Hiking up to Mount Edith Cavell Glacier

Without a doubt, Mount Edith Cavell is one of the most awe-inspiring places we have ever been to in the Canadian Rockies. It's not as busy as some of the other tourist destinations since there are no hotels around and it is up a long windy mountain road. Located about a four and a half hour drive from Edmonton or Calgary at the edge of Alberta, Mt Cavell is not the easiest place to get to.

It's a short hike from the parking lot to the view point, but the parking lot is a 30 minute drive up a mountain road, from another mountain road, it's only about a 45 minute drive from the town of Jasper. This area would be completely inaccessible except during the summer months, so we went camping nearby on the Canada Day long weekend, at the start of July.

Edith Cavell was a British nurse in the First World War who helped some allied soldiers escape so the Germans executed her. They have a monument at the foot of the trail dedicating the area to her bravery.

The path is well maintained for the first while, it is just a few kilometers there and back but you can tell the glacier at one point would have come almost to the parking lot. There are loose rocks everywhere so the paved pathway is easier on the feet.

Glacier water flows down many streams here, often the streams are hidden under the rocks. This little thing would eventually flow into the Athabasca-Slave-Mackenzie River system then on to the Arctic Ocean. It's a humble beginning for one of the World's largest river systems. Edith Cavel is not the source of the river but it does start in the nearby peaks.

A clear view of the glacial valley. It was probably under ice at one point and would be covered in snow most of the year. There is nothing West of here for 40 miles except mountains, not a single road or house. The Fraser River which eventually flows through Vancouver, British Columbia could be found on the other side. The area is truly wild.

Looking back, you can almost make out Cavell Lake. It's another small glacial pond as I like to call them. While beautiful, it isn't much of a lake, being less than 1km across going the long way. The colours from the melting ice and minerals is what makes these bodies of water so exquisite.

We reached the top of the ridge before descending into the valley below. The maintained trail ends here with the view of Angel Glacier in the upper right. The water flowing off it and the spectacular vista is something that can be admired for hours on end.

They don't want you walking past here but it was just a sign and there is a well beaten path past the view point with little ant like people below. We wanted to walk on the snow in July, being a Canadian I am fond of ice and snow year round and this is one place to find it. Touching a glacier is also something most people won't ever experience.

The sun was disappearing behind Angel glacier. Since it was the start of the Summer, it never really got dark. This is at 52.7 degrees or about the same latitude as Northern Europe, which means you're going to bed when it's still light outside.

Water flowing off the glacier and down the mountain is always a sight to behold. We had to cross these little streams to get to the lower glacier by the pond. Walking on rocks requires solid foot ware and you have to be careful not to step in the frigid water.

That colour though, I can never get over just how beautiful this place is. There were mini icebergs in the lake, on a hot day it would be tempting to swim in them. We were here around eight in the evening and it had been a long day.

The focus was on getting across the melt water. We had to ascend the scree to find a suitable crossing. Falling or slipping in would have ruined our weekend.

There are people who climb these parts, I'm sure they were out earlier in the day. I'm more of a hiker than a climber sothe story ends here. While we did make it to the ice, we were busy taking pictures of ourselves for proof of success.

---

All Photos taken with an S22 and are unedited