Monday 7th September 2015…Day14!!!

Woke up from my very expensive sleep and was packed up and on the road by 8.45am because this morning at 10 am I was going on an escorted tour of the Athabasca Ice field.

The drive was quite lovely here are some shots!!

The first sight of the glacier…

I am not a fan of escorted tours but this is the only way to get on the ice fields or there is the alternative of a bus tour that drives up a gravel road and you get 10 minutes on the ice with hundreds of others!!!!

I would ask you to Goggle the ice fields here and read all about their formation, their decline and other facts because the tour guide was so knowledgeable but too much to remember…..

The tour was with Icewalks and our guide, Sabina, was great and only 12 in the group!!!

Getting ready!!

Sign the waiver and get issued a set of crampons and off we go…my first glacier walk and the weather could not have been any more perfect!!!

Sabina was a font of knowledge and see the sign …that is where the glacier was in 1982!!!

I am ready to go…

this may help!!!

Crevices are small, usually narrow cracks or gaps in a surface. Think of the word as a synonym of split, crack, rent, and cranny. A crevasse is a large fissure, especially in a glacier. The word’s synonyms include abyss and chasm. Crevice and crevasse are not actually homophones—as crevice is pronounced KREV-iss, while crevasse is pronounced kruh-VOSS—but their similarity in sound and meaning makes them easy to confuse.

The words have a common origin—the Old French cravace—but they came to English at different times. Crevice has borne its modern meaning in English since the 14th century, whereas crevasse came to English in the 19th century via Alpine mountain-climbing lingo.

Had to judge the depth but they were awesome!!!

The other alternative!!!

Sabina was a great guide!!!

I have received many e mails telling me that my photos of animals, lakes, snow capped mountains are indeed spectacular but we want to see you….OK OK maybe no e mails but remember it is my blog…so here you go ladies!!!!!!

 

After all this fun it was time to get serious and so some challenging climb on the glacier but I did ok!!!

Next Sabina broke some ice and gave us all a taste of very fresh glacier water!!!

It was indeed a wonderful three hours and so glad I found the time to do this!!!

I then started my drive towards Banff about 140 km but a couple of stops along the way first a short hike to Pony bridge!!!

The next stop was Peyto lake but I found my camera could not really do justice to the colors of the water!!!

A few more views before I reached Banff!!!

Banff is a very expensive town so I am staying at a wonderful airbnb home in Canmore about 19 km from Banff…my lovely hostess Sarah is a river rafting guide and her home is lovely and my bathroom and bedroom and deck really nice and I can use the rest of the house…so I did and watched the last set of the Murray V Anderson tennis match from New York, what a thriller!!!

My room

I made a light meal, had a wonderful soak in the tub and it is 10.30pm already…

So there you have it two blogs in one day hope you enjoyed your trip down the Icefields Parkway!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Saturday 5th September 2015…day 12!!!!

On the road again by 8.15am I find that is the best way to beat the crowds this long weekend and the sun was shining and although cool a beautiful day!!!

About 2 miles out of town I saw vehicles parked on the side of the road with flashes going and that is a sign of animal sightings so I also pulled over and off the road.

Got out of the car and saw this beauty

Now this is where it gets interesting and I have no idea whatsoever of animal behavior but there was another male on the other side of the highway

It seemed to me like they were communicating with each other

 

and the one of the other side just kept coming

I was parked behind that white car and I decided to get back in my car

 

 

I am sorry I could not get any close ups of this magnificent animal!!!!

Isn't that a marvelous shot!!!!

They wondered away and so did I but not before taking this shot!!!

It was about a 40 minute drive to the trail head and I knew this was going to be a toughie!!!!

From the parking lot it was all the way up hill a total of 2300 foot elevation gain.

I started off dressing warmly but soon ditched the tuque, gloves and jacket.

The trail was hard by the snow but refreshing views..

Then the switch backs started

X is my destination!!!

All I have to do now is scale that peak!!!

In the middle the little patch is where I started at the car park!!!

Well finally made it I was sweating profusely and before I took photos I had to change my shirt, get some clothes on because it was cool…sat and had lunch with these incredible views…like being on top of the world!!!

It was wonderful and getting down much much easier.  A good job I started on the hike early I must have passed at least 100 hikers going up most of them breathlessly asking how much further!!!

The car park where I was parked was also the site of this

I was definitely going for a soak but first I snook these photos through the fence

Before I went for a soak I just wanted to see the old baths which was about a 2km hike but fairly flat!!

I walked a little father and found one of the sources of the springs and yes it was HOT!!!!

I eventually got into the springs there were 4 pools 2 hot and 2 cold and I spent an hour in one of the hot ones it felt really good….the only comment I would make is that it just felt like any pool anywhere it would have been nice if they had somehow made it more mountain rustic…I think I would have preferred the old springs…the good thing the prices were very reasonable..$5.15 for this old senior!!!

I was back home by 5pm and it was a great day went into town and this time had a nice supper……now relaxed and almost ready for bed.

I leave Jasper in the morning and am staying at a hotel tomorrow night that does not have internet and then Monday I drive to Canmore which is about 15 minutes away from Banff and staying there 4 nights..so no blog tomorrow check back Monday for a big one….

Happy long weekend to all my American and Canadian friends and readers!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!