For The Love of Travel

The Jasper SkyTram whisks you up Whistler’s Mountain to an elevation of 2277 metres for stunning vistas over mountain ranges stretching up to 80 km away. We didn’t see a bear or hoary marmot (aka Mountain Whistler)…. But we did see a (wascaly) pika….a small mammal, with short limbs, rounded ears, and no external tail. Despite their rodent-like appearance, pikas are actually closely related to rabbits and hares. Pikas defend their territory by whistling to one another, and their large, rounded ears come in useful to hear the calls from competing pikas. They forage for grasses, seeds, weeds, thistles and berries during the day.

And the dude with the very cute dog, Lola, was on the Skytram as we went down!  She’s coolly surveying the horizon.

Leaving Banff Springs we drove a stretch along the Trans Canada highway turning off onto the Icefield Parkway, (climbing from sub alpine forests to alpine meadows) that takes in Castle Mountain, pristine vermillion lakes, and peaks, glaciers and waterfalls. There was an awe inspiring view of Peyto Lake, located just over the Bow Summit, it’s blue waters reflecting the alpine beauty of the Mistaya valley.

A meeting place of three important rivers (Howse, Mistaya and Saskatchewan), the Saskatchewan crossing is where explorers and fur traders of the 1800s crossed the Rockies into British Columbia.

Next to the Athabasca Glacier on the Colombia Icefield, which we toured on giant 6-wheeled Ice Explorers carrying 56 people at a time. Although the Athabasca Glacier is retreating at a rate of 5 metres (16 feet) per year, it is still massive at 6 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide. Headwaters from the Snow Dome mountain flow into the Arctic, Pacific and. Atlantic oceans!!

Then we travelled to the Glacier Skywalk, an exciting cliff-edge walkway, over spectacular glacier-formed valleys and rushing waterfalls, that leads to a platform where glass is all that separated us from a 918 foot drop.

What a day, we were so lucky with the weather! It was changing constantly, yet stayed sunny when we needed it to at particular locations.

 

Rafting today on Spray River instead of helicopter flight….too foggy early in the morning and all trips scheduled for 2 hours ahead were cancelled. Ah well, another chance in Whistler in a couple of days time.  

A day for strolling downtown, checking out the shops and ….having my first hair appointment out of the hands of my hairdresser Shane (Smik). I think he will be pleased with the cut and colour on my return and won’t have to work too hard to restore to former glory.

On my walk downtown, a black-billed magpie caught my eye with its beautiful plumage…….Historically associated with bison herds, it now lands on the back of cattle to glean ticks and insects from them. Large predators such as wolves are commonly followed by black-billed magpies, who scavenge from their kills. The species also walks on the ground, where it obtains such food items as beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and small rodents. 

Went to the yummy Fairview restaurant @ Chateau Lake Louise couple of nights ago and the lamb rack and choc creme brûlée were superb.