Page:The Selkirk mountains (1912).djvu/49

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Places Reached from Glacier.
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look into the depths of the valleys. The prospect from this point has been likened to that from the Gorner Grat in Switzerland. It is especially noteworthy for the excellent view it gives of Rogers Pass Valley and the railway creeping through its line of snowsheds; of the long, dark valley of the Illecillewaet and its tributary, Loop Brook Valley, the silver paths of their rivers winding through the rich-hued green; and, in minutest detail, the west face of the Sir Donald Range and south face of the Hermit Range with their perennial snows gleaming white between the gray and blue, and the great amphitheatre holding the glaciers of Mt. Swanzy, Mt. Bonney and Mt. Green. In every direction peaks rise above the general elevation and innumerable glaciers lie between.

Mt. Afton—Name: By Messrs. Phillip Abbott, 0. E. Fay and C. S. Thompson. The initial letters of their names are the key of the word.

Location: Adjoining Mt. Abbott on the west side of the Asulkan Brook. The first ascent was made by Messrs. H. A. Perley, W. H. Rau and Miss Macleod in 1893: the second ascent by Prof. Charles E. Fay in 1894. Mt. Afton is reached via the Abbott Ridge.

Time required: 4 hours. For novices one guide is necessary.

Climb: Rock, ice and snow.

View: From the summit there is a magnificent view of the Swanzy-Bonney-Green amphitheatre, the immense precipices of the north wall of Mt. Bonney and of the wide reaches of the Bonny Glacier, 3,000 ft. below. To the south and west, immediately below, is the Lily Glacier, one of the sources of the Loop Brook.

Albert Canyon—Name: By the Rev. Principal Grant for Albert Rogers, nephew of Major Rogers, discoverer of Rogers Pass.

Altitude: 2,350 ft.

Location: On the Illecillewaet River, 2 miles east of Albert Canyon Station and 20 miles west, as the railway runs, of Glacier Station. The river here is restricted by the tilted rock strata and pours through a very narrow gorge with tremendous impetus. The rocks ascend almost vertically on either side from the water's edge to a considerable distance above the railway track whose bed has been cut out of the face of the precipice and in places overhangs, on trestles, the gulf beneath. Right above the chasm a platform has been erected by the Company and during the summer months day-trains stop five minutes to enable passengers to survey the canyon. From the railway the depth of the rushing water beneath appears much greater than it really is, the actual distance being 147 ft. The scene is one of grandeur and beauty and well repays a special visit. The easiest way to reach the canyon from Glacier House is to take the train to Albert Canyon Station and walk eastward up the track for two miles.

Albert Creek—Name: By the Topographical Survey, with reference to Albert Canyon Station where the creek crosses the railway. Albert Creek is a wildly flowing stream issuing from glaciers ten miles or more south-east of Albert Canyon Station. It flows through a deep V-shaped, heavily timbered valley whose sides are lined with pocket glaciers, and joins the Illecillewaet River three-quarters of a mile north-west of the station. A pony-trail leaves Albert Canyon Village and zigzags to the crest of the ridge immediately east of