Today we were up and out at 7:30am for the 150 km drive to the Columbia Ice Fields. It was a cold and cloudy morning with a light rain - we were hoping for a sunny cloudless day to be able to get the best view possible of the glaciers. As we drove north west towards our destination the rain turned to snow and all of the surrounding mountains had a light covering of the white stuff - yes it is still August believe it or not. A little after 9:00am we arrived at the visitor centre and checked in. Because Ed had pre-booked and paid on line, we were directed to the VIP line and got on the second transfer coach of the day - there were only 10 passengers including Damian and Ed.
Very soon we were at the transfer station and boarding our snow coach. These vehicles are enormous with very large diameter balloon tyres. As the snow coach approaches the edge of the glacier the driver takes it through a deep pool of water and slush - this is to ensure that no stones and dirt are transferred to the surface of the glacier and cause melting of the ice. Shortly after boarding we were quite far up the surface of the glacier and at the point where we could get out and walk. The area is marked with cones and we were warned not to go beyond as we could disappear down a crevasse - never to be seen again.
Damian sampling the super clean glacial melt water
We threw snow balls at each other to celebrate a wonderful summer day in the Rockies and as we played, the sun started to break through and burn off the clouds. Slowly we were presented with a view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains - very spectacular.
This visit to the ice fields has been a very special experience and something we will both remember for a long time.
Stay tuned there is more to follow.
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