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  3. TRAVEL: 2007 through 2011
  4. AUGUST 2009 WA AND CANADA

ALBERTA: BANFF TO ATHABASCA GLACIER

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Cliffs and mist to the east of the Icefields Parkway.
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Cliffs and mist to the east of the Icefields Parkway.

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  • After a nice, relaxing night in Banff, we headed north along the Icefields Parkway. Here we are looking to the west, across the Bow River, to Crowfoot Glacier hanging up on the cliff. I remember the first time I saw glaciers, and how mesmerized I was at the radiant, turquoise glow. I had expected them to be white, but they are not. More on that later. This poor crow has lost one toe. When it was named, it had an extension below the lower one you see here. That "toe" has receded over the years since then. However, the ice cliff you see at the lower left portion of the glacier is still 50 m (160 feet) tall.
  • Looking over Bow Lake from the area of the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge. You see Bow Glacier and Bow Falls up the valley to your left.<br /> <br /> Anyhow, snow forms around tiny particles of dust. As the snow falls and builds up, it eventually forms glaciers. So, the glacier is made up of both ice AND extremely fine dust particles. These dust particles interact with light to produce the fabulous turquoise glow I mentioned earlier. In the runoff from the glacier, add to the snow-crystal-forming dust more extremely fine particles scoured from the rocks by the abrasive action of the glacier (called "rock flour"). This is what gives these high, glacier-fed lakes their spectacular aqua glow.
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  • Cliffs and mist to the east of the Icefields Parkway.
  • Looking back south, toward Banff, on the Icefields Parkway.
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  • NOW we are at the mighty Athabasca Glacier. Well, you won't see the glacier until we get to the top of this ridge, actually. When Bev and I were there 30 years ago, the glacier was just to the bottom of the ridge you see here.
  • As the sign to your right indicates, the glacier was to here in 1982. I THINK Zac is demonstrating about where it was when he was born.
  • We've made it to the top of the ridge. In 1992 we would have been right at the base of the glacier. As you can see, we've got a ways to go to get there now.
  • Athabasca Glacier flows out of the Columbia Icefield, a mass of ice 325 square kilometers (125 square miles) in area and up to 365 meters (1,197 feet) in depth. The circumference of the Columbia Icefield is bordered by the peaks of 11 mountains. It receives about 7 meters (23 feet) of snow per year. The snow builds up and compresses over the years to form ice, which overflows out the valleys between the peaks to form glaciers such as this breathtaking one in front of you.
  • In some areas, the glacier gets covered by rock slides, etc. This protects the glacier from melting, and allows those portions to remain in that area after the rest of the glacier has retreated.
  • I have stepped back from the Athabasca Glacier here to give some perspective.<br /> <br /> In the U.S., the Continental Divide separates waters destined for the Pacific from those destined for the Atlantic. It's a bit more complicated in Canada: In addition to the Atlantic and Pacific, some Canadian waters head north, to the Arctic Ocean. It is on the Columbia Icefield that these divides meet: Water drops (or snow flakes) falling within a few feet of each other can end up going very disparate ways: Some of the water from this icefield feeds into the Columbia River (and into the Pacific Ocean). The North Saskatchewan River originates on this icefield and heads to the Atlantic Ocean. The Athabasca River (which pretty much starts right here with the ice in this view) drains to the Arctic.<br /> <br /> According to our guide, there is no other place in the world where divides come together to feed three different oceans. I must admit that I have my doubts about that, but I don't know of any other place (I would suspect maybe someplace in Siberia, but am not aware of where it may be). If anyone reading this knows of someplace else where this happens, please let us know by leaving a comment!
  • From about the same place where I took that last photo, I turned around to face east. Looking across the valley, do you see the building somewhat to your right from center? That is the Icefields Visitor Center. Athabasca Glacier reached all the way to there in the mid 1800's. <br /> <br /> By the way, the wind coming off the icefield and over the glacier was C-C-C-COLD!
  • This is where the glacier extended to in 1908. The pathway you see in the distance with the people on it is where we were in the last few photos.
  • Remember, just a couple of photos back, I told you about the Visitor's Center? We were near the base of the glacier at that time. We are now AT the visitor's Center. The sign to your lower right shows where the glacier reached to in 1844. You can tell the maximum height of the glacier in the past by the present height of the moraines (ridges) on each side.
  • Thanks for taking this photo, Bri. We are waiting for a bus to take us to a snow bus lot so that we can go out onto the glacier. They used snow-cats like this one in the 1950's or so, but now have more modern vehicles for the traverse.
  • Here is a telephoto view from nearly the same vantage point as the last photo. See the "box" on the glacier just to your left of center? That is one of the modern snow buses. It is headed toward the dark line you see just to your right from center and slightly higher than the snow bus. We are waiting to get onto a regular bus and head toward the snow bus parking lot right now.
  • And HERE is the view from a snow bus as we slowly head down the hill toward Athabasca Glacier!
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