Columbia Icefields and Skywalk - Drinking Glacier Water in Canada!

Lex sez about Columbia Icefields: We had tickets for the Athabasca Glacier Walk at 11am and we didn't want to take a chance being late.    • Columbia Icefields and Skywalk - Drinking ...  

We drove three hours through Banff National Park crossing over into Jasper National Park, a drive even more spectacular than the previous day - each side of the road crowned with towering peaks stuffed with ancient glaciers - including crystal clear lakes and all different kinds of wildlife such as rams that we had to slow to allow them to cross the road. We arrived at the Columbia Icefield early enough to change our tickets to a half hour earlier. From the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, we could see the mighty Athabasca Glacier with a single bus winding its way up the hill toward it. My excitement increased as we boarded our bus. Soon I would be walking on a glacier!

Riding the bus toward Athabasca Glacier, we could see a number of trucks with humungous tires. These were the Brewster Ice Explorers, specifically designed to drive over the steep hills and onto the massive glacier. We transferred off of our bus and got inside one of the Explorers. It was designed with windows not just on the sides but overhead so that we could see everything. We stepped off the Explorer and I felt the crunch of snow under my shoes. It was a clear sunny day, which produced an especially bright glare for which I fortunately remembered to wear sunscreen lotion. There was a flowing stream of water and we both drank a cup of glacier water. There is no other water on earth that compares to glacier water. It is the clearest, cleanest, coldest drink you'll ever have! What made the experience extra special was knowing we were doing this on the day my father, who traveled to 55 countries in his lifetime, would have turned 73 if he were still living. But I felt his spirit living on in us that day, and I raised a glass of the best tasting water in his memory.

Lex sez about Glacier Skywalk:

The Athabasca Glacier was quite a high to come down from riding back toward the Discovery Centre. But our adventure was not over! We drove past the Discovery Centre and passed several mountain goats trotting along the side of the road. We stopped at something neither one of us knew was on our itinerary: the Glacier Skywalk. When we bought our tickets months ago, we didn't include this attraction, but when we walked off the bus to the entrance, they scanned our tickets and let us in. I had heard about this sort of glass-floored observation platform being at the Grand Canyon, but had yet to experience it personally. Honestly, it took a while to get my equilibrium set. I had to hold on to the railing to maintain balance; it gets a bit scary looking straight down at what looks like a thousand foot drop! The natural mountain scenery from that view was obviously spectacular, but what was really amazing was seeing a billy goat standing on the side of the steepest of cliffs beneath me, just munching away on a clump of grass without a worry in the world.

When we got back to the Discovery Centre, we made sure we got some souvenirs that were memorable. I got a snow globe that will be a wonderful reminder of our great trip when Christmas comes around. Then we made a beeline back to our car in the parking lot. It was 3pm and Neek and I were ravenous! Fortunately the ham sandwiches that we bought the night before from Tim Horton's were still fresh. We devoured those swiftly and shared some Pringles too. Then we headed back to Canmore, gazing once again at all the breathtaking beauty around us.

To see what Neek sez:

https://lexandneek.wordpress.com/2016...

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Music:
Beach Disco by Dougie Wood
Highway Flowers by Bird Creek
It's All Happening by Huma Huma
World Map by Jason Farnham

All music tracks courtesy of YouTube Music Library