to Protection Mountain Camp, Protected by New Friends

Thursday 4 August 2011
Day 42
First day in weeks with No Rain at All!

From Jasper via the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and beyond, because all campsites in the Louise area were full, I pressed on into the evening.

I was whipped when I got to camp, and once agian the highlight of the day was the people I met, in this case, Marek and Jana, from the Czech Republic, both on a one year work visa to Canada, living in Vancouver, and on vacation just like me, in the next campsite.

Both in their 20's, I am impressed by their compassion and thoughtfulness. They offered their axe for me to pound in my tent stakes (I carry no hammer to reduce weight, and instead look for a rock or other object laying around, but this place was fresh out of rock-like objects!). When they went to inquire about how to pay camp fees, they brought back a second payment envelope for me, then later carried it back to the ranger. Being bears but no food lockers, they locked up my food in their car and then gave me a set of keys to it in case I wanted to leave before they got up. Marek built a fire the old-fashioned way (ie, without gasoline or other combustible material, only wood) which he started with one match, invited me to share it, then gave me beer to drink. How about that!

Here are some views from along the Icefield Parkway and a special note of mention at the end.

Processional to the glacier

the melting edge

Where it was in 1992

You can set foot on it...

...but it's pretty dangerous, only mm thick in places despite looking solid from above

Peyto Lake

Water cuts Rock

The Parkway

Motorcycle Lineup...there are lots of them!

These MUST be BEAR berries!

Mistaya slot canyon

yours truly at Mistaya

Lake Lousie Hotel

Lake Louise

Lake Louise

Once again I'm back to the theme of the people I've met, and I was able to enjoy the views above only by the generosity of Luke and Janet Weiser from Calgary, who I met on the Denali bus and offered to write out a route for me to follow from Jasper back to the US, which I did exactly and enjoyed greatly. Today's drive was part of that.

Luke is a fishing expert, guide and builder of custom rods, check him at lukeweiser.com.