Banff Part 2- Caves and Snails

The other big thing in Banff, which deserves a whole post to itself, is the hot springs in the cave, and the surrounding walks. There are quite a lot of hot springs around here, it seems. Though given that it's all on Sulphur Mountain, that's not too surprising. The route from town to the caves and museum is particularly delightful as well, especially with a light dusting of snow.

Waking up to a view like this, you just know it's going to be a good day

This was the view from the bridge over the river heading out of town towards the caves.

And this was the footpath towards the caves. I forgot to take a picture of it, but there is also the rather excellent Buffalo Nations museum on the way to the caves. I can't tell you very much about it since we didn't have time to go around, but the building itself is a rather lovely log fort.

After a delightful walk through snowy woodlands and across a boardwalk over some of the slightly swampy ground where the spring runs down toward the base of the mountain. At that top of that section of the boardwalk is the museum building and inside that, at the end of a short tunnel, is the cave itself.

The caves were known to the local populace for a century or two, before being found by European colonists in the 1880s, and used for a variety of ceremonies. Participants would be lowered into the cave through the small hole visible at the top of this first picture on a rope ladder of rawhide or woven sweetgrass.

The cave has a very sulphurous smell, thanks to the high sulphur content of the spring water. Back in the 1880s, it was a very popular spot for hot spring bathing and this was seen as a good thing, for some reason. Novelty value, I suppose. Or possibly it was just nice to have found somewhere warm.

The water is still crystal clear, though, and contrasts beautifully with the pearlescent mineral deposits on the cave walls and the thin shaft of sunlight falling through the small hole in the cave roof.

Bathing isn't permitted in the cave of springs anymore, and there's a very good reason for that; the Banff Springs Snail! This delightful little beastie is unique to the springs around the cave and basin and is very sensitive to chemical changes in the water. Any sort of disruption to the delicate balance of minerals, bacteria, and plants can have quite a dramatic impact on the snail population. Which would be a shame since, uniquely among snails, they have their eyes on their heads, instead of on their antennae. Which doesn't sound very significant, but it does make them really cute!

Look at that little snaily face! Adorable.

In addition to housing the entrance to the caves, there's a small museum about the history of the site and the tourist trade that surrounded it, with a few interesting exhibits and bits of information.

And here, the lovely Wendy is modelling one of the most interesting exhibits- an old fashioned camping car! Fully equipped, and complete with its own tent.

Round the back of the museum is another section of boardwalk, that works its way up the side of the mountain. And by golly is the view good from up there:

There's another interesting little spot up at the top of the cave, just a short distance from the original entrance to the cave- the site of the first hotel in the area, built in 1883.

And on the way back down the mountain, I spotted a rather lovely little squirrel. I do like these Canadian red squirrels. Slightly cuter than the greys back home, and much easier to spot than European reds.

For some reason, the museum was flying a Union Flag. I'm afraid I neglected to ask why, though.

At the base of the mountain the hot springs flow out into the nearby river. The wetlands here are a breeding ground for a wide variety of small fish, since the water stays warm and unfrozen all year round, thanks to the hot spring water.

And that's about it for our little trip to Banff! There's a fair bit more to do there, but I think that's certainly a snapshot of the highlights. And just to finish off, here's a rather nice picture of Lake Louise that I took on the way back to Jasper.

A little trip to Banff

Hello again! As per usual, a little way behind on keeping things up to date, but here's the rundown of mine and Wendy's trip to Banff!

Considering which, I should probably do an introduction:

This is Wendy! She's a lovely young lady from the Czech Republic, and we have been dating for 6 months or so. Possibly weird that I haven't mentioned her until now, but I had an approximate publishing schedule and it felt weird to shoehorn her in. Here, however, definitely makes sense, as we finally had a few days off together, and decided to make the most of it.

Some of the scenery on the way there

Since we both work for a hotel chain with properties in both Jasper and Banff, we get discounts at their properties, so it was the most sensible choice, and one of the best local beauty spots (outside Jasper, anyway).

And rather pleasantly, it started snowing just as we were leaving Jasper, which made our entire trip almost aggressively Christmassy, which was absolutely delightful.

Banff is a lovely little town. Substantially larger than Jasper, and rather more touristy, but that does mean that it has an excellent range of restaurants, cafes, bistros, and touristy shops. It's still only a short walk out of town into the surrounding hills and forests, and there are a variety of hiking trails nearby.

Much like Jasper, there are mountains in every direction, although given the general location that's not really very surprising. On the topic of mountains, thanks to the Banff Gondola, I've finally made it up to the top of one (having spent the majority of summer waiting for it to stop raining, and it not doing so very often). Though it did start snowing again on the way up, which was very scenic and atmospheric, but did make good pictures a bit difficult.

It was also about 10 degrees colder up at the top, which took it from about 6 C in the town to -4 or so at the peak. On top of the peak in question is also a decommissioned cosmic ray observation station, situated for the high altitude and clear skies. There's only a small hut left on the peak now, but it's still nice to see how science can take you to all sorts of unusual places.

If you're looking for a way to warm up after visiting the mountain top, you can't do much better than the thermal springs at the base of the mountain, and just across the carpark from the gondola.

Hot spring at the entrance to the baths

The thermal springs have been a popular tourist spot since the first baths were set up in 1888, and now have a rather nice modern swimming pool enclosing the spring. If you're feeling more traditionally inclined, however, you can hire an 1880's style swimming costume, as I did. And I have to say I looked rather good in it. There are no pictures, you will probably be pleased to hear.

Another highlight of the trip was the tour of the Park distillery. It's a free tour, and if you go on it you get a discount in the restaurant. That alone makes it very worthwhile, as the cocktails are excellent.  

They produce a variety of different drinks with a rather excellent variable still, including whiskey, unaged rye, vodka and gin.

Depending on what has been produced, it is then either bottled or barreled for ageing. In the case of the vodka, it may be infused with either coffee beans or vanilla pods, if it's for a flavoured batch. They also produce a chilli vodka, but that one is flavoured by being bottled with three small birds eye chillis, and then left for a few months. Apparently, the first attempt at batch infusing chilli vodka produced a rather good alcoholic hot sauce, which, while tasty, wasn't really suitable for drinking.

Most of the barrels are stored off-site, but a few are kept in the distillery. Using smaller barrels means more contact between liquid and wood, allowing the desired flavour to be achieved quicker.

And on the topic of those cocktails:

This was called the Observation Peak, if I remember correctly, and was essentially an Old Fashioned served under smoked cedar. Absolutely delicious!

Right, that'll do for now I think. Next time, the hot spring caves and surrounding mountains. Cheerio till then!

Canadian Food and a Spot of Cooking

Before we get into this too deeply, I feel that I should add a disclaimer. I do not claim to be able to provide an overview of all Canadian food, but I do feel inclined to present my impressions so far.

First of all, the restaurants I have been to have set a very high standard, especially in Jasper and Banff. Keep an eye out for a food review section, coming to this blog sometime soon! Well, eventually anyway. But the point is that there's nothing wrong Canadian cuisine per se, and some of it is absolutely excellent. Which probably give you a bit of a hint as to the central theme of what I have to say next...

Tinned and frozen food is never the best. I'm used to that. The small number of pre-prepared things I've tried have still managed to disappoint, though. With an exception for the tins of frozen fruit punch, that is, which are perfect on hot days. Even a lot of the fresh produce is either somewhat bland or very expensive. An interesting exception to this is the meat. The beef is excellent, if a little expensive, and the pork is both excellent and cheap. The salmon is pretty good too, though I personally cannot recommend the salmon jerky. It sounds like it should be good, and I may give it a second chance at some point, but initial experiments have not been promising.

Coffee creamer, on the other hand, is absolutely something we need in Britain, primarily on account of the excellent range of flavours. My current favourite is Cinnabon- if there's something better to start the day with than a cup of hot, caffeinated, liquid cinnamon roll, I haven't found it yet. Unless perhaps it's the same but with a shot of rum in it on the weekends. I'll try that at some point and let you know.

And now we come to the big one- cheese. If anyone can explain to me what is wrong with Canadian cheese, I will be most interested to hear about it. It seems to almost all be big, extruded plastic slabs and slices, or imported a phenomenal cost. The other day I found Snowdonia Cheese Company cheddar, but it was something in excess of $7 for a rather thin slice.

This stuff with a raspberry ale washed rind is pretty damn good though- which is why there isn't very much of it left.

(There were supposed to be pictures of different sized pieces of cheese here, but I keep eating them before remembering to take a picture. I'll put some in later)

To be fair, I suspect that there is a difference between food in Jasper and in the rest of Canada. We are right up in the mountains, so shipping is a bit of an issue, presumably.

However, I have managed to make the most of the situation, and have developed some new cooking skills to help with preparing lunches and dinners for strange and variable shifts. First, weeklong sandwiches:

Started with the classic Shooter's Sandwich, full of steak and mushrooms. Very nice, but a bit expensive for every week. 

A pork variation, since that's a lot cheaper here.

And an attempt a creating a variation on a muffuletta. Couldn't get any proper giardenia, and didn't feel like stopping to pickle my own vegetables, so it was a tad crunchy, but still pretty good.

And then, for a change of pace, pies! Started with pork and broccoli, using a variation on a recipe from the 1800's. In fact, it does seem a little similar to something that Great Uncle Jack mentions in his journal, but his recipe is, uh... interesting.

Beef, carrot and onion.

A giant beef burger. This worked pretty nicely, stayed tender even when cold.

And the latest variation, chicken with aubergine and olives. My best yet, I think.

Had a bit of success with some desserts as well- primarily bread pudding, and peach pie:

Both of the bread puddings are topped with an improvised whisky caramel sauce, which turned out rather nicely. Truth be told, it's all the faffing about with this that has been keeping me from the blog to a certain extent- working 6 days a week and doing lots of cooking and food prep on the 7th hasn't left a lot of time and energy for very much else. Fortunately, the summer rush is over, and things are starting to calm down enough for me to have a bit more time. Ergo, bicuits:

At some point, I'll get round to some restaurant reviews, and I'll try to make sense of Uncle Jack's recipe notes. But next time, Banff! 

Uncle Jack and the Athabasca Glacier

I've got something a bit special this time- it's Great Uncle Jack's notes and diary entries regarding his exploration of the Athabasca Glacier and Colombia Icefield. As per usual, he hasn't bothered to date anything, so whether he technically discovered it or not I don't know. He seems to think that he did, but that doesn't prove anything. The other things he writes certainly don't prove anything.

Anyway, I think that's enough of an introduction. I shall let Jack's writing speak for itself.

...

The floor of the Athabasca Valley, despite appearing flat and easily traversed, has proven far too boggy for the weight of the Angel and the wagon. I believe this to be, in part, an issue of weight distribution, potentially addressed with additional, wider wheels. Lacking the time or materials to make the necessary modifications, however, I am now travelling along the wooded fringe of the valley base. The small trees present less of an obstacle than the soft terrain of the valley centre, but the boulders which fall periodically from the cliffs above are quite the inconvenience. By good fortune, nothing has been struck.

...

I have come across the toe of a great glacier. Based on the relative position of the mountains, I believe that it descends from a great central icefield. If so, it may well feed all the glaciers that carved the valleys of this region. Since this would be invaluable in mapping the local area, I intend to ascend in the morning, and seek connecting pathways across the ice to other valleys. I have made camp at the base of the glacier, and shall seek a route to the top on the morrow.

...

Strange events during the night. I was roused in the early hours by a flash bright enough to wake me even through the heavy canvas of my tent. When I emerged, mere moments later, there was no indication of what had caused such tremendous illumination. As I stood by the boiler of the Angel, debating whether to take further action or return to sleep, a tremendous wind roared down the glacier in to the valley below. I know not what it was, but some property of that wind set a tremendous panic upon me. I very nearly ran heedless in to the night, but stumbled and caught the Angel's steamwhistle as I turned. That glorious, brassy note sang in to the night, and quite restored my senses. Considering which, it would seem there may be a steam retention issue. Else, I should refrain from keeping the boiler stoked for warmth overnight until I have improved the safety valves.

This time, however, the flaw served me well. It may even have saved my life. How far I may have fled in to the cold and dark I cannot guess, had it not been for the reassuring sound of steam and metal.

Perhaps this terrifying sound was some manifestation of the wind through the mountains and valley, creating strange sounds and vibrations that touch some primal nerve in the human heart. Perhaps it is something else. Possibly connected to that tremendous flash. In any case, I intend to seek the source of this mystery upon the glacier.

...


The ascent has progressed without undue difficulty. I have left the Brazen Angel and the wagon at the toe of the glacier, and proceeded on foot with all necessary climbing and camping gear. Currently at the base of a formation that almost resembles an enormous set of steps, albeit warped and sloped. After this last ascent, I should have gained the heights of the central icefield.

...

This is a place of remarkable beauty. Smooth white snow stretches in all directions over the rich blue ice of the glacier itself. The peaks of the surrounding mountains jut up all around. It feels as though one is stood in the ruins of some great pillared rotunda, or perhaps upon the crown of a giant coronet, stretching almost from one horizon to the other. Judging from the angles of the glaciers, I suspect that this icefield flows in to both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is a truly remarkable location.
At present, there is no indication of what could have caused the flash of light last night, or any sign of strange rock or ice formations which may have caused the strange and terrible howling wind of last night. The size of this icefield may require several days to explore and examine properly. I have food and supplies for 3 days or so, and there is ample meltwater and snow for drinking. I shall have to return with assistants and geological survey equipment.

...

The snow makes travel a little slow. As much as I am tempted to explore the perimeter, I do not have the time. I shall simply progress as far in to the centre of the field as I can, before making my return. The ice creaks and groans underfoot. A haze of snow has reduced visibility to a dozen feet or so. Combined with the strange noises in the wind, it creates a singularly otherworldly atmosphere. This is a place deep in the grip of Winter. I must be cautious with any experiments I conduct.

...

Night is falling. I have made camp, and taken some basic atmospheric and aetheric readings. This is definitely a Thin Place. I may forgo further exploration until I can return better equipped. We shall see what the night brings.

...

This has been a remarkable night. I can scarce believe the events that transpired, or that I survived them.
I had risen during the night and noticed through the snow, back in the direction of the glacier, a strange orange glow. It flew toward the icefield at some speed, and what must have been a considerable height, in order to be visible from the icefield. As I watched, it reached the crest of the glacier and burst in a tremendous flash of light and heat. The energy from this detonation spread out as though it had struck some invisible curved wall at the edge of the icefield. Sudden illumination behind me caused me to turn, and I witnessed a similar event at the top of the other 5 glaciers in rapid succession. I believe this must be the cause of the flash which woke me last night.
The strange events did not stop there. There was what I can only describe as an indrawing of breath, a great gathering of air to the centre of the icefield. I felt myself drawn onward with that great inhalation, as though the very air in my lungs were summoned to the centre of that icy plateau. Anticipating what was to follow, I instead dived back to my tent, and the equipment I had brought for this event. Sure enough, moments later, that same feezing howling wind from the night before roared out from the centre of the icefield. Even as the moon, barely visible through the snow, seemed to dim in the face of the horror of the unearthly howl of that wind, the phosphorus flare I had brought with me roared in to flame. As with the steam whistle of the Brazen Angel, the sound and fury of the flare dulled the dread of the dark and cold, enough to save me from headlong flight. I had turned my face away from the biting wind and the light of the flare. 
When the wind began to calm, I glanced back over my shoulder, shielding my eyes from the light of the flare. The great out-rushing wind had parted the veil of snow, and for the moment before it returned, I saw something truly remarkable. A tremendous palace of deep blue ice, taller than the surrounding mountain peaks. Ornate spires, turrets, and buttresses stretched up in to the night sky, in cruel, sharp curves. Pale blue lights gleamed from the windows. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone again, concealed by a cloak of snow, and I was left alone with only my guttering flare for company.
I began packing up my equipment, determined to make it off the icefield and if possible back to the camp at the base of the glacier. The fear of falling in to a crevasse was nought compared to my fear of whatever lay in that dread castle. Moments later, I heard a strange, high note, clear and cold and utterly terrifying. By some instinct, I was certain it was a hunting horn, ancient and cruel, from those primeval days when it was not man that hunted beasts, but other things that hunted man. I took what equipment I had packed already, seized what I could carry and ran.
The flight that followed was one of the greatest ordeals of my life. The ice creaked and cracked beneath my feet as I ran. Wind and snow whipped at my face, now blowing up the glacier, as though trying to push me back toward the icefield. Even the darkness seemed to cling to my limbs to hold me back. As I glanced behind me, I was sure that I saw movement. Human shapes, but seeming to be made of glacial ice, advancing down the glacier behind me.
Reaching in to my pockets, I scattered iron filings and shot in to the snow behind me, hoping that iron would be bane to my pursuers, as it is to so many beings of the aethereal realms. Some time later, I heard that strange, cold horn call again. I pressed on for hours, through the dark and cold, dropping iron behind me, and timing the shouts and horn calls behind me to track my pursuers as they closed. They were swift, far swifter than I, but the distance from my camp to the centre of that great plateau had given me quite a start. But as I neared the base of the glacier, it seemed that they were mere minutes behind me. Having spent the day climbing the glacier, and the night fleeing back down it, I was almost spent. Finally, I saw my first camp, and the Brazen Angel before me, in the pale light before sunrise. Even as I stumbled towards it, I knew that I could go no further. With a final effort, I hauled myself forward, slumped against the side of the Angel, and turned to face my pursuers. 
A nightmare figure emerged from a swirl of snow and shadow. Taller than a man, of slender build, and clad in armour of blue-black ice, or perhaps some strange crystal, and holding a cruel, curved blade of the same material. The face was sharp, and finely featured, with dark inhuman eyes of pure black, framed by long black hair. Around his waist hung a belt of trophies. Eyes, ears, tounges, and jaws. The dread figure stepped toward me, confident and contemptuous. I raised my blunderbuss, the last item I had snatched from my campsite as I fled, tore off the cover that I used to keep the powder dry, and fired a full charge of iron shot in to the thing from no more than 10 feet away. I must confess that in my fear, I closed my eyes as I fired.
I do not know what happened when my shot struck that fearful apparition. But the sudden bite of a cold blade that I expected never came. When I opened my eyes again, the figure was gone. Not dead, for there was neither blood nor body- simply gone. The sun had risen, and the snow begun to ease. I do not yet comprehend these events. I shall review my notes once I have rested, and retreated to a safe distance.

...

My hand is shaking terribly as I write this, even in the relative safety of the trading post. Having re-read my notes, and reviewed the results of the readings I took on the glacier, I believe that last night I was caught in a skirmish between the Seelie and Unseelie, the fairies of Summer and Winter. That I survived is nothing short of miraculous. If I continue to do so, in the face of vengeful Winter fae, it will be doubly so. I can only pray that my involvement in whatever happened on that glacier is seen as incidental, or better yet forgotten. Only time will tell.
I have just opened the pack of supplies I brought with me from the glacier, that had been exposed to the flash of light that occurred when the sphere of summer fire struck the shield of winter. The bag and most of the food inside is unaffected, but all of the meat, a pack of bacon and a few sausages, is quite cooked. I do not know what sort of energy could do this, but I am glad that I was not stood closer.

...

So there we have it. Once again, I think Uncle Jack's chemical indulgences are somewhat on display here, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

Horse riding

Hello all! As you may have noticed, it's been a little quiet on the blog and Instagram for a bit. Not quite as bad as last time, but still. Anyway, long story short, I've had an extended bout of mononucleosis, or glandular fever as it is sometimes called. It's taken a while to work out what it is, which has made it a bit tricky to know what to do about it. However, it has given me an excuse to indulge my interest in herbal remedies for things, since there's nothing conventional that really helps with viruses. The upshot of which is that I've been drinking lots of elderberry teas, tinctures and syrups, as well as making a big jar of clove, cinnamon, lemon and rosemary syrup, which is supposed to boost the immune system.

Not sure if this helped much, but it soothes the throat and tastes excellent

Anyway, back to the main topic. Another highlight of the summer- a short horse trek around the Athabasca Trail! It was a bit tricky to take pictures while riding a horse, so I don't have many shots of the trail, but it was a lovely path that wound through the forest and along the ridgeline above the river, giving an absolutely gorgeous view. The horses were (mostly) rather well behaved, and the set-up meant that this is perfectly accessible even for someone who has never ridden before (or hasn't ridden for more than 10 years, such as myself).

By an interesting coincidence, my hat and coat were almost identical to the ones the staff wore.

And the very lovely Shadow wanted a picture too, of course.

Now, you might assume, as I did, that Great Uncle Jack would have primarily travelled by horse. And whilst it seems that this was true most of the time, it would appear that he did experiment with some alternative forms of transport.

Back in Jack's home county of Cornwall, Richard Trevithick had been producing steam carriages from 1801 to 1808, including the famous 'Puffing Devil' of Cambourne. Whether Uncle Jack was inspired by these and started building his own once he was in Canada, or bought one and modified it I don't know, but from scattered references through his notes, it would seem that he travelled for some time on or with a steam carriage called the 'Brazen Angel'. 

His descriptions of it are a bit patchy since it seems he only ever intended these notes for his own reference, and only really when he's making a modification or repair. It gets referenced fairly often, as either 'the Angel' or 'Brazen Angel'

It seems that the original design was something partway between the Puffing Devil and the London Steam Coach, but with an exterior coating of wood and copper, as featured on ironclad battleships of the time, presumably to help it cope with the Canadian climate with less maintenance.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Replica_of_trevithick%27s_%22Puffing_Devil%22_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1424283.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Trevithicks_Dampfwagen.jpg

Think of the general design of the steam carriage, but shrink the passenger compartment and make the boiler closer to the size of that on the Puffing Devil, and then have the whole thing tow a wagon of substantial size.

I've collected a few of the most descriptive examples- as you'd expect they mostly relate to modifications and repairs, but I think they give a fairly good impression of the overall construction of the thing. Well, except for the sections that probably involved a higher than usual dose of Piskie Blood, but it should be fairly clear which those are.

The copper cladding is behaving as expected. Greatly reduced issues with corrosion, and no further need for repainting. Very pleased with the decision to mount the firebox and boiler beneath the driver's carriage. Easy to refuel while driving, and keeps everything warm. I have been warned by a local that I may regret this in summer, however. May need to look at adding a fan to the cabin before then. Some issues with slopes and loose terrain, however. Modifications to the wheels and drive system may well be required.

...

The new broader wheels help considerably with soft and loose terrain. Still having some issues with weight distribution and steering. Need to develop a variant drive train and steering system that will power all wheels simultaneously. Could be quite a challenge.

...

The device from The Mines appears to be a highly compact and efficient steam engine of some description. I have been unable to dismantle it to ascertain the nature of the mechanisms inside. It appears that when connected to an adequate water supply, and fitted with one of the glowing rods found in the adjacent chamber, it appears to produce a substantial quantity of electricity, rotational motion, and an exhaust of high-pressure steam. The modifications will be challenging, but this will an excellent alternative power source for the Angel, as well as my other devices.

...

The Radium Engine, which I have named for the town near the mines where I discovered it, has been a tremendous boon. The Angel has a positive surplus of power, now. The absence of pistons has simplified the drive system, and I have now managed to connect it to the steering-wheels as well. I have also taken the liberty of installing a small calliope to use the excess steam, so that I may enjoy musical accompaniment while I travel. It does appear that I have erred in the installation, however. The speed at which the music plays corresponds to the speed of travel. Although interesting, this was not my intention. I shall correct this later, and send off for more music rolls at the first opportunity.

As per usual, the accuracy of some of this is questionable, to say the least. I certainly hope so, anyway. The thought of Uncle Jack lumbering over the Canadian countryside in some sort of steam turbine powered tractor with a miniature organ mounted on the back is quite an unsettling one. Though it might go some way to explaining some of the odd tracks and strange howling sounds reported by some other groups and expeditions, so then again, who knows? I'm fairly confident that he didn't find some sort of nuclear reactor in a mine, though. I'll have to look for the rest of his notes on Radium and the mines.

Icefields and Skywalk

Alright, time for one of the highlights of the trip so far- the Glacier and Skywalk trip! This was a pretty full day, and included a stop-off at the Athabasca Falls on the way to the glacier, as well as lunch at the icefield centre. If you ever find yourself in the area of Jasper, this is an absolute must.

Right, so, first stop: the Falls! These were absolutely beautiful, especially since we were there at just the right time to see some lovely rainbows in the falls.

Another rather delightful spot we passed was Tangle Creek- didn't have time to stop, so just snapped a picture as we passed, but it looks like it'll be worth returning to if I get the time.

We stopped for another photo opportunity just before we reached the glacier. You can see just how thick the ice is on top of the mountain; in places, it's up to 300 metres.

There was also this rather calm raven that I managed to get pretty close to:

Then a buffet lunch at the glacier centre, accompanied by an excellent view:

Then, on to the main event! There's a lot I could say about the discovery and history of the glacier, but I think that this time it's best to let the pictures speak for themselves. (For those that like the historical bits, don't worry! Uncle Jack has a lot to say about the glacier, so we'll cover all of that in a future post).

Finally, the Skywalk! A large concrete pathway that juts out over a canyon, with a glass section part way round. Once again, I think the pictures say it best:

As a footnote, the glacier water was cool, crisp, delicious, and made excellent tea later on.

Right, that'll do for this time, I think. Next time, a bit of history, the wildlife I spotted on the way, and Uncle Jack's notes!