2022-08-28, Day 2
The thinning sheet of ice that is Monarch Glacier sits in a basin of stone high up on the throne-like shoulders of Monarch Mountain (9,111 ft; 2,777 m), Victoria Cross Range, Jasper National Park, Alberta.
The ice combined with the cool, wet cloud to create an atmosphere that felt autumnal as we slowly ascended and wove our way through meadows, following the firmest, highest ground that we could. Due to the rain, the plentiful, dense, and healthy herbaceous vegetation, and the water table being very close to the surface, the feet stayed stubbornly saturated. All of this did little to dampen the magnificence of the place. I don't know when the last person walked this valley before we found our way through, but we encountered not a trace of humanity.
As I walked somewhat ahead of my friend, I found myself enveloped in quiet, my mind ruminating on whether we would encounter bears and where we might find a good place to pitch the tent where the ground would be dry. I also began to feel the isolation, both foreign compared to my typical town fare and also exhilarating. The clouds remained thick and dense, and it seemed likely it would rain periodically for the foreseeable future. I could hear my pack creaking quietly and rhythmically as the weight shifted on my back as I moved, and precious little else reached for the mind's attention. One of the beauties of walking with a friend with whom I have hiked for 30 years is we are able to drift into long periods of comfortable silence, absorbing the unadulterated wild with each step further into the fastness.
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