Ice Sculptures: Frozen, Ethereal Aspirations

A few weekends ago, we bused up to Lake Louise in Banff National Park, for their annual ice carving competition and some mountain snowshoeing. It is an international competition that’s been slowly gaining an ice crampon foothold with more intricate,

Song of Many Happy Valleys. USA. Lake Louise, Alberta Jan. 2013. Photo by J. Chong

arresting sculptures this year.

After 14 km. of snowshoeing and straining a groin muscle, we hustled over to the lake edge by Chateau Lake Louise. Late blue-gold sunlight was falling slowly

Swans guarding their twin eggs. USSR. Lake Louise, Alberta Jan. 2013. Photo by J.Becker

over each sparkling ice sculpture.  The ethereal sculptures were from North America, Europe and Philippines.   Thrusting mountains and a glacier draping over the lake,  provided a fabulous backdrop for these sculptures that tended to rise up or dance gracefully in celebration.

Even the sculpture that was titled,  “You’re My Puppet”, was light, yet precariously hovered over visitors. Though the design wasn’t intricate, carving and erecting a slim 7 metre high woman with delicate fingering of strings for her marionette child puppet, probably was the reason for a honourable mention.  Hard to know how the carvers kept the ice-woman from toppling over.

My favourite ice sculpture was from Russia, “Song of the White Cranes”. I loved the gentle, mythological-folklore depiction of a child musician sitting on a horse wading in a frozen pool. The surface of the pool was etched with snow crusted white cranes –a delightful detail that I didn’t even notice until the second time I strolled by.  On the third

Song of the White Cranes. USSR. Lake Louise, Alberta Jan. 2013. Photo by J.Chong. My favourite sculpture with white snow etched cranes on water surface. Whole sculpture is anchored by swimming goldfish below.

time at night, I noticed this whole sculptural tableau  was cleverly held up by carved goldfish swimming underneath the icy surface waters.  No wonder why this artpiece took the Carvers’ choice award –its execution was masterful on several different levels.

The guiding theme for this year’s sculptures, was a song.  So one of the Canadian entries was “Ewe Make Me Feel Like Dancing”:  it inspired a sheep ice skating couple.  A joint Philippine-Canadian sculpture featured a King-Kong like gorilla by a bamboo grove.

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Many people were riveted by the ice sculpture that was a take-off from “Song of Many Happy Valleys”.  It featured a dancing aboriginal woman with her back arched backward.  Several other icy art pieces featured a figure playing a violin—the Netherlands offered a group of skeletons while another Russian piece featured a buxom woman with also a violin.

Later, Jack chatted with one of the carvers. Apparently some carvers run ice-carving businesses on the side while others are amateurs. Not surprisingly, some carvers were wood and log carvers in the summer.

Competition rules. Jan. 2013

These sparkling sculptures were delicate, yet quick mastery of ice.  Ephemeral,

Snowshoeing our way to ice sculpture festival location, near our hotel. Lake Louise, Alberta.

transparent art that becomes a memory and another wintery wish whenever snow and bitter cold sweeps in.

More Reading and Photos:
Chong, J. Lake Louise: Snowshoeing Snow-Glazed Mountains, Ice Castles and Bison Reuben Sandwiches. In Cycle Write Blog. Jan. 20,2012.

Christmas Haiku Meditations

Winter nightfall. Peace Bridge, Calgary AB 2012. Photo by J. Chong

A lonely bike light-
Flickering snow firefly
Flits over fresh snow.

Live doves in their gilded cage 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Turtledoves wander
Listless, mute in gilded cage:
Gold becomes their sun.

Frozen branch 2012. Calgary AB. Photo by J. Chong

Icing sugar dusts
Green leaf medallions,
Fragile garlands droop.

Holiday riding. 2011 Photo by J. Chong

Christmas chill frosts breath
Of life, a halo warms face,
Memories blurr vision.

Festive mini cake.

Snowman cake warms me.
Tummy smiles, sated dreams
Melted with coffee.

After snowfall. Bow River, Calgary AB 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Turquoise glacial
Waters surge life and break–
Ice still sprays its chill.

Christmas carol buskers. 2011. Photo by J. Chong

Draw festive tunes through
Air-dancing violin bow,
And dip into trance.

Twilight winter joggers and cyclists. River Walk path. Eau Claire area, Calgary AB 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Walk the night with me
Marvel snow muffled magic,
Be there for morning.

–All haiku by Jean Chong ©2012

Lake Louise Snowshoeing: Snow Glazed Mountains, Ice Castles and Bison Reuben Sandwiches

Like every mountain snow-starved urbanite, we head to our choice mountain area for some snowshoeing.  This time after an overnight stay in Banff, Alberta, we went to Lake Louise to explore both some familiar and other new trails.

Snowshoeing on the Tramline trail between village of Lake Louise and Chateau Lake Louise. Alberta 2012. Photo by J.Chong

I last visited Lake Louise twelve years ago in the fall, when we were travelling across Canada from Toronto in a small moving van when Jack first relocated to Vancouver.  On earlier trips, I had seen Lake Louise, dazzling in her turquoise bejewelled summer waters when 2 years prior to my move, we cycled on the Continental Divide route to the town of Field.

Area becomes a mecca for hiking, mountaineering and winter sports –as promised by vintage poster. Archival display at Lake Louise Visitors’ Centre 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Along the way, we spied a baby bear playing by a stream.  That meant mama bear was near by. We scrambled onto our bikes and spun as fast as we could up a hill along with an overly ripe banana inside my pannier.  Another time, when we cross-country skied the Continental Divide for 18 km., I recalled a nagging fear as the wind blew slanted with snow falling steadily:  we saw no one for over an hour while we crossed the snowy foothills under towering mountain shadows.  I wondered if I would finish the route before nightfall.  I was not a good cross-country skier.

Cradled Among Snow-Draped Evergreen Forests
Between the village of Lake Louise and the world-famous iconic hotel, Chateau Lake Louise by the lake, it was a perfect 11 km. snowshoeing round trip with some gradual hills, groomed trails flanked by snow-draped thick evergreen forests and rising mountains ahead at each bend.  Every winter, I always forget how much snowshoeing energy is burned up, especially when I suck in dry, fresh and pure air.

On High Line snowshoe trail. Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta 2012. Photo by HJEH Becker

While traversing through these soaring forests topped with snowy creaminess, you are cradled along Nature’s protective snow forest canals, away from harsh winds.

To avoid the avalanche of tourists and higher accommodation prices, we were there a week after New Year’s Day.  Perfect, since we had the trails to ourselves, and attentive restaurant servers.

This time the Chateau Lake Louise had its first  ice castle sculpture of the year, planted at the lake edge where skaters swirled around it.  In a few weeks, there will be more ice sculptures to draw more visitors until the icy creations melt down.

Lovely lady figurine chandeliers in different areas of Chateau Lake Louise, Banff National Park. Alberta 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Though I had been in the famous hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, I had not seen it since its last major retrofit.   The hotel is a historic evocation of Canadian Pacific Rail’s few deluxe, luxury  hotels along its main railroad across Canada. It was first built in 1890.

To keep visitors entertained and satisfy their adventurous spirit, both Lake Louise and Banff  became a mecca for hikers and mountain climbers.  In the late 19th century, Canadian Pacific Railway hired Swiss guides to develop its network of trails. In the Chateau, at Parks Canada visitors’ centre and at the Whyte Museum in Banff, the mountaineering , backcountry skiing and hiking legacy is highlighted.

Bison reuben sandwiches with red cabbage slaw and handmade aioli — elegant fireside culinary grubb at the Chateau. Lake Louise, Alberta 2012. Photo by J. Chong

 Evocation of Refined Adventure Travel And Grub
Chateau Lake Louise has some lovely figurehead chandeliers, wild animal taxidermy pieces (or simulations) and occasional curious wall tapestries to emulate baronial furnishings. By the third floor entrance stairway landing, is a wall hanging that is a tongue-in-cheek Canadian  parody of the renaissance pastoral vision:  a caribou or deer  seems to be swimming through the lake.

Curious tapestry with mock renaissance pastoral visions with deer (or elk) swimming in lake. Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta 2012. Photo by J. Chong

In the Lakeview Lounge, we munched happily through the restaurant’s signature bison reuben sandwiches with delicately grated red cabbage and their house aioli. Surely, the

Mountain ice climber spotted while snowshoeing around Lake Louise. 2012. Photo by J. Becker

finest interpretation of the local fireside grub.  A memorable lunch with a lakeside view of Temple Mountain, its glacier, ice castle and horse drawn sleigh before we hit the downhill Tramline snowshoe trail back to the village.

Further Reading and More Adventures:
History of Chateau Lake Louise.

Chong, Jean.  Canadian Reindeer Look-alikes:  Caribou, Elk and Mule Deer.  In Cycle Write Blog. Dec. 26, 2011.

Chong, Jean. More Snowshoeing for Snow Mountain Addicts and the Vertigo Inclined. In Cycle Write Blog. Feb. 12, 2011.

Ice castle at edge of Lake Louise in front of the Chateau. Lake Louise, Banff National Park 2012. Photo by J. Chong

Chong, Jean.  Rocky Mountain Cycling Interlude:  Bighorn Sheep, Ragged Peaks and Turquoise Waters.  In Cycle Write Blog.  Aug. 4, 2011.

Chong, Jean.  Roaming Around for Bison:  Distinctly North American, Lean and Maybe Gourmet. In Cycle Write Blog. Dec. 17, 2010.

Canadian Reindeer Look-Alikes: Elk, Caribou and Mule Deer

A few weeks ago, Ava, a Filipino blog reader wondered what elk was after I mentioned we were going to have elk for our Christmas meal.

So after plumbing into our well of digital photo archives, I resurfaced with some wonderful photos:  I just could not write a blog post that featured a dish of meat against these magnificent animals. 

Male mule deer as distinguished by its rack of antlers which they shed every February. Banff National Park, by Vermillion Lake. Alberta 2002. Photo by HJEH Becker

It is not a contradiction for me since I do eat meat several times per month – very lean meat and seafood. We buy directly from farmers who raise elk and deer for meat.  They are there at the Calgary Farmers’ Market, along with the bison ranchers.  We only have this meat several times annually since it is not cheap but in Alberta, the quality is excellent and it is locally raised.

These blog photos were taken in the Canadian national parks where these animals are protected wildlife. Our  photos were taken in the national parks of Banff and Jasper.  Hunting is illegal and for a good reason.  As more tourists pile into the parks, roads and trails built for human travel, the wildlife are increasingly pushed  further away from their natural feeding and grazing areas.  Several million visitors visit these parks annually year round.  These parks are rock-stars that give Canada the world-wide fame for its many million hectares of remote, awe-inspiring mountain wilderness and wildlife.

Woodland Caribou Herds –Recovery of  Endangered Species
Most recently the Canadian federal government authority, Parks Canada that is responsible for federal, protected wildlife and national park areas across Canada, have  

Male elk, probaby a teenager. Along Bow Valley Parkway, Banff National Park. Alberta March 2001. Photo by HJEH Becker. Elk are also wapiti in the Shawnee First Nations language.

 raised the numbers of the endangered species, the woodland caribou in the Albertan Rocky Mountains.  Some caribou will be returned to their natural habitat starting this year.  (Sorry, we don’t have any personal photos.)

Secondly, starting in 2013, Parks Canada will shut down the Bow Valley Parkway highway annually  from Banff to Lake Louise,  at night during March to July to prevent car traffic. This quieter highway is parallel to the busy Trans-Canada Highway.   This effort will be enforced and allow the wildlife to move down from the mountains to graze freely  in their natural feeding areas and migrate about undistributed.  

Hungry After Every Snowy Mountain Winter
In March 2001, we saw a lot of deer and some elk when we drove along the Parkway. The snow along the road had melted off and the naked mountain sides had not fully bloomed with their tender spring green tree buds.  Many of these animals looked thin after long, snowy mountain winter and were scrounging around for food near the roadside in the forested areas.

Small crowd of hungry elk feeding by Bow Valley Parkway. Banff National Park, Alberta March 2001. Photo by HJEH Becker. That is an elk with 1 antler. Stags (male elk) have antlers.

  This is Nature’s typical cycle of animals either re-emerging after winter hibernation or subsisting on their fat during long cold winters in the northern hemispheres when temperatures drop well below freezing and there is less plant life for food.

These animals might be deemed as reindeer by romantics, but they are not. The First Nations people in this part of Canada, didn’t domesticate them for pulling loads.  They are wildlife and if encountered as a cyclist or hiker, is to learn not to startle them and distance yourself quickly.  In the 1990′s, wild elk ventured often into Banff town site which caused problems in some attacks on humans, feeding on gardens and damaging trees.  Regular elk visitors were referred by locals as “townies”.  Now the elk tend to stay away from the urban areas which is a good thing for both the animals and humans.  They are never to be fed by humans.

Pair of young wild mule deer checking out a local Swiss-Italian restaurant. Banff, Alberta Jan. 2011. Photo by HJEH Becker

  I have some more photos which have not been digitized.  There is another personal photo treasure: another magnificent brown elk munching on a pink flower bud in its mouth.  One day later and soon!

More Reading:
Parks Canada.  Elk in Banff National Park.

Parks Canada. Species At Risk: Woodland Caribou.  Nov. 2011. Photos of caribou for you to see the differences from elk and mule deer.

Christmas Song Parodies: Cycling and Blogging

This gallery contains 6 photos.

 I’m pretty certain we will get snowflakes drifting down in our part of Canada –again. Already we’ve had over four different snowfalls and temperatures plunging to -20 degrees C.  So far, the snow has melted off each time. I did … Continue reading →

More Snowshoeing for Snow Mountain Addicts and the Vertigo-Inclined

Snowshoeing across footbridge in light, no wind snowfall. Rocky Mountains, near Black Prince. Kananaskis area, Alberta. Feb. 2011. Photo by HJEH Becker

 After postponing our December snowshoeing trip, because Jack was abit sick and again, after 2 separate January trips to Banff with snowshoeing intentions, we finally did our annual snowshoeing trip. In the Rocky Mountains north of Kananaskis Mountain area and under the snow-veiled shadow of the Black Prince, a locally known peak.

It was our first snowshoeing foray with a group of 15 people, organized by the Outdoor Sports Centre, University of Calgary. They offer well over 15 different trips each winter.

In a group of others,  it made us realize that we had snowshuffled  far out on our own in self-guided trips over the past decade.  Some of our trips were highlighted  in my last blog post.  Most of our snowshoeing trips covered about 10-18 kms. per trek.  If we stayed somewhere in a ski resort, we would  snowshoe for 4-5 hrs. each day for several consecutive days. 

Pausing under mountain shielding snowfall for lunch. By Black Prince, Kananaskis area Alberta. Feb. 2011. Photo by J. Chong

The trip was originally planned for the Sawmill Ridge area.  It was a warm, gentle 4 degree C morning in Calgary.  We wondered if it was going to be a sticky snow, slushy trek.

However  2 hours later, our van climbed north and deeper into the mountains, through whipping 50 kms. winds and white-outs across open fields.  Thankfully our guide, “Aspen”,  decided to turn the van steering wheel to a shorter and wind-protected snowshoeing route tucked in among the pine, spruce and fir forests. We still had ever-changing views of mountain ranges through a gentle veil of dry snowfall.   We were grateful since we were a photo shooting, non-competitive group looking for fun and fantastic scenery.

Birthday snow hike by river on a face-biting cold -28 degree C morning. Mt. Rundle in background. Banff, Alberta Jan. 2011. Just too cold for snowshoeing in wilderness.

Unfortunately we didn’t spot any moose since this area does have a few moose lumbering in the lowlands. Moose like swampy or moist low-lying areas and  meadows fringed by protective woods. 

Various areas nearby are prone to avalanches so the uninitiated should tramp about with an experienced snowshoe guide.

Snowshoeing Conquers Fear of Heights
Someone pointed out that snowshoeing allows me to enthusiastically penetrate  mountain wilderness areas where I would normally wobble down on cross-country skis or pick my step around narrow mountain side trails.  I do have some fear of heights. 

By Spray Lakes path north of Banff, Alberta. Jan. 2011. A non-snowshoeing 16 km. hike with ever-changing scenery.

I first came face to face with this fear in my late twenties, when we were hiking a narrow rocky trail by the Agean Sea on the Greek island of Santorini.   I barely made it across the ¼ km. of rock and sand.Another time, I ended up with aching upper thigh muscles for several days because I could barely descend a no-rail, open staircase that curved around an open pit, dark stairwell inside a lighthouse by Georgian Bay, Ontario.   The lighthouse was only four stories high but I only made it up three-quarters up the stairwell before I descended with legs shaking like jelly.  Rail trestle bridges converted for cycling in British Columbia, are fine as long as I don’t look down at my pedaling feet, crossing wood ties with light filled spaces plunging 100-500 metres down into a valley or canyon.  I haven’t yet walked across Capilano Bridge in North Vancouver.  At times, there are steady mountain ascents while snow tramping in the woods.

Snowshoeing deep into wind protected forest. Kananaskis area, Alberta Feb. 2011. Photo by HJEH Becker. At times, there are steady mountain ascents while snow tramping in the woods.

 But puffy piles of pure lush snow, obliterates steep, long declines and narrow twisty turns.  The descent on mountain sides are softened as the eye sees kilometres of  white purity rolling downward with trees bedecked in  snowy chiffon swaths and snow frost- swirled tophats.   No doubt, I’m guided by childhood memories of rolling and sliding down snowy, non-rocky hills.

Snow cocoons each mountain snowshoe hike by softening each step in knee-deep fluffiness.  Snow blunts an occasional fall or stumble into dimpled puffiness of snow candy.  You may not find me creeping up and down steep Mayan temple steps, but give me a marked snowshoeing trail up a mountainside and I will gleefully descend and fall in step with you to marvel the magnificent snowscape.

Snow Shuffling Trips: Snowshoeing Beyond Mountains to Winter Vineyards and More

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Among snowboarding or downhill ski shooters, surely snowshoeing is just so snow sedate and tame.  But you can kick up snowshoeing a notch, by heading  out into the mountains. We’ve gone nearly annually to different mountain areas in British Columbia … Continue reading →