Next stop – Jasper via the Athabasca Glacier         

Our next “Brewster” bus pulls up at the Fairmont Chateau reception on Lake Louise. Once again we have a wonderful driver who takes care of us and ensures we are all good. Matthew resides in Calgary and absolutely loves his job with Brewster Bus Lines. He’s an energetic young guy in his thirties. We are now travelling on the Icefields Parkway heading to our next destination.

Matt gives a great and very informative commentary on the local wildlife and landscape.  This includes the story of the guy who recently, whilst taking advantage of the little outhouse at a rest stop (Matt’s pointing to the actual structure as we drive past) opened the door to leave only to find a rather large Grizzly staring at him. Lucky for mobile phones! The guy wasn’t going anywhere until a ranger could arrive to release him from his confines. Matthew also does a great “Oh What a Feeling” jump, clicking his heels in mid air – just like the Toyota ads. He consistently did this each time we had all climbed back aboard after another stop. Maybe a celebration that he hadn’t lost anyone as yet? We are having another great day in the company of some true Canadian characters. We take in a few site seeing points like Emerald Lake and the Yoho National Park in British Columbia.

But the big one is another couple of hours away, so we relax and take in the views and Mathew’s light hearted but great commentary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Athabasca Glacier

I’m looking at a crazy piece of landscape in the distance. We transfer from our tourist coach to a bus that resembles something from Mars. We then slowly traverse the expanse of ice known as the Athabasca Glacier. The glacier is thousands of years old and is part of the Columbia Ice Fields. It covers an area of approximately six square kilometres. We disembark the Ice Explorer onto a very slippery surface of solid ice to experience this extreme but extraordinary landscape. It is spectacular, though I can’t help think of what it must have been like as an early Polar explorer. It’s more than the weather that sends a chill down my spine!

 

I’m truly amazed at what we have just experienced – the colour, the freezing temperature, the stillness, the silence and the expanse well beyond the horizon. I had the feeling of being rather insignificant and so exposed to mother nature at her rawest. To be caught out in this type of frozen land would be terminal!

Jasper   

We arrive at the township of Jasper. A population of five thousand people. Our first impression is somewhat deflating as the main road basically goes straight through town with the rail siding and an Elk on one side and a few motels looking to catch a weary traveller for the night on the other. Looks can be deceiving!

We are dropped off at the Marmott Motel which is probably around a 3.5 to 4 star – so nothing extraordinary other than a great bar to sit, watch and be educated on why the Blue Jays taking on the Rays is an apparently critical baseball game. The Marmott is clean and comfortable with a great hot shower and the opportunity to do some laundry. We head off the next day by foot to explore what turns out to be a delightful town that has lots of character – one street back from the main highway! We have lunch in a cosy little hippy style café that allows for elbow room only as each little table and seat is fully occupied. Always a good sign when food is involved.

We take the little town bus to the Jasper Gondola. Once we arrive at the top of the Gondola we continue then to hike to the top of Mount Whistler. The summit is just under 2,500 metres above sea level which is at the level where altitude sickness can start to impact and it is quite a steep hike. The lungs are working overtime and as we reach the top it’s a pretty lonely spot.
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Surprisingly, it was just myself, Deb and a Squirrel. What does this little guy live on?

He must have to cover a lot of ground foraging for a feed.

 

 

 

It’s a barren landscape at this height.

 

It seems anyone with any sense had stayed with the Gondola. But hey – no guts no glory!

The views back down to Jasper were worth the hike and as we started descending we were caught by a cutting sleet storm which was like walking through pins and needles but it dissipated to show off a great rainbow strewn over the Jasper township.

So once again – back down another mountain we return to the Marmot Motel for a great steak, a beer or three and join the locals in watching another game of baseball and the Canadian Football League – the Calgary Stampeders v the Vancouver Lyons. Then a good night’s sleep. It’s an early start tomorrow to board the Rocky Mountaineer bound for Kamloops and onto Vancouver.

But that’s for another post – sleep tight!

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All photos – taken by RD (including the Squirrel).

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