BERG LAKE AND TUMBLING GLACIER
R. C. W. Lett

AMONG THE
CANADIAN ALPS BY LAWRENCE J. BURPEE
F.R.G.S. WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
FORTY-FIVE REPRODUCTIONS FROM
PHOTOGRAPHS AND FIVE MAPS NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
TORONTO: BELL & COCKBURN :: MCMXIV

COPYRIGHT, 1914
BY JOHN LANE COMPANY

THE·PLIMPTON·PRESS
NORWOOD·MASS·U·S·A

PREFACE

The writer takes this opportunity of gratefully acknowledging his indebtedness to Mr. J. B. Harkin, Commissioner of Dominion Parks, Col. Maynard Rogers, Superintendent of Jasper Park, and Mr. Arthur O. Wheeler, Director of the Alpine Club of Canada, for valued assistance in gathering material for this book; to Mr. Walter D. Wilcox, Sir James Outram, Dr. A. P. Coleman, Dr. J. W. A. Hickson, Rev. George Kinney, Dr. Charles E. Fay and Mr. P. D. McTavish, for permission to quote from their books and articles on the Rocky Mountains; and to Miss Mary M. Vaux, Mrs. Mary T. S. Schäffer, Mr. W. H. P. Lett, Mr. Arthur O. Wheeler, Mr. H. W. Craver, Rev. George Kinney, Mr. P. D. McTavish, Mr. James F. Porter, Mr. P. L. Tait, Mr. John Woodruff, Mr. A. Knechtel, Messrs. G. and W. Fear, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, for permission to reproduce photographs of Rocky Mountain scenery and climbing and other incidents.
Ottawa, Canada
October, 1914

CONTENTS

IPAGE
The Lure of the Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[11]
II
The National Parks of Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[29]
III
In and About Banff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[49]
IV
The Canadian Matterhorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[65]
V
Incomparable Lake Louise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[81]
VI
The Valley of the Yoho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[93]
VII
Around the Illecillewaet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[107]
VIII
The Caves of Nakimu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[125]
IX
Mountain Climbing and Climbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[135]
X
Climbing in the Selkirks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[153]
XI
Afield in Jasper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[167]
XII
Out of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[179]
XIII
The Monarch of the Rockies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[197]
XIV
On the Moose River Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[211]
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[227]

ILLUSTRATIONS

Berg Lake and Tumbling Glacier (in colours) . . . . . . . . . .Facing page
[Frontispiece]
Mount Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [14]
Vermilion Lake and Mount Rundle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[20]
The Three Sisters, Rocky Mountains Park . . . . . . . . . . . . .[24]
Mount Wapta and Summit Lake, Yoho Park . . . . . . . . . . . .[24]
Mount Lefroy and Lake Louise, after a Midsummer
Snowstorm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		[32]
Cathedral Peak, from Kicking Horse Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . .[38]
Moose Pass, on the Borders of Robson Park . . . . . . . . . . .[38]
The Wall of Jericho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[44]
Hoodoos in the Valley of the Bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[44]
The Valley of the Bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[54]
Trail near Banff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[60]
Mount Assiniboine, the Matterhorn of the Rockies . . . . . . .[68]
Emperor Falls (in colours) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[72]
Mount Edith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[76]
Towers of Mount Babel, Consolation Valley . . . . . . . . . . . .[76]
Paradise Valley, from the Saddleback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[84]
Giant Steps, Head of Paradise Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[84]
Lake Louise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[86]
Moraine Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[90]
Takakkaw Falls, Yoho Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[96]
Lake O'Hara, Yoho Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[100]
Twin Falls, Yoho Valley . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[104]
Mount Sir Donald and Illecillewaet Glacier . . . . . . . . . . . .[112]
A Bit of the Illecillewaet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[112]
The High Frontier of British Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[120]
On the Summit of Sir Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[120]
The Weird Caves of Nakimu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[128]
The Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[138]
Victory at Last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[138]
The Monarch of the Rockies (in colours) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[144]
Snow Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[150]
Icicles on Mount Robson, 50 feet long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[150]
Climbing Mount Resplendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[158]
Summit of Mount Resplendant, 11,173 feet above the Sea . .[158]
Climbing Among the Seracs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[164]
Jasper Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[170]
Fiddle Creek Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[176]
Jack Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[184]
Maligne Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[184]
Breaking Camp in the Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[190]
Making a Trail through Fallen Timber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[190]
The Purple Crags of Roche Miette (in colours) . . . . . . . . . . .[200]
Mount Robson, from the Grand Fork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[204]
Emperor Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[208]
Mount Robson, from the Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[214]
Moose River Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[218]
Swimming the Athabaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[224]
Making Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[224]

MAPS

Rocky Mountains Park, Banff Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[235]
Rocky Mountains Park, Lake Louise Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[236]
Yoho Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .[237]
Jasper Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[238]
Glacier Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[239]
Robson Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[239]