Morning Perch

Our metal chariot of the sky, otherwise known as Bell 407, rests peacefully in the morning sun. Soon thereafter it smoothly transported us to the base of massive glaciers in the Cariboo Mountains, as part of this Royal Canadian Geographical Society travel adventure with Canadian Mountain Holidays. Heli-Hiking in the Cariboos with #CanadianMountainHolidays this past week, lived up to and exceeded everything those who have been here before described. The mountain vistas combined with the expert knowledge of our seasoned guides, accelerated the depth of this alpine experience. The spacious lodge is perched on a tranquil meadow plateau overlooking a winding valley river, and contains all of the comforts of home and many more. The experience however was tempered by the growing knowledge of the tragedy befalling the town of Jasper, not so far away. In fact the night sky eerily glowed from the devastating blaze on our final night. The CMH staff worked tirelessly to pivot our travel plans, as our route home was blocked. They were able to secure a last minute arrangement for a DASH-8 aircraft (through Valemount) to return us to our homes ahead of schedule. The next group of incoming guests had their trip postponed, while it is my understanding that CMH was preparing to house some of the displaced Jasper residents over the coming days. Our group collectively felt for the residents of Jasper and the affected wildlife. We had stopped at the townsite on Monday, to pickup fellow guests. It had been years since I've been there, and it was intriguing to see the updated patios and shops along its famous Main Street. Little could we have imagined the tragedy about to erupt.