Wilcox Pass: Columbia Ice-fields, June 29th, 2021

My mom used to be a warden in Jasper National Park. Her station was just 20 minutes away from here. So she knows this area well. Dad has climbed Mt Wilcox several times with clients. So this ridge hike is no secret to them. It is a secret to most people. It starts at the campground just east of the Icefields centre. There are a number of faint trails that lead upwards. Warning the beginning is the hardest part. We must climb up about 800 feet from the start to gain the low-angle walking at the edge of the meadow.

The views are incredible for the rest of the day. The whole Columbia Icefields is laid out before you. Massive mountains surround the ice. Athabasca is one I can climb one day soon. Andromeda is much further away and big. Still, perhaps one day. The normal routes are melting away because of warm temps.

Our plan was to climb Mt Wilcox, but because of the snow, this wasn’t a good idea. We had lunch overlooking the ice. We returned more or less the way we went. I think dad was lost for a bit, but he would never admit it.