|
Our first
day on the Icefields Parkway ended after only 86 miles. We stopped
to take in the Athabasca Glacier, one of the many glaciers fed by
the Columbia Icefield. It's hard to find words to describe the enormity
of this amazing thing. It's large enough to be seen from the International
Space Station, and in places the ice is over 1,200 feet thick.
|
|
|
|
We took
a tour on a SnoCoach, a gigantic bus with monster tires that treads
over the ice and brings you onto the mouth of the Athabasca Glacier
where it spills from the Icefield. We stood on the ice where it
is as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall.
|
|
|
| I
haven't been this excited since I had a bear
in my back yard in Anchorage! |
|
|
|
The guide
said we were unusually lucky that day because for days and only
2 hours before, it was too foggy to see the beautiful surrounding
mountains and too windy and cold to stand out there the 20 minutes
you get to explore the glacier. We had sunshiny clear skies with
no wind and were able to enjoy every vantage point of this fantastic
wonder of the world.
|
|
|
| That's
icy water flowing slowly - the sound was unique and refreshing. |
|
|
| Me
and Mom in front of a glacier waterfall |
|
|
|
|
|
|
