In a previous post, we drove along the Icefields Parkway to the world famous Columbia Ice Field. Located in Jasper park within the Canadian Rockies, this world famous glacier has been wowing tourists for decades.
Home of the highest elevated Starbucks in Canada, a gift shop, a retreating glacier and throngs of tourists, the Columbia Icefield is best explored in the summer months. We went on a hot day and it's recommended to wear at least a windbreaker and a sweater. There're no trees blocking the wind and it is about 2 kilometers above sea level.
Icefields are larger than glaciers. Icecaps are larger than Icefields. This one has been receding for the past 150 years and at one point was right up to the highway. You can see markers of where it used to be, now it is a good mile from the away.
1982, where is it?
1992 is that it?
2006 that's not just snow. There were more markers but I am not taking photos of each one. The icefield is a thing of beauty. The eerie landscape was formed by you guessed it, a retreating glacier. Much like the retreating polar caps of the last ice age formed much of the north, the Columbia Ice fields retreat has formed this landscape. Trees will take time to appear as it is just rock.
Driving along the highway towards the icefield you can see that there are trees at this altitude. At some point Ice would have covered this entire region, moss grows, grass grows, soil blows in, then trees grow. Or something like that.
You can see what the landscape will look like in 50 some odd years here as the ice was here around 100 years ago. and that parking lot was covered in ice around 1945. The ice is retreating faster nowadays, which is why we went there. I wanted to see it before it is gone.
Indescribable beauty is the best way to say it. There isn't quite anything like this. In the second week of September, this would be about the longest the area has had to melt for the season, it's going to get below freezing from here on out. So yes, there is always snow and ice along the Ice Fields Parkway (for now).
Judging by those photos it could be more than 2 km to the highway from the icefield. The parking lot takes you just about halfway from the visitors centre to the ice. You can't walk on the ice itself unless you pay for a special bus, we decided not to since it's not good to drive on the icefield for the ice and I don't support that activity. One day soon we will hike up to another glacier and walk on it without paying for the tourist bus.
You can also enjoy watching the icefield melt from the comfort of a cafe. It's probably crowded during the day, we got here just after close. it's never warm next to the icefield, don't be fooled.
Thank you for reading. I'm going to try to post more regularly again after a 4-month break, we went for our first hike this season and have been quite busy all winter, going on a few vacations, doing other hobbies and settling in.
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- crypticat1
