I am sure that given enough time I could muster my now-dormant engineering brain cells to write the thermo-dynamic equation to answer the pressing question of…
Just how cold is this water that I am splashing my feet around in?
I pulled off my sneakers and socks and stepped into the rushing water of the Illecillewaet River. If you have been reading closely, you will recall that is the name of the glacier we hiked to yesterday. So I needed to know, if it was that beautiful dense blue ice just 5 KM up those rocks, what temperature is it here as it flows by camp?

Well, really cold! Kent carries a little thermometer/compass thingy and it said 38F. His foot agreed, really cold.
The other pressing question (this is one for fluid mechanics I guess) is: exactly how long ago was this water ice? Ah, life is full of questions.

We trekked past the foundations of Glacier House, a 1900’s Canadian Pacific RR resort, now just a historical marker and the foundations remain. Apparently it was quite the resort for about 25 years until relocation of the rail line through a tunnel by the Canadian Pacific RR cut-off direct access to the resort. It closed in just a few years after the tunnel opened.

We got pretty close to the Illecillewaet Glacier and the valley was filled with the sound of dozens of melt water waterfalls streaming out across the scoured stone and glacier moraine. The contrast between the heavily wooded mountainsides and the gray ragged peaks is amazing. Just beautiful. We sat for a while just to take it all in.

We are in Glacier NP and decided to take one of the tamer, moderate trails this first afternoon. The Ranger did mention it got steep at the end but was good for a lazier, less challenging afternoon. Well, it was 9.6 miles roundtrip with an elevation change of 1050 feet (most of that in about a mile distance). I am not trying anything they call a difficult trail!

Sounds like a “can’t miss” sort of place right? It is a wetland in one of these supper narrow valleys of the Columbia mountains. It is pretty cool plantlife and this area came with the potential opportunity to see grizzly bears. Seems they really like skunk cabbage blossoms so visit this area frequently. Not today though…no bears for us.

Spring is late in Revelstoke NP too. Wildflowers in the subalpine meadows are just getting started as the snow recedes. It was still a great walk though and some wonderful views. We never quite figured out all the ranges we could see but it was a crystal clear morning and we are sure it was 100 miles or more. At the end of the hike, we relaxed on the shore of a lovely clear mountain lake. The air was full of the smell of the subalpine fir. If one could just bottle it! I didn’t stick my toes in the water but since the snow was just feet away, I am sure it would have triggered some serious goosebumps.