The Columbia Icefields--June 15

We took our the tour of the Icefields the same day we arrived and then parked overnight on their parking lot. It is a phenomenal sight. The Icefields are composed of eight glaciers and encompass an area of about 202 miles. The ice mass is one of the largest south of the Arctic Circle and is one of the most accessible in North America. We viewed the Athabasca Glacier and the Snow Dome just right next to it, but separated by some mountain. We went over in a bus and then they transported onto the glacier by one of the big IceExplorer Snocoachs. We went down to the glacier on the second steepest road decline(18 percent grade) in North America. Top speed for this vehicle is 12 mph and at the bottom of the hill you go thru a large pool of water to clean off the tires before you go onto the glacier. An alpine icefield is formed when snow that falls on high mountain peaks and plateaus accumulates year after year with little summer melt. When the snows gets to a depth of about 100' the bottom layers become pressurized ino ice. More snow falls on top the the depth of ice increases, eventually overflowing into the surrounding valley and starts flowing downhill--a glacier is born. What we see is only a portion and it is always moving even as you stand on it, you just can't feel it. Ice layers at the bottown are like plastic and flow over bedrock without breaking or cracking but up town the layers are brittle and cracking opens into crevasses. The Columbia Icefield is the largest body of ice in the Rocky Mountains and the highest point is Mt. Columbia at 12,284'. The depth of the ice is approx. 1200' and the average snowfall per year is 23'. Over to the side is the Snow Dome from which flows the rivers which are the fresh water source for Millions of North Americans who live in the Praries, British Columbia, and Washington for irrigation. The icefield has a triple divide which is the meeting point of three continent wide watersheds. On the western side (B.C.), the meltwaters flow into the Columbia R. and on to the Pacific. On the eastern side (Alberta) the meltwaters flow into the Atlantic and and also into the Athabasca-McKenzie systems , which empties into the Artic Ocean.

It is retreating but at this rate it will take another 100+ years to disappear. A lot can happen at that pace. We tried some of the water coming out of the glacier and it is very good. It is coming from out under the many, many top layers. We are taking some home with us even. This was a wonderful tour.