WAKING UP AT 5 A.M. is what mountaineers call an alpine start. The early rise gives climbers time for a challenging day in the mountains — or to travel before rising temperatures increase avalanche danger or thunder storm risk.
Harvey Locke’s early wakeup was for a more humble and troubling rea son. He just wanted to hike with his son and daughter on one of the world class trails near Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, Alta. Locke is no stranger to the park and the world’s natural wonders: a longtime Banff resident, he is also founder of the Yellow stone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a plan to connect protected areas from Wyoming to northern Canada, and the past chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas.
It was July 2019, and Canada’s oldest and most popular national park was crowded. With its snowy glaciers, turquoise lakes, flowerfilled meadows, jagged skylines and abundant wildlife, the park nestled among the iconic Rocky Mountains has always been a popular draw: Banff accounts for about a quarter of all visitors to Canada’s 48 national parks. But in recent years, visits surged to a record 4.2million people each year. Locke had seen the congestion of cars and people increase dramatically. He knew if his trio wanted a parking spot at the lake, they would have to get there early. Like alpine early.
It wasn’t early enough.
“At 6 a.m. the parking lot was already full,” says Locke. The family turned their backs on Moraine Lake’s iconic view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks and drove 14 kilometres to Lake Louise and its 500stall parking lot. They snagged one of the last spots.
Denne historien er fra Canadian Geographic July/August 2021, Vol. 141, No. 4-utgaven av Canadian Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Canadian Geographic July/August 2021, Vol. 141, No. 4-utgaven av Canadian Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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