The water coming from the ice caves of the main glacier flows chiefly
into Berg lake and the Grand Forks, but a smaller part reaches lake
Adophus and Smoky river, a tributary of the Mackenzie river, the same
glacier sending tribute to the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans.
There are other striking mountains in the region, such as Mt. Geikie to
the south of the Yellowhead pass and the Whitehorn to the north, though
none rival Mt. Robson itself; but much remains for exploration and it
will be years before this northern region of the Rockies, all the
Alberta side of which is in Jasper Park, is thoroughly known and mapped.
Trails are being rapidly built in the park, however, and with the
erection of hotels at Jasper and other points it will soon be possible
for the alpine climber and the tourist to find easy access to this
delightful region.
_Some Comparisons._
Much of the exploration of the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks has been
done by Englishmen and eastern Americans who received their training as
mountaineers in the Alps, and one naturally asks why they should travel
thousands of miles to our western mountains when the Alps are so much
more accessible. There is, of course, the charm of a virgin and
unexplored wilderness in our Rockies and Selkirks, so seductive to one
who loves adventure; but there are other attractions as well which make
our mountains fully the equal of the famous European range. Every type
of Alpine scenery is as well illustrated in Canada as in Switzerland and
the area of snow mountains in Alberta and British Columbia is several
times that of the Alps. The whole length of the Alps is less than 400
miles and its breadth from 50 to 80; as compared with a length of 1,200
miles and a breadth of 140 miles for the Rockies and Selkirks, not to
mention the Gold ranges, the Coast range and the Vancouver Island
mountains, all of which have their snow fields and glaciers. Stuttfield
and Collie in their delightful book “Climbs and Explorations in the
Canadian Rockies” say of the Rockies that “they have a remarkable
individuality and character in addition to special beauties of their own
which Switzerland cannot rival.”
[Illustration]
GLACIAL STREAM, MT. ROBSON, DIVIDING ITS WATERS BETWEEN THE PACIFIC
AND ARCTIC OCEANS
[Illustration]