Icefields Parkway
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2012
1
4
7
Trip End
Jun 23, 2012
Banff, Alberta, Canada
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Our first stop was Crowfoot Glacier, where we sat our first glacier for the day, although one of the toes has completely melted away over the past century.
Our next step was Peyto Lake. We had intended on hiking up to Bow Summit, but partway up the trail completely disappeared under very deep snow. We tried to find it, but finally gave up. We did walk around the Peyto Lake area. The lake was a nice turquoise color. The silt from the glacier above the lake (our second glacier of the day) is slowly filling up the lake.
Our next step was Parker Ridge. I had read that this trail could be cold, even in late July, but that the views were phenomenol and very much worth the 2-1/2 hour roundtrip hike. What we didn't factor was having extremely deep snow to climb through for 5 kilometers while crawling up the side of the mountain. Just to top it off, it started hailing or sleeting at the top, after everyone was soaked in their shoes and lower legs with melted snow. The climb wasn't worth it, because the weather didn't allow for much of a view at the top. Oh, we did see glacier number three. Later in the day, a park ranger was surprised that we made it all the way to the top of the trail.
After the Parker Ridge hike, any more hikes were out of the question for the day.
Our next stop was Sunwapta falls, which was nice. We then saw Athabasca Falls, which I thought were a highlight so far.
Finally, we made it into Jasper, where we hit the information centre, dinner, and then our hotel. I'll be hitting the trail soon for a run. (Yes, the park ranger said it was safe.)
Comments
What an adventure y'all are having! And what does the ranger know! We saw a moose in the middle of town in the middle of the day in Jasper! At Keystone there was a bear on the main drag in the middle of the day the day after we visited! Be safe! I'm loving your notes & pics! Wonderful job you're doing!