Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Jasper, Canada
Day trip down the Icefield Parkway to the Columbia Icefield. Having paid for the trip last night, discover I’m not on the bus driver’s passenger list. So not going. Two others from the hotel are not on the list either. Despite having paid. Driver discovers the error of his ways. He’s picked up yesterday’s passenger list. Which means a detour to pick up today’s list. To pick up other passengers from other hotels in Jasper.
Driving down the Icefield Parkway, bursts of sporadic sunshine pepper the snow capped mountains either side of this U-shaped glacial valley. Remember your geography lessons, dear reader?
Brief stop at the Marmot Ski Basin. To see the bears. Told to walk in the woods and we may see bears. What?!?! Yeah right. Not wanting to be gobbled up by a bear today, stick by the bus. Can see enough woods from here thank you. But no bears.
Interesting rock formations walking down to the Athabasca Falls. Small canyon forming whirlpools and water falls.
But the day’s highlight belongs to the Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier. Jumbo shuttle bus, the Snowcoach, with jumbo sized fat tyres drives at snail’s pace to the edge of the glacier by driving down the side moraine a few hundred feet up from the glacier. Bloody cold now as we descend on to the glacier which is rapidly disappearing before our eyes in a swirl of thick cloud. Drop down what is apparently the steepest gradient road for public vehicles in North America. Top speed is about 3mph. So. It. Takes. Some. Time. To. Get. There.
No sooner have we driven on to the glacier and jumped out to have a walk about it starts snowing. It’s the middle of June. It’s summer. It’s snowing.
Which rather alarmingly rapidly transforms into blizzard conditions in a matter of seconds. To the extent I struggle to work out where the bus is even though I’m only about 100ft from it. And it’s flipping freezing. Jeez, where did this come from. Amazing to see how quickly the weather turned.
And then.
As quick as the blizzard started. It finishes. And bright blue sky and a blazing hot sun appears as if God has clicked his fingers. Just like that.
Unbelievable. Never experienced anything like it. Not even in England.
Glacier at this point is thicker than the height of the Eiffel Tower. And smaller glaciers tumble down into the Athabasca Glacier. Which in itself originates from a massive snow capped glacial plateau further up the mountain range which feeds the various tongues of glaciers in every direction.
Black and white film from the 1920s in the exhibition shows an expedition out on to the glacier. Horses tethered together by tying the head of horses to the tails of horses in front together. So they don’t get lost. Not only that but the visitor centre’s claim to fame is that it is in the Guinness Book of Records for having the largest number of female toilets in North America with 68 cubicles. So. There you are, dear reader. The stuff you learn on this blog.
Back at the hotel my laundry has returned. Well most of it. They’re not my knickers. But they are my socks and shirts. Something has gone horribly wrong, dear reader. Don’t worry though. A quick phone call to housekeeping rectifies the situation. Reminds me of the time working in Jordan with Tokyo Al. I got his undies and he got my undies in the laundry return. All nicely pressed though.
Now time to re-pack my bag in preparation for my onward travel tomorrow.
It’s when I discover the true extent of the leaking mosquito repellent bottle. Oh. Dear. God. It’s everywhere. I have DEET all over the inside of my rucksack.
It has physically melted away my glasses case.
It has corroded the inside coating of my rucksack.
Extensive cleaning operation with soap and water.
Jeez.
This is powerful stuff.
And we put it on our skin to repel mosquitoes?!
