Glaciers Galore!

Greetings All,
From Stewart, British Columbia we rejoined the Cassier Highway on July 23 and continued our journey to the southeast.



Route Map from Stewart, BC to Calgary, AB

One of our last stops on the Cassier was Gitanyow, home to some of the oldest known and largest collection of totem poles in British Columbia.



Gitanyow Totem Poles



We left the Cassier Highway and turned east onto the busier Yellowhead Highway, part of the Trans-Canada highway system.  We took a short side trip to Old Hazelton crossing a suspension bridge over the Hagwilget Canyon.

Bridge over Hagwilget Canyon

Founded in 1866, Hazelton was once the commercial center of the northwest.  From 1886 to 1913 it was the upriver terminus for a fleet of sternwheelers which plied the wild rapids of the Skeena River.  People and supplies were then dispensed inland to dozens of mines, farms and settlements.

"Nose Like Coho" Totem & Paddlewheel

Next to the paddlewheel of the river boat "Hazelton" was the Gitemkaldo's "Nose Like Coho" Totem.  Carved in the late 1800's, this is one of the Gitanmaax Frog Clan's oldest surviving totems.  In Tekwa we stopped and asked for directions to a back road to Francois Lake our next destination.  The road was not easy to find and even more difficult to follow as it had turned into a network of logging roads.  We had to take care not to get driven off the road by a fully loaded logging truck.  The next day we took another side trip to historic Fort St. James.  We were just in time for the chicken races.  If you've never seen a chicken race just click on the short video below.

Chicken Races at Fort St. James

We each bet on a different chicken and we all lost when Chicken #2 won the race.  After the festivities we toured the well-restored site.  It felt like we had stepped back in time.  The site isn't a fort in the classic sense but was the administrative center for the Hudson's Bay Company New Caledonia (north-central portion of present day British Columbia, Canada) fur district.  We visited the reconstructed trade store as the original burnt down in 1919.  Everything from shoes, blankets, foodstuff, guns and saddles were for sale.  The proprietor showed us the scratchy woolen underwear the men would wear all winter long.  When spring rolled around they would have cut their underwear off themselves, not a very pleasant image!

Trade Store at Fort St. James

We also visited the general warehouse and fur storage.  Hanging from the rafters were fox, otter and coyote pelts.  Stacks of beaver pelts were piled on the floor.  In the 19th century, Europe's insatiable demand for top hats made from beaver pelts fueled the fur trade and was a fundamental factor in the exploration and early settlement of Canada.   Fortunately, the fashion changed and top hats were no longer in vogue saving the beaver from near extinction.  Today the furs stored in the warehouse represent only 10% of the furs that were amassed during the height of the fur trade.

General Warehouse and Fur Storage

The next day we stopped to hike the Ancient Forest Trail along the Yellowhead Highway.  We walked along a boardwalk through a grove of ancient Western Red Cedar trees some 2000 years old!

Ancient Forest Trail

In 2005 Dave Radies, a graduate student at the University of Northern British Columbia, discovered that the area was to be logged and he alerted the public!  In 2008 plans to harvest the trees were cancelled and the forest obtained a greater level of protection.  The next day we hiked in 7 miles on the Berg Lake Trail in Mt. Robson Provincial Park where we had great views of Mt. Robson, the highest (12,972 ft.) peak in the Canadian Rockies.

Mt. Robson from Berg Lake Trail

Adjacent to Mt. Robison Provincial Park is Jasper National Park across the border in Alberta.  We opted to do one of the more popular trails in the park and had to get an early start to get a parking spot.  When we arrived the parking lot was nearly empty and we had the trail to ourselves.  We followed the edge of a bouldery moraine, climbed through subalpine forest and entered the alpine meadows above.  The views were somewhat obscured by clouds but we could see the great north face of Mt. Edith Cavell and the layered ice of the Cavell Glacier across the valley.

Mt. Edith Cavel & Cavell Glacier

On the way down American Pikas were collecting grass to store for the long winter and Hoary Marmot pups were tussling among the boulders.

American Pika

Hoary Marmot Pups

We headed to a popular viewpoint of Angel Glacier resting her wings in the cirque between Mt. Edith Cavell (Left) and Sorrow Peak (right).

Angel Glacier

The following day we continued south on the Icefields Parkway through Jasper National Park, stopping at the Athabasca Glacier.   Marc and I had visited here in 1985 and were amazed at how much the glacier had receded.

Us at the Toe of the Athabasca Glacier

In fact it's losing about 16 feet per year and could completely disappear within a generation!  We could see buses driving onto the glacier and decided to book a tour.  We had to wait a couple of hours but where else in the world can you drive onto a glacier?  The buses have been retrofitted for steep glacier travel.  They are 6-wheel drive and have 5-foot high tires!  There are only 23 of these buses in the world, 22 here and 1 in Antarctica.  For a mere $1.1 million you can have one of these behemoths built for you.  We crawled up a steep grade over a lateral moraine then inched down an even steeper grade on the other side to the glacier. 

Buses Heading for the Athabasca Glacier

Once onto the ice we had 15 minutes to explore.

On the Athabasca Glacier

The Athabasca Glacier is fed by the massive Columbia Icefield, the largest sub-polar body of ice in North America.  The Icefield covers 130 square miles and is up to 1200 feet deep.  Meltwater from the Icefield flows to three oceans: the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic via Hudson Bay.

Columbia Icefield Above the Athabasca Glacier

The next day we continued south along the Icefields Parkway and entered Banff National Park.  We spent two days exploring the beautiful and popular Lake Louise area.  By now we had learnt how to avoid the crowds: get up early.  Our first hike in the area was up Mt. Fairview.  We left Lake Louise and climbed steadily on switchbacks through forests of Spruce and Larch to a pass at Saddleback.  Mt. Fairview loomed 1000 feet above us.  It took about an hour to climb the scree slopes of the mountain to its spectacular summit with a 360-degree view!

Us on Mt. Fairview

To the south was massive Mount Temple.  Below lay the turquoise waters of Lake Louise and Mount Victoria and Victoria Glacier at the head of the valley.  We enjoyed the views in solitude before heading back down.

Mount Temple

Early the next morning we drove up Moraine Lake Road and secured two of the last few remaining RV parking spots.  From Moraine Lake we climbed steeply on switchbacks through the forest reaching a junction in about 1.5 miles.  We took the left fork and the trail leveled out following the side of the Valley of Ten Peaks.

Valley of Ten Peaks

We broke out of the trees and could see Eiffel Lake about 200 feet below us.

Eiffel Lake w/Wenkchemna Pass Beyond

We now hiked through alpine meadows where a lone marmot complained about our intrusion.  We kept a lookout for sheep and goats as we climbed toward the pass but did not see any.  We climbed once again to Wenkchemna Pass on the Continental Divide.  We were the first to arrive and peered quietly over the other side hoping to see some wildlife but instead were greeted with unending views. 

View to the South from Wenkchemna

We sat in solitude overcome with emotion at the privilege of being here and paid tribute to a loved one recently lost.

View to the East from Wenkchemna Pass

What a fitting end to our nearly 2-month journey through Alaska and Western Canada.  We saw so many amazing places and shared new experiences with our good friends Chuck and Judy.  We drove east to Calgary to fly home. 

We hope all is well back home,

Peggy and Marc

 

       Western Canada and Alaska Mammal List

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Notes
1	Hoary Marmot	Marmota caligata	Tombstone, Jasper, Banff
2	Arctic Ground Squirrel	Spermophilus parryii	Yukon, ANWR, Denali
3	American Red Squirrel	Tamiasciurus  hudsonicus	Yukon, Coldfoot, BC
4	Least Chipmunk	Tamias minimus	Yukon Wildlife Preserve
5	Snowshoe Hare	Lepus americanus	Yukon, Alaska
6	American Black Bear	Ursus americanus	Yukon, Drive to Haines, Hyder, AB
7	North American  Porcupine	Erethizon dorsatum	Yukon
8	Moose	Alces alces	Top of the World, Denali, Fairbanks
9	Wolverine	Gulo gulo	2 sightings, Taylor Hwy & ANWR
10	Dall Sheep	Ovis dalli dalli	Dempster, ANWR, Dalton, Kluane
11	North American Beaver	Castor canadensi	Dempster, Hyder
12	American Marten	Martes americana	Delta Jct.
13	Brown Bear	Ursus arctos	ANWR, Dalton, Denali, Yukon,  Haines, Hyder
14	Barren-ground Caribou	Rangifer tarandus    groenlandicus	ANWR, Denali
15	Grey Wolf	Canis lupus	ANWR
16	Arctic Fox	Vulpes lagopus	ANWR
17	Vole	Sp.?	ANWR
18	White-tailed Deer	Odocoileus virginianus
19	Mule Deer	Odocoileus hemionus	Fort George, BC
20	American Pika	Ochotona princeps	Jasper NP, BC
21	Golden-mantled Ground  Squirrel	Callospermophilus lateralis	Jasper NP, BC
22	Colombian Ground  Squirrel	Urocitellus columbianus	Jasper NP, BC
23	Ringed Seal	Pusa hispida	ANWR
24	Stone Sheep	Ovis dalli stone	Tadoggan Plateau, BC
25	Coyote	Canis latrans
26	Red Fox	Vulpes vulpes	Silver & Cross color variants, BC