Day 13 - Rocky Mountain High/Wolves

Today was a transit day to Kicking Horse.

We made the decision to bail from Revelstoke due to a paucity of fresh snow and overwhelming presence of ice.

After an average dinner (no decent food in my opinion since Nelson, and probably none until that awesome Greek restaurant in Banff) and good sleep, we awake to a very cold, clear day. The decision was correct.

We got a refund on the that night's accomodation and headed off, I got awesome coffee (Osso Negro from Nelson blend) and awesome sweets and we headed East on the Trans-Canada/#1.

John Denver was onto something.

The Rockies are unbelievable. The photos below barely do credit to the constant visual magic assaulting our eyes. Around each corner was another amazing peak or set of peaks.







Each one towering to the sky, either rocky with pockets of snow, or a towering, glittering and shimmering white peak.

As if competing with its neighbour for attention.

Ski and snowboard tracks were infrequently spotted at the most accessible spots.

We were constantly faced with avalanche signs, and we passed through several tunnels which marked avalanche paths. We could see many slides down some faces; some small, some very, VERY large.
























We got to Roger's pass, which marks the high point on the West-East traverse and is remarkable for the incredible amount of snow at the service station and Glacier National Park visitor's centre there. See the photos below. I've never seen so much snow before.




Most of these photos were taken from the car on the move so you can excuse the imperfection.

And now to the subject below. I. Love. Wolves. They are noble creatures. They are the keystone in the balance of nature. They are treated as a pest when in truth, it is us, the human being, that is the pest. I sometimes think we should be behind the fences, not them. These boys and girls act as ambassadors for their kind were born into activity so are not candidates for release into the wild. They are, except for Tuck (no photos, he was hiding) are all imprinted with humans. That is, they were handled by many humans in their first 6 weeks. These boys are taken on walks (unleashed) in the wild, with small groups, which allows them some modicum of freedom, and allows people to see them in their natural playground as well as take photos, which help spread the word.

If you want to see more, visit www.northernlightswildlife.com/ for more information. The people at this centre are doing good work.

Unfortunately, I did not get to hear the wolves howling in communication, which is probably for the best, as I would have shed a tear, for it is truly a moving, goosebump-raising sound.























Above is a picture of an Aspen (it's what part of Heresy's wood cores are made from) and the Bear Tree - black bear climbed this some time ago. These are the claw marks at the base and its prints extend up to the top...

The valley was closed.