzlies. Relocating it was considered, but the solution decided on was to surround the campground with a low current electric fence, not to protect the campers but to keep the bears from finding food and then associating people with food. associating people with food. Along with this is the “bare camp” policy in all the camps. All items associated with food must be kept in a vehicle or bear box, so at night we leave our campsite nearly empty. With all this it’s clear who the visitor is. In the back country whole valleys  are closed off to allow a grizzly mom space to raise her cubs for the summer. All this seems to be working. The grizzly on the tracks was no doubt very aware that humans were watching from a distance. I can’t say what exactly the bear thought about some cars stopping on the road, but it seemed content to chew on whatever it had found on the tracks and did not seem to associate us with a peanut and butter sandwich.

 

Icefield Parkway

The road called the Icefield Parkway stretches 120 miles from Jasper to Lake Louise. It passes through some incredible scenery and although it could be driven easily in a few hours we spend three days passing though and still feel like we are rushing it. The parks service it considering a waking/cycling trail along the route and traveling by foot over a week or two would perhaps be the right pace. I take some pictures along the way knowing they can only give a

 glimpse of the experience. The panoramas of peaks, glaciers , lakes and rivers unfold with each turn of the road. I’ve been along this route four times and each time am more impressed.  I can’t really find words to express the impact of this much grand scenery. I’ll just hope the photos give an idea of what we’re seeing.

 

Rocky mountain high

Even if you’re prepared for it, the approach to Mt. Robson is dramatic.

 The highway winds for hours following the North Thompson River northwest, slowly 

gaining altitude, then crosses the high Frasier River valley and climbs into the Rockies. The grade is gentle, the scenery is outstanding, around a valley curve and you’re suddenly face to face with the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The drama is not only the height but the thousands of meters of sheer  rock face presented, striated with layers of granite and permanently capped with glacial ice .

We remind ourselves how this granite wall finds itself two miles above sea level: Sediment settles on a warm shallow seabed near the equator (200 to 500 million years ago) Time passes as the layers thicken and are compressed into rock. The tectonic plate drifts north and crashes into another; a slow motion geologic train wreck.  Layers of granite are bent, twisted and thrust upward with force hard to imagine. The whole continent is covered with an ice shield a few times over a few million years. Glaciers grind, rivers scour, ice melts, vegetation moves in and here we have, Rocky Mountains.

We walk along the trail following the Robson River 

up to Lake Kinney. It’s is a warm summer day, sunlight sprinkles on the fern, lighting patches of the forest floor .

 The water is green and milky from glacial flour (ground up mountain). Rivers are usually said to “run”. This one leaps, bounds, tumbles and sprints as it drains the north face of Mt. Robson and surrounding mountains. The roar it makes is a direct reminder of the force involved. Water is the shaper. Tilted, twisted tectonic plates would probably be interesting by themselves, but the wearing  and shaping of water gives a magical finishing touch. And it all starts with vapor.

Sometimes invisible and sometimes a cloud carried high over the passes, the energy   vapor carries is the molds the mountains. Condensing and freezing, a snowflake comes to rest on a peak; hardly a threat. Yet when trillions of them gang up to form a glacier   they can literally gouge  valleys  , grinding granite into, yes, flour; and the fun has just begun. Thawing and freezing  water cracks and  tears the rock apart and a final thaw sends the water pouring down the valleys, carrying glacial silt, sand , pebbles and boulders. Slowly the land changes. What we see is a work in progress. In fact the mountain range will eventually be torn down (and re-built). We find it today in a very nice state… and are appreciative.

The highway signs warn “high mountain road, weather can change suddenly”.  We disregard this and head off walking on a 4 mile loop around a marshy, wildlife  preserve It’s sunny, warm and dry; the sky nearly cloudless

 

We hear the first roll of thunder about half way around. The rain starts about a mile from the car (where the raincoats are). The raindrops are large, but we reach the car without getting soaked. We get the point though, a gentle slap on the wrist. “Leave on no hike without the raincoats” We knew that didn’t we?

You might notice the parkas, in August. It's turned cold, but warmth and sunshine are promised in a couple of days.