A misty rainbow

Glacier-walking: proceed with caution

Author: By Linda D. Ludwig, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, May 10, 1998

Page: M13

Section: Travel

Day One. Easy 155-mile drive from Calgary to Banff. Today's Banff -- with its cappuccino bars and designer boutiques -- has come a long way from the 1880s when cows roamed Main Street. But for all its modernity there is still room for the wonders of nature that brought tourists here more than 100 years ago.

One such place is the Vermilion Lakes, one of the largest wetlands in the Canadian Rockies. On this misty, overcast day, the lakes were particularly appealing. The outlines of nearby mountains reflected in crystal clear waters looked like something out of a Japanese landscape painting. Near the road, I saw an osprey's nest.

Day Two. Drove to Lake Louise. About midway between Banff and Lake Louise, I stopped to hike to the lower falls of Johnston Canyon. In places, the path actually goes inside the canyon. The cliffs are so near that you can touch the lush moss and ferns.

Hiking back from the falls, I saw a few rare purple calypso orchids and other wildflowers. Stopped for lunch at the Johnston Canyon Resort. I tried the ``really great burger.'' After the morning's hike, it tasted pretty great to me.

Back on the road to Lake Louise, I paused for a small herd of elk grazing next to the road.

Reached Lake Louise. This is the classic view -- snow-covered Mount Victoria at the end of the lake, reflected in the blue-green water, and framed by symmetrical tree-covered mountains sloping down to water's edge. The color of the lake changes as you look at it from different directions and in different lighting. At the end of the lake, rock climbers scaled the sheer cliffs as a small group of horseback riders passed below.

Returning to Chateau Lake Louise, raindrops began to fall. I watched the rain on the lake through the picture windows as I enjoyed Victorian tea, listened to harp music, and read Jane Austen's Emma.

Day Three. Back in Banff, I hiked Stoney Squaw Summit. I saw more orchids along the lower portions of the trail. From the summit, there is a hazy view of the valley, including Banff.

Close to the bottom of the trail, some lone mid-size animal darted across my path to disappear back into the forest. ``What is this animal running from?'' I asked myself. Thankfully, I did not find out. Even though the trail begins a short drive from Banff, I only met two other hikers throughout my two hours on the trail. Saw bighorn sheep on the road back into town.

Set out on a short walk to Bow Falls. Shortly after reaching the river, I startled a female elk who had been lying near the path. She rose to her full height -- considerably more than my five feet -- and I beat a retreat. On my way back, I saw a male elk grazing on a hedge.

Day Four. Set off early for Jasper. Packing the car, I saw yet another elk breakfasting on more hedges.

Stopped at Mistaya Canyon. At Mistaya Canyon, after the water shoots the falls, it enters a narrow canyon only a few meters wide. While I could hear the roar of the water, the canyon walls are so deep and twisted, the waters themselves were only barely visible far below.

Visited Columbia Icefields. The ice fields are one of the world's largest nonpolar ice masses. Their meltwaters flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. The toe of the Athabasca Glacier is closest to the Icefields Parkway and most accessible to hikers. I hiked to the base of the glacier and watched those who were braver (or more foolish?) venture out on the ice. Warning: Hiking on the glaciers without an experienced guide is dangerous.

Midafternoon arrival in Jasper. Since this was late June, there were still many hours of sunlight left. Checked listing of today's confirmed bear sightings. There are about 10, including one described as a grizzly bear. ``So, what do I do if I see a bear?'' I asked the Parks Canada ranger. Unfortunately, he did not have a very satisfactory answer.

Day Five. Stopped at Medicine Lake. The ``disappearing waters'' of Medicine Lake are the basis of Indian legends. In recent times, scientists have discovered the existence of an extensive network of sinkholes on the lake floor. This is the reason the waters virtually disappear by late summer -- only to reappear in the spring when meltwater again exceeds the capacity of the sinkholes.

Went next to Lake Maligne. Took a boat tour of this pristine, wilderness lake. Stopped at ``Spirit Island,'' a small spit of land with a few pine trees just yards from shore. The water around Spirit Island is a wonderful emerald green.

The guide told us, ``The island was named `Spirit Island' by a photographer because he said this island was the soul of the Canadian Rockies and moved his spirit.'' The magic of the place moved me, too. I named a nearby peak Frog Mountain.

Back on the boat, the tour guide pointed out a ``hanging valley.'' She said, ``Hanging valleys were created when the advance of one glacier was cut off by a larger glacier. When the glacial snow receded, the valley left behind by the smaller glacier hung above the deeper valley.''

Heading back to Jasper, I encountered bighorn sheep blocking traffic. No one seemed to mind -- we were all taking pictures.

Reached Maligne Canyon. At about a mile, this is the longest canyon in Jasper National Park. In places, it is only a few feet wide; its maximum depth is 34 miles.

It was easy to imagine myself riding with Mary Schffer, an early explorer of the region. In ``Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies,'' she wrote: ``The trail clung to the very brink of the black chasm and showed a sheer drop of at least two hundred feet . . . down below waters boiled and thundered; in pantomime we pointed to the streams issuing from the various strata, tumbling into large worn holes and from there plunging into the river in the deep canyon below.''

Day Six. Began drive back to Calgary. First stop was the Mount Edith Cavell trail, which a hiker told me about in Banff. The mountain was named after a British nurse executed in World War I for helping Allied prisoners of war escape. I hiked a short trail -- though scenic, it was the wrong one. (I later learned that the Edith Cavell trailhead begins after a nine-mile drive through switchback mountain roads.)

Visited Athabasca Falls. Walking down a now abandoned canyon, I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure that the river hadn't changed its course back in the last few minutes.

Saw a full rainbow in the mist of the falls. An artist I met told me, ``The rainbow is clearest in late morning when the water level is high and the sun is bright.'' He also told me of a spectacular nearby lake, Horseshoe Lake. ``Local boys,'' he said, ``like to jump off the sheer cliffs into the lake.'' They weren't jumping when I got to the lake, but it was incredibly beautiful. Blocks of different colors of reflected light surrounded a small rock island topped with pine trees just offshore.

As I drove along the Icefields Parkway, I slowed as I saw a waterfall cascading down the nearby cliffs at Tangle Falls.

Went to Bow Summit and Peyto Lake. The view is extraordinary. It's the same wonderful blue-green as Horseshoe Lake and Lake Maligne.

Reached Simpson's Num-ti-jah Lodge. This small rustic inn on Bow Lake dates to the early 1920s, when a log cabin was built by Jimmy Simpson, a pioneer guide and outfitter. There is a large log-paneled lounge in the lodge, with an enormous stone fireplace, roaring fire, and overstuffed chairs draped with animal skins. A pleasant place to exchange tall tales with fellow travelers.

Day Seven. It was Canada Day. Woke up early to watch sunrise over Bow Lake. The sky was overcast, but the reflected colors of the trees and mountains were beautiful in the early morning stillness. It was the first day of fishing season, and as I walked around the lake toward the distant waterfall and glacier, the park warden was carefully checking each fishing permit.

Just past Num-ti-jah Lodge is a viewpoint of Crowfoot Glacier. From here, the glacier really does look like a crow's foot.

Returned to Calgary. There was a fireworks display for Canada Day, but I opted instead for a soak in the hotel whirlpool. Outside, the fireworks exploded without me.

Lodging: Banff offers a full range of accommodations, from the Banff Springs Hotel (call Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts at 800-268-9411), to bed-and-breakfast inns like the Blue Mountain Lodge (403-762-5134, double from $53). For a list of hotels and bed-and-breakfast accommodations, call Banff Lake Louise Tourism Bureau at 403-762-0270. The bureau can also send you a copy of the Official Visitor Guide, which contains a description of most of the lodgings in the Bed and Breakfast Directory.

Accommodations in the Lake Louise area include the Chateau Lake Louise (phone Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts) and the Post Hotel (800-661-1586, double from $168). For budget lodgings, try the Lake Louise Canadian Alpine Club Hostel (403-522-2200); private rooms with shared bath cost $41.

For a stop along the Icefields Parkway, try Simpson's Num-ti-jah Lodge (403-522-21670; double rooms with shared bath from $70.

In Jasper, accommodations range from the Jasper Park Lodge (call Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts) to tourist rooms (phone Jasper Tourism and Commerce at 403-852-3858); double about $35-45).

General information: For more information about the Banff-Lake Louise area, contact Banff Lake Louise Tourism Bureau at 403-762-0270. For more information about Jasper, call Jasper Tourism and Commerce at 403-852-3858. or Parks Canada at 403-762-1550.