More on the Icefields area

The last post was getting pretty long, so here is more of the Icefields tour.

We were brought to a staging point by regular tour buses. Then we were moved to the ice buses. Obviously they are very unique. Top speed is about 10 mph, but they have 400hp engines that generate 4,000 pounds of torque!

48” tires that cost $6,000 each!
A 32% grade was a challenge even for these behemoths
Very little was level. In this shot, the level is the Icefields Centre in the back. The glacier extended that far in historic times!
Athabaskan glacier from where we were dropped off
Closer view of Athabaskan
Two unrelated glaciers not fed by the Icefield
Closer view of one of the orphan glaciers

Being a bunch of old farts, people were walking pretty gingerly on the slick, slushy surface. Anyone interested (which was pretty much everyone!) got a drink of the fresh, cold glacier water.

And did I say something earlier about waterfalls?

The truly adventuresome could sign up for a walking tour on the ice with a specialized guide. The guide provides coats, hats, gloves, walking sticks, and crampons. For some reason, none of our group chose to do this! The guides are important because their are deep crevasses.

“Icewalkers”
Grooming the “road” with a grader

After a remarkably quiet night in the parking lot, we took off to head to our next spot the other side of Jasper. More on that later.