Day 23: To Rampart Creek hostel - Western Canada 2007 - CycleBlaze

July 22, 2007

Day 23: To Rampart Creek hostel

There were frequent rain showers overnight. I got up at 8 but didn't get on the road until 10:20 because I spent so much time talking to the interesting hostel residents. Once again I had a headwind while going south. But that keeps me from overheating when climbing steep grades. The highway has been climbing gradually, always going upstream since leaving Jasper. Glaciers suddenly become a common sight. Glaciers coming from the Columbia Icefield.

Glaciers are starting to be a common sight but they disappear into the clouds.
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One of several impressive waterfalls visible from the highway.
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The weather deteriorated as I climbed up the Sunwapta River towards Sunwapta Pass. The rain became gradually heavier and the temperature dropped. Down to about 10C (50F) with steady rain in my face.

Getting steadily colder and rainier climbing towards Sunwapta Pass.
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I turned into the Columbia Icefields Centre, locked up the bike in the huge car/RV parking lot and climbed the stairs to take refuge in the building from the rain. The tour bus parking lot is just as big as this one.

Big parking lot at the Icefields Centre.
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The Icefields Centre is a multistory combination hotel, restaurant, snack bar, museum, and visitor center. Industrial tourism in the National Park, but no groceries. It's very crowded and the visitors are from all around the world. Everybody wants to see a glacier up close when visiting the Canadian Rockies. I spent 2 hours looking at exhibits, waiting in line at the cafeteria, eating lunch. But it took me all that time to dry out and warm up. And for the rain to quit. I noticed that most of the bus tourists do the snow coach tour out onto the glacier.

Athabasca glacier in the fog. You can see the hiking trail and snow coaches driving on the glacier.
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Finally the rain stopped and I went back to the bike and rode a short distance across the highway toward the Athabasca glacier. I parked at the trail head and walked 1 km steep uphill to the edge of the glacier while clouds threatened to rain. I took a couple precarious steps on the rain-slicked ice and decided that was far enough. It was interesting to walk the long distance from the 1890 glacier to today's glacier.

The Athabasca glacier has been retreating since 1890.
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Walking to the Athabasca glacier.
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Still a long way from the glacier.
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Finally I got back on the road climbing gradually to Sunwapta Pass, elevation 2035m (6676ft). I passed these two female touring cyclists just before they turned into the Wilcox Creek hiker/biker campground near the Icefields Centre. It's 5 PM and I hear that's an excellent place for bike tourists to camp, but I've only biked about 25km today. I want to go farther than that! It doesn't get dark until 10PM.

The only cyclists that I passed during this tour.
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Just past that campground I crested Sunwapta Pass, crossing into Banff National Park. Now I'm descending to the North Saskatchewan river which flows to the Atlantic Ocean (Hudson Bay). Just yesterday I saw the Athabasca River which flows to the Arctic Ocean. The Columbia Icefield is at a triple divide. Melt water flows to the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific oceans.

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Descending to the North Saskatchewan river.
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I rolled past many waterfalls and spectacular mountain and river scenes. But much of the descent was steep and I don't feel like stopping often to take pictures during a high speed descent. Somehow I even have a tailwind now. I stopped and did some hiking near Bridalveil Falls and found this waterfall which is not visible from the highway.

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It stayed overcast and there were a few spits of rain but nothing serious. The temperature warmed up to about 16C (60F). Ahh, summer in the Canadian Rockies.

Icefields parkway, Banff National Park.
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It didn't take long to get from Sunwapta Pass down to the Rampart Creek hostel. I arrived at 7:40PM, 2 1/2 hours before dark. It's the usual primitive hostel off the grid with no indoor plumbing. But it has nice outdoor picnic tables, a big campfire area, sauna, creek, and great mountain views in the middle of a national park. The kitchen and bunk buildings were crowded but the grounds are spacious and we have no neighbors.

Rampart Creek hostel, Banff National Park.
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I gathered wood and went into the cold sauna cabin to light a fire in the stove.

Sauna cabin at Rampart Creek hostel.
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After dinner I went out and soaked in the sauna for a while. Two German guys were there first, and we never checked the stove and added wood. The fire burned out, so it wasn't as hot as I wanted it to be.

Inside the sauna at the Rampart Creek hostel.
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I definitely never got hot enough to want to jump in the creek. It's about 10 steps outside the sauna.

Creek access a few steps away from the sauna.
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I didn't sit around outdoors in the evening because of the mosquitoes. They weren't too bad during the day, though. Today was kind of disappointing because the rain and clouds prevented me from getting good views of the glaciers and mountains of the Columbia Icefield. I saw 8 touring cyclists! The most I've ever seen in ages.

Distance: 59.4 km / 37.1 mi

Climbing: 658 m / 2171 ft

Average speed: 14.4 km/h / 9 mph

Maximum speed: 71 km/h / 44.4 mph

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,869 km (1,161 miles)

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