Walking on a Glacier

 Saturday, August 30, 2025

Early breakfast today as we must leave on time to make our scheduled glacier walk on the Athabasca glacier.

Clouds today! Haven’t seen them all week; but also thunder and lightening over the mountains. Also we’retreated to some elk on our way out of Jaspar Park Lodge.

Back on the bus to retrace our route down the Icefields Parkway to the Athabasca Glacier. Encountered several pockets of rain on the way down, but also sun is shining. Hoping sun remains as, of course, left our rain jackets in the suitcases which are under the bus. 

Arrived in time where we boarded another bus that would take us to the Ice Explorer which takes you up to the glacier. This machine drove down (and up) a 36% incline to and from the glacier. And the six tires are HUGE! Yes, we had our seatbelts on. The ice on which we were standing is some 500 feet deep. There had to be some 100 people up there on the glacier; however, it was a well run operation and I was able to use my new photography skills of erasing people from my pictures, making it look like we were the only ones there.

This glacier comes off the Columbia Icefield; unfortunately, all the glaciers associated with this icefield are melting and may be gone within 45to 50 years. The Icefield itself will probably disappear by the year 2100.

Lunch stop at a roadside restaurant/shop with a private dining area. then back on bus for the final leg to the Banff Springs Hotel - the castle of the Rockies. Wow - it truly does look like a castle. I’ll try to find a stock image of the hotel as I was never in a good enough spot to capture the entire hotel. But our room had a gorgeous view of the Bow River (yes the same one that continues down into Calgary and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean).

Our room sported an amazing view of the Bow River (yes, that same river that you find in Calgary and eventually it flows into the Atlantic Ocean) and a glimpse of the golf course.

After a pre-dinner drink at the Rundle Bar (named for nearby Rundle Mountain), we met John for dinner at Grapes + Za - a small restaurant in the hotel that specializes in Pizza and salads. We found out later during a history tour of the hotel that, prior to it being a restaurant, it is where the wealthy went to write their letters to their friends and family back home. They could put their addressed letters in the mail slots located near the elevator shafts and the hotel would postmark them and send them on their way. You can still do this today - not sure how long it will take for your letter to arrive at its destination.

Feeling quite under the weather tonight so in bed by 8:45 p.m.. Slept well.

Betsy