This entry was posted on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

It was 7:40 a.m. as I pulled into the roadside rest area just minutes east of the Jasper National Park gate entrance. The sun had yet to rise and the silhouette of the mountainscapes in the moonlight was an inviting opportunity on this perfectly clear winter morning.  I was to meet friends in Jasper by 8:30 a.m. to prepare for our Maligne Canyon  ice walk.  Hardly enough time  to set up a long exposure and try to capture this wonderful mood. Perhaps another time.  I took in this beauty for a while and then continued onward to the Jasper town site.

  

After a short hike down, we took our first steps onto the frozen river. The canyon walls of this magnificent geological wonder began to take shape.  The limestone and shale walls rose, twisted and turned the deeper we hiked.  Limestone indicates that this valley ( Maligne Valley ) was once a tropical sea.   The tropical seas and periods of glaciation  bring us what we see today as the Rocky Mountains in Jasper.

   

Throughout our hike we encountered many ice climbers who train and test their skills on the many frozen waterfalls.  One climber was nearly to the top and we could tell his arms were tired as he continued his struggle.  

 

 An admiration to us all knowing full well the dangers, but also the strength, drive and focus, necessary for such an activity.  Even though they used safety lines, a fall from the side of a frozen waterfall would not be pleasant. I had slipped and my feet flew in the air before my butt hit the ground…hard.  I did however manage to protect my camera gear before impact!  

    

The lighting was as challenging as any I have encountered and trying to balance highlights and shadows proved difficult.  So much mystique between these canyon walls and trying to capture the mystery that surrounded us was an exercise of wonder and discovery. The temperature can be both your friend and enemy deep in the canyon.  The cold allows you to hike deeper into the canyon walls but as the temperature rises, the ice begins to soften and melt leaving you in a foot of icy cold water and slush stopping you from proceeding further.  On this day the fresh -12 degrees Celsius allowed us to enter a significant portion of the canyon.  I must return at a later and colder date to further explore this mysterious wonder of nature.     

 

Until next time…

 F