Oh Canada! Part 2

At the top of Sentinel Pass, the grandeur and unbelievable beauty of the valleys on the way up made the whole trip worthwhile.  "The Valley of the 10 Peaks" hike is my most vivid memory of the Canadian Rockies.   The snow in June was also wonderful. No photo can ever do it justice. 

Evening at the Columbia Icefield

 

Some of the peaks, but I really need a panoramic picture to get them all in! 

    The  mountains behind Moraine Lake are labeled “Valley of the Ten Peaks”, and on this hike we found out why! We climbed up and up above Lake Louise, and after passing the summit we are treated to a spectacular view. The road is cut into the mountainside that looms to our right, far above the icy lake below.

10 peaks in a bit of fog

So we climbed to the top of Sentinel Pass (the saddle between these mountains)  for a view of Paradise Valley and the 10 peaks!

Frozen Lake Eiffel on the way up Sentinel Pass

Since my pitiful camera that has been carried hundreds of thousands of miles does not do this place justice check out the National Geographic take on where we were on these days of our trip:  

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/canada/jasper-to-banff-and-the-icefields-parkway-alberta/

 "Traverse the vast beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage site from Jasper along the Icefields Parkway and beyond to Banff. Pass fleecy mountain goats licking mineral-rich silt from wide rocky riverbeds. Surmount Sunwapta Pass, where the Atlantic and Arctic watersheds divide. Ride massive ice explorer vehicles onto the otherworldly surface of the Athabasca Glacier. These dramatic 181 miles of Alberta—passing through and by Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, and Banff National Parks plus three provincial parks—earn the route a reputation as one of the most spectacular drives in the world."  

I concur with Nat Geo.  If you don't like to hike, bike or even be outdoors too much, but you want to see the Canadian Rockies, this is your span of highway! 

 

These were the original snow vehicles that tourist went out on the glacier in.

The Columbia Icefield from the top of Wilcox Pass, Icefields Parkway

Moose Lake had no moose friends on this day, but I will never forget that this backcountry lake provided a quiet and stillness that a person with 4-5 kids is NOT used to hearing! It was refreshing.

The canyons these glaciers create are NO JOKE.  These pictures can't express the depth of them. 

Maligne Canyon, Jasper National Park

The Angel Glacier flows down the north face of Mouth Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park. It is named  because it has the appearance of an angel with out-swept wings. It was much larger when it was named in the 19th-century, but as with most glaciers worldwide, it is melting rapidly. It is not expected to maintain its  appearance for much longer, and will eventually disappear from the face of Mount Edith Cavell. In 2012, a chunk of glacier fell off and caused a bit of an avalanche, flood, and mudslide since it was bigger than a house.  YIKES.  Glad that did not happen while I was standing in this valley. 

At the bottom of Mt. Edith Cavell

Maligne Lake

The 3 sisters! 

Me capturing June snow from the van window on our last day!

Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, very rustic/historic family lodge with VERY expensive coffee :). 

Bow Lake

Before reaching the top of Bow Glacier Falls (where I am in the pink below), there's a trail leading off to the left which is a natural bridge over another glacial canyon. Here, where J is perched, the water is rushing through a narrow gorge below while that large boulder straddles the top of the gorge, suspended 30-40 feet above the frantic water below.

Heading for the Airport on our last day

The day before this guy's birthday he visited Jonas on the Icefields Parkway.  It was only a campground, but he hopes it stays that way! 

This was another great adventure for us, but without GRAND grandparents loving our children it would have been impossible. Thank you for letting us still occasionally be irresponsible explorers grandparents :).