Anniversary Trip: Columbia Icefields

Our next stop along the Icefields Parkway were the Columbia Icefields.  The visitor centre was hopping, so we decided to skip it.  A lot of people pay to take a tour of the icefields and glacier, where they are taken to the icefields in an ice explorer (it's basically a huge bus with special tires that can drive on ice).  But Antoine and I are cheap, so we headed right to the small parking lot closest to the Athabasca Glacier...

View from the parking lot.

The trail leading up to the glacier.

I get why people pay to take the bus up to the glacier...it's not the easiest of paths!  It wasn't that long, but boy, oh boy, was it steep.  And since the ground was all gravel, loose rocks, and ice (in some parts), slipping was a very real possibility.  In fact, on our way up we saw several people land on their butts.  Though the real culprit of them falling was poor footwear, we're talking Tom's and I even saw a woman (probably in her 50s!) wearing a pair of dressy ballet flats.  Come on!  How did that seem like a good idea at all?!  Sporting our hiking boots(!), we slowly made out way up the steep path...

The view from part way up.  In the distance you can see the small parking lot we parked in and, at the base of the mountain, the visitor's center.

The Athabasca Glacier.  All in all, it was kind of underwhelming.  I mean, the idea of it as a glacier, right there in front of you is cool, don't get me wrong.  But in reality it wasn't nearly as spectacular as I hoped.

Back on the road toward Yoho...

Only two more anniversary trip posts to go...one of which includes the prettiest place we stayed (though not the best accommodations), so stay tuned!  Anyway, until then, happy Wednesday everyone!