The First Seventy Years: 143 - The Icefield Parkway
...On arrival we were confronted by a large notice on the door telling us that there had been a sighting of a black bear in the vicinity; 'take extra care' being the message...
Eric Biddulph and his wife Mary rode one of Canada's most famous routes on their bikes.
Eric’s book The First Seventy Years can be obtained for Ł10 by contacting http://mary@bike2.wanadoo.co.uk or telephoning 01484-658175.
All the cash raised by the book goes to a water aid project in Malawi.
Leaving Jasper we headed out on Highway 93 and soon halted to pay our entrance fee to gain access to this famous road. Known as the Icefield Parkway it passes the Colombia Icefields whilst further south is Lake Louise before termination at Banff, a distance of over three hundred kilometres. No commercial traffic is permitted to use the road.
There are only two motels on the entire route. Camping is forbidden. The only additional accommodation available to these two intrepid cyclists was in youth hostels. Facilities in them were indeed basic. No electricity; no running water; all waste liquids including the human variety is deposited in a single location. The Canadians are fastidious about the retention of the pristine wilderness of this area.
Our first stop was at Athabasca Falls Youth Hostel. On arrival we were confronted by a large notice on the door telling us that there had been a sighting of a black bear in the vicinity; 'take extra care' being the message. The evening was made enjoyable with a slide presentation of the life and habits of wolves. The magnificent Falls were visited by us after breakfast before we hit the highway for some sixty kilometres to reach Beauty Creek Youth Hostel. A temporary warden was in charge of this isolated and even more rustic abode. We shared our dormitory with a middle-aged male and a male cyclist from Calgary riding northwards up to Alaska.
Late into the night a group of Australian tourists were offloaded at the hostel. Their coach driver being unable to get accommodation anywhere else he had been forced to try his luck at our humble abode. Clearly not accustomed to 'roughing it' they were somewhat stunned when told about the facilities. The remainder of the night was punctuated by frequent echoes of people climbing off their bunk beds in the pitchblack and doing a 'wee'. The bucket was almost full when daybreak arrived. Our Australian friends had had a unique wilderness experience. It is my guess they would have no wish to repeat it.
