A Crevasse in the Victoria Glacier, British Columbia
On the Canadian Pacific Railway, about 100 miles west of Calgary, is the Rocky Mountain Park of Canada. This is a reservation (rz´ r-v´ shn) of the Dominion Government. It contains about 5,000 square miles. It is sometimes called the Canadian Yosemite. It has many mountains from 8,000 to 10,000 feet in height, a number of hot springs, and one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Louise. Within its limits are many wild animals such as deer, caribou, (kr´ -b), bears, elks, wild goats, and long-horned sheep. The reservation includes some of the finest glaciers in North America. Here you are on one of these great ice sheets on the side of Mt. Victoria. In the background you see the peaks of Mt. Lefroy and Mt. Victoria. Directly in front of you is wide crevasse (kr-vås´) with sheer sides of solid ice. You see the snow crystals glistening in the bright sunshine. A misstep here would send you into the bottom of the deep, ice-bound precipice. When mountain climbers come to a crevasse such as this, and can find no way around it, a ladder must be constructed to make the crossing. If the chasm (kz'm) is narrow enough for the guide to leap it, a rope ladder can be made to bring the party safely over. Mt. Victoria is a peak 11,400 feet high. It takes skillful mountain climbers from 7 to 9 hours to make the ascent. It was first climbed in 1897. It is a dangerous climb because of the snow and because of the crumbling, overhanging rocks on some of the paths. Mt. Lefroy is 11,290 feet high. It is more difficult to climb than Mt. Victoria. One of its passes over which the ascent is made is called the Abbot Pass, after a mountain climber who there lost his life. Keystone ID: 13830 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.