That was it for Kootenay National Park, I would have loved to drive all the way through the park, but we had no time. The Columbia Ice Fields Parkway awaited us and as usual we were running out of daylight. We started the drive north to Jasper. We stopped at multiple viewpoints showing mountains next to lakes, they were stunning.
Our first hike was to see Peyto lake. John was in no mood to walk but he was forced to start a steep uphill ascent towards the viewpoint. He quickly tired and I put him on my shoulders and fast stepped it up the hill with two hiking sticks providing some help. The path would level out just to turn a corner and you’d be faced with another massive uphill. The effort was well worth the reward, a view of Peyto lake and the river valley that was formed by its waters with a wall of mountains on each side. The low hanging clouds prevented us from seeing peaks, but it was one of my favourite views of the trip.
After another viewpoint we stopped at Mistaya Canyon. We were debating whether it would be worth the time. After consultation with a family that just returned from the canyon, we decided to go ahead. This time it started with a significant downhill that we knew we had to climb up again. The sinuous canyon was formed by the water flowing from a lake with the glacier tipped peak in the background. The bridge only provided a view of a small amount of the canyon. We ventured uphill on the other side of the bridge to see if we could get a view downstream with no luck. Back uphill. It was worth it.
The next part of the scenic mountain drive didn’t have many viewpoints, so we sped towards Jasper National Park and the Athabasca glacier. We arrived at the Athabasca glacier at 8:30pm. The kids were still working on their Columbia Ice Fields Explorers book examining the rate the glacier was shrinking. We put on as much warm clothing as we could find and brought a donut blanket just in case. We walked the rocky dirt path up towards the glacier. Wind was against us the whole way up. Air cools on the glaciers, cold air sinks and this creates a cold breeze off the glacier. I remember walking on the glacier when I was 9 years old and my parents brought me on a trip. If you compare where the glacier was at that time and now, there is over a hundred metres of open ground between the two points. I remember walking up the glacier but now there is a large meltwater pond at the base of the ice that we couldn’t cross.
Back in the car, darkness had fallen, and we drove to Whistlers campground in the town of Jasper. They provided a list of unoccupied campgrounds when you enter late, and we chose one. There was a newly renovated shower building with beautiful washrooms and showers. Lovely.
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