We had stopped at the Parks Canada information building to
find out more about riding the bus onto the Glacier that we had seen
advertised. It looked interesting and would allow us a reason to explore up the
Ice Fields Parkway (section of highway from Lake Louise to Jasper – the city in
Jasper National Park). After chatting with us for a bit, the Park Ranger
commented that we didn’t seem like the type of people who would do the tourist
things (like ride the bus). He proceeded to pull a laminated paper from a
drawer and turned it around to face us. It was for a company called Athabasca Ice Walks. A licensed guide will take you around the safety ropes and out onto
the glacier with gear. This did sound more like us, so we called to find out if
there were any spots available. The company offers 3-4 hour and 6 hour trips; I
had my fingers crossed for the 6 hour trip because you were able to go the
entire way up to and explore the back wall, covered by permanent snow. It was
not to be; the 6 hour trip was full, so we got signed up for the shorter trip,
which ended up being very lucky (more on that in a moment).
We arrived and were offered waterproof pants. We were both
puzzled and tried to turn them down, but the girl outfitting everyone insisted.
So, to our puzzlement, we put them on. We had adequate coats, but I was given
huge, thick gloves and we were each given a pair of crampons. Yippee! My first
crampons – so excited! We started the ¼ mile trek up the hill, went around the
tourist safety ropes and crossed the open ground to a runoff creek. We crossed
on a board and once on the other side, we were on the ice! The ice was brown.
It looked so… dirty. We got a lesson on how to put on crampons. These were
simple implements, but getting them attached was only simple when you knew how
to do it! You started with the crampon opened in an X with the stretchy rope
between your feet and then you wove it around your boot and hooked it back on
itself. It was comfortable to wear under the bridge of my foot, but the ropey
part that wrapped all around my boot was not fun. I have wide feet and the
ropey part did not allow my foot to spread out the way it needs to. Walking in
them (and it being cold) made both George’s and my feet cramp, but we both were
able to walk flat footed (think stomp steps, not rolling your foot) without any
trouble.
Once everyone had successfully wrapped on their “ice teeth”,
we started up the glacier. As we walked, the guide taught us how to spot crevasses
in the ice. We were allowed to get close to the edge a few times for pictures,
but George and I stayed right where we were without even consulting the other.
After going to DC this spring on a school night for a date (dinner at Lauriol
Plaza and a lecture at National Geographic) to hear Jim Davidson, the author of
The Ledge, speak about his book, the experience and his life, I think we were
appropriately cautious. To be perfectly honest, I was so excited to do this,
but once we started up, I realized how afraid I was. One look at my face, and I
knew George realized it too. He held my hand and we had a little PowWow on the
ice. He offered to let us go back, but I would never have forgiven myself for
letting the opportunity go. Again, George was my rock and I don’t know what I
would do without him. I am very proud of making myself stick with it and do the
whole hike, even after the weather turned. Yes, the weather got bad. How bad?
Well, it started to rain, and then it was freezing rain, then some sleet and a
little hail. The wind was blowing like crazy, and while this is normal for the
glacier area, it did not help us. It was miserably cold, wet, and hard to hear
and any precipitation that hit exposed skin (mainly faces) stung. The reason
the winds are so wicked across the glacier is because the air moving across the
glacier is cooled, making it a different temperature from the sounding area
air. It is usually worse in the afternoon – guess when we were there! It was so
intense that there were more than a few moments where we looked at each other
as if to say “let’s blow this popsicle stand!”
We stopped twice on the way up to a flatter spot to rest,
and to learn about glaciers in general and this glacier in specific. This
particular glacier is an outlet glacier and part of the Columbia Icefield; it
jets from the center like a toe would from a foot. The glacier is disappearing
quickly. It has lost half of its mass in the last 125 years and continues to
recede at a rate of 7 cm per day and overall 2-3 meters per year. We saw signs
with years on them as we drove into the parking lot and as we walked up the
hill. We realized that they represent where the edge of the glacier was at that
time. That was sobering. It is the most visited glacier on our continent simply
because of its proximity to a major roadway and publicity it receives. All
these visits leave their mark on the landscape.
Yep, I am talking about it again – Litter. George and I
carry a roll of trash bags in our hiking pack. On our trip to Yellowstone last
summer, we gathered 3 bags full of litter on the trails and at viewpoint
pull-offs over the course of 19 days. I would have expected there to be more
litter on the tourist roped-off trail area than on the glacier itself, based on
which area gets the most usage and sees the most foot traffic. I was surprised
by the small and medium-sized rocks and pieces of wood we passed. Isn’t a
glacier supposed to be smooth on top? I was really surprised to see an orange
peel, the hulls of sunflower seeds, a red twist tie, and small bits of plastic.
When people throw these things down, I assume they thought the hulls and peel
would biodegrade, but this ice, so it just stays there. The people who threw
down the plastic bits need a knock upside their heads! I commented to my
surprise to our guide, who told me I would be shocked if I knew what stuff was
down in this glacier. Back in the 50s, the Canadian Army was doing some
maneuvers on the glacier, giving their troops some arctic environment training
and they lost a few jeeps. Seriously? I get losing your keys, your hair, your
mind, but a vehicle? Our guide has found all sorts of things in the ice – a
part of a jeep dashboard was forced up in a closing crevasse back in the 90s.
He also has a piece of wood he found that is beautifully twisted up from the
glacial ice on his mantle at home. Of course, George and I now have a rock for our home. On a bizarre note, there are
also a number of unexploded ordinances from the Canadian Army in the moraines
on the south side of the glacier. They were marked with red survey tape. Oh
boy.
We also learned a lot about the geology of the land in
glacial areas. As a glacier recedes, it leaves behind evidence that geologists
(and nerds like us) find really interesting. On both sides of the glacier were
these huge piles of fluffy looking dirt. They are moraines, the piles of debris
left behind after a glacier has receded from an area. Specifically, they are
lateral moraines, because they formed at the sides of a glacier, as opposed to
terminal or end moraines. As the glacier moves, the material trapped under the
ice leaves long scratch marks on the flat rock surfaces underneath called
glacial striations. We saw a number of rocks, which had these markings. Our
guide showed us how to read these score marks to know which way a glacier
moved. There were some large, boulder-sized rocks, that before the guide even
named them, we knew were called glacial erratics. These are also left behind
after a glacier recedes. We have found earthcaches that addressed this very
subject; “Yellowstone Glacial Erratic” was one we specifically remember.
So let’s go back to the brown ice for a moment. As we
ascended to thicker levels of ice and a slightly higher elevation, there was
even more brown muck, of which I would have expected the inverse. Shouldn’t the
ice be clean? And as we climbed farther still, we began to notice cone-shaped
piles of this stuff, almost as if it has coagulated into a mound. Again, so
grateful for the knowledgeable guide! Many sites on the internet claim this
matter is dirt, when that is not entirely the case. Scientists do refer to them
as dirt cones, but the nickname is misleading. Only the very surface of the
cone shape is actually comprised of the brown material; the rest of the cone
structure is ice. As the ice melts on the glacier, the brown layer acts as
insulation for the area it covers, and therefore, the ice underneath does not
melt at the same rate as the uncovered ice around it, over time, resulting in
the cone shape.
So if it is not exactly dirt, what is the brown muck? The
dirt is partially soot and dust which serves as glue for organic matter --
bacteria and unbelievably, blue-green algae! The bacteria and algae are types
of extremophiles, organisms that thrive in harsh environments. These little dust
particles let the bacteria and algae grow around them, and it does sort of
coagulate together. The brown muck will also melt little holes down into the
ice, called cyroconites. As our guide showed us, if we were patient enough, we
could actually seem them produce little bubbles of oxygen. It was very strange,
but neat. Life is truly amazing when it can be sustained on an ice slab in a
smear of muck.
We hiked upwards for over an hour (I really did think a
glacier was something flat!) and then took our third break. Our guide asked the
group to estimate how far we were from the top of the Athabasca spur of the
Columbia Icefield. We all took a look and estimates ranged from ¼ mile to a
mile. In actuality, we were between 3 and 4 miles from the top. The
misperceptions of our entire group can be attributed to the water evaporating
off the ice, whichacts as a magnifier of
sorts. When you look across the ice, anything that you see is actually much
farther away than it seems. I will have to keep this information in mind for
the next time we snowshoe in Antarctica! George did empty out the dribbles from his CamelBak onto the ice and we refilled with... what else? Glacial runoff! Our guide said it was safe and there was no presence of giardia (bad bacteria in untreated water that can make you sick) but we are still going to treat it ourselves before we drink it.
The whole time we hiked, digging our crampons into the
ridges with each step, we got to listen to the sound of diesel bus engines.
Yup, there were buses running loads of paying tourists to the top of the
glacier to an area that had been groomed and flattened. It was these buses we
had originally planned to ride. It was
yet another example of how Canada treats their parks differently than America
does. I was irritated by the presence of these “snow coaches” belching exhaust
onto “my” glacier. Of course I was shocked to find out that the company is
American! I am disgusted that Canada allowed this and don’t understand why.
Certainly they get their cut of the profits, but I ask, can any of you picture
our country letting the French build a gondola over the Grand Canyon? How about
the Koreans building and operating elevator lifts on the sides of Devil’s
Tower? I know that our national pride would not allow another nation to
construct and run one of these monstrosities, nor would we allow ourselves to
defile our own parks. I am just stumped.
We were both saddened and relieved (about 40% and 60%,
respectively) when we turned to head back down. I didn’t want it to end, but I
did want it to stop being so… cold! This was certainly a lifetime event, one
that is completely uncommon and unique that changes your perspective and you as
a person. George and I have been lucky enough to have a few of these moments
together and while the hike was not what I had expected, it was still
marvelous.
We were overheated and tired so after a brief visit to the
tourist center across the highway, we headed back toward Lake Louise. Our
second target was to get to a campground in Radium. We drove and drove, saw two
deer, but still no moose. Where are these things?!?!?
We finally pulled into Radium around 8:30, got situated in
our spot and unhooked the Joey. Of course, we got the gradual gathering of
other campers around our site wanting to see what the heck we were towing. We
are still enthusiastic about showing it off and giving tours. We must have sold
50 of these things already. I wish we were getting a commission!
George was ready to head to bed, but I was very sore from
the two days of hiking and asked to go to the hot springs. He was concerned
that they would be closed, but lucky for me, they closed at 11, so off we went!
Park your car, walk to the bathhouse, buy your admission ticket, go downstairs,
remove your shoes, enter the bathrooms, change into your swimsuit, shower to
remove external dirt and grime and then… choose your pool! That’s right, you
can either swim in the cold pool (84 degrees) or the hot pool (102 degrees). The cold pool had a diving board and two slides. The hot pool was just HOT! We
chose the hot pool and were surprised at the overall vibe. Everyone, young ,
old, couples, friends, just sat on the wall, paddled around lazily or laid on
the steps and ledges. George remarked that everyone was very chill. Nobody was
playing chicken or shrieking and being obnoxious. I loved it. We stayed about
an hour and got out feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Not ready to run a
marathon, but to drift off for an amazing night’s sleep.
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