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Thursday 23 August 2012

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
Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger
She might have one look in the morning and another at night. Mount Edith Cavell
Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger
Sometimes her head is in the clouds. Mount Edith Cavell
Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger
On her north face the Angel Glacier spreads its wings. Angel Glacier
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
Mount Edith Cavell's Glaciers - Click for larger
Mount Edith Cavell's Glaciers
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
Ron photographing Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger
The results were worth the numb feet. Mount Edith Cavell and glacial runoff
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
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
American Pika - Click for larger
American Pika
American Pika - Click for larger
Hoary Marmot
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

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Marta said...

The mountain is definitely very beautiful. The story of its name is quite interesting, along with all your information in your blog. I enjoyed reading it all. I'm glad you weren't there when the avalanche occurred! The photos are all great - enjoyed the no pants one too!!

28 August 2012 at 12:15  
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