Ode to Edith

I have found myself drawn to Edith ever since I first laid eyes on her back in the 1990's. There is just something about her natural beauty - her hard and icy edges that compel me to look for her all over town. The story of how she was named after a Belgian WWI nurse executed by the Germans for treason is especially intriguing. Yes Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park in Alberta is one of my favourite places to visit. ( Click to read the story about the naming of the mountain)

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

She might have one look in the morning and another at night.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

Sometimes her head is in the clouds.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

On her north face the Angel Glacier spreads its wings.

Angel Glacier - Click for larger

To the left of the Angel is the Ghost Glacier and below is the Cavell Glacier and the meltwaters of Cavell Pond.

Mount Edith Cavell's Glaciers - Click for larger

Mount Edith Cavell's Glaciers - Click for larger

Ron will go to great lengths to photograph this mountain - including removing his boots and pants and wading through a glacial stream.

Ron photographing Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

The results were worth the numb feet.

Mount Edith Cavell and glacial runoff - Click for larger

But we aren't the only one exploring this mountain's charms. Daily many tourists hike the two breathtaking trails to view the glaciers and the alpine meadows.

Hikers on Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

In the rock pile walls along the Cavell Meadows trail lurk all kinds of interesting creatures.

American Pika - Click for larger

American Pika - Click for larger

Hoary Marmot - Click for larger

Every time we are in Jasper National Park we visit Edith Cavell. At the end of July and beginning of August we spent 5 days in the park and photographed and hiked up Mount Edith Cavell almost daily. We even used it for a meeting point for friends.

We last hiked on Mount Edith Cavell on August 1st. Sadly on August 11 on arriving in Inuvik, NWT we heard that a huge part of Edith's Ghost Glacier collapsed causing ice, rocks and glacial waters to spill out of Cavell Pond sweeping down the mountain cutting new paths and flooding the parking lot, even destroying an outhouse and picnic grounds below. Luckily it happened before 5:30 am and no one was there to be hurt or swept away. Even the road in is closed now. It's hard not to think about what might have happened if that avalanche had occurred one of the times we were there - especially when Ron waded through that glacial meltwater stream.

So is this a sign of global warming? Probably. Will we ever get to hike there again? I hope so! Indeed I hope the cell phone image below is not my final snapshot of Mount Edith Cavell!

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger