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!

Canoeing and Pyramid Mountain

Hello again! Right, time for a couple of the things I've actually gone and done in the local area. Sometime back in June, I think. Yes, well. Anyway. First, canoeing on Pyramid Lake!

Pyramid Lake is about an hours walk from the main town along a lovely wooded trail that takes you past the stables (more on those later) and the absolutely beautiful Patricia Lake:

The water here is a truly fantastic colour. It varies according to rainfall, which alters the concentration of rock flour, and the angle and intensity of sunlight. I was fortunate enough to have a particularly good day for the colour on this lake, though Pyramid was a little duller. One of the other fun aspects of the terrain is that the varying flow in the different glacial lakes means that the colour of adjacent lakes is rarely quite the same.

And here is Pyramid Lake, under the majestic Pyramid Mountain! And the unusually purple forest. It's really very sad that so much of the forest has succumbed to pine beetle infestation, but it really is quite striking. Not quite as traditional as the deep green of a healthy forest, but quite picturesque.

It was a pretty windy day, which made progressing across the lake a little awkward, but manageable.

Either way, I can heartily recommend this as a way to spend an hour. Or three, if you include the walk. 

And a rare selfie, just to prove it's still me

Now, Pyramid Mountain. According to some of the records I've found, it used to be called Priest's Mountain. I haven't found a conclusive reason as to why, but I suspect it's linked to the same French (or possibly Belgian) Jesuit priest who is supposed to have named Maligne Canyon. Either way, it didn't gain the name Pyramid Mountain till 1859. Great Uncle Jack has some... interesting... things to say about it. For one thing, he always refers to it as 'The Pyramid' or 'The Priest's Pyramid'. I assume that he is simply being whimsical with his descriptions, though it appears that he may have confused himself (aided no doubt by the 'Piskie Blood'). Sadly the passage which deals most directly with 'the pyramid' is rather badly damaged. I've typed up as much as I can, but thanks to the sections rendered illegible by water damage, burns, and what I'm fairly sure are tea stains, what's left doesn't really make a lot of sense. You'll see what I mean.

The pyramid looms over everything, its dark, steep sides marked and broken by... and the passage of time. The peak, capped with bright... reflects the light of ... harsh, and bright, tracking across the land beneath, as... from east to west.

Approaching from the south, by use of ... and climbing equipment, we gained access to the lower... 

...dark hindered our ascent, despite... not the time to explore fully, we pressed on... narrow and winding, with twists and turns that seemed to defy reason...Reached our goal...remarkable...markings...technology...

And from there it becomes entirely illegible. Interestingly, this seems to be one of the rare occasions that Uncle Jack has actually revisited his own notes, as there's a later addition in the margin:

I had intended to return and restore these notes, as well as to undertake a more thorough exploration, and attempt a translation, with the knowledge I have since gained. Unfortunately, they've gone and put a bloody mountain on top of the thing. I doubt that I shall ever make it back inside now.

As mentioned, I strongly suspect that he has simply confused himself over the years, thanks to the drink and drugs. The alternative, that there is an actual pyramid somehow concealed under Mount Pyramid, is simply silly.

A small update

Hello all! Sorry it's been a while since the last update, there's been rather a lot going on. I started planning a restructuring of the blog, then got hit with a combination of norovirus, covering for colleagues who were ill, and then recovering from all of that. Suddenly all of August was gone, and I hadn't written a thing.
So, blog plans! I've ended up with a bit of a backlog of things, and am going to have a go at shorter, weekly updates, and alternate between what I've been up to, and going through Uncle Jack's old notes. The exact frequency of which happens when remains to be seen. Might take a while to get all of that setup and ready, but hopefully, that should be starting in a fortnight.

In the meantime, to actually stick to the intended theme of Canadian eccentricities, here are some fancy sweet tins:

And a very nice set of bitters from a Canadian company, with a range of interesting flavours, such as charred cedar, praire rose and mango and saffron:

Also, I've been tinkering with a bit of photo editing. Here are a few updates of older shots- some enhanced, some that now look more like what I could see, but not capture.