Well, we saw many magnificent things on this our first day of the journey home. But none can match the spectacular views we had flying nearly around Mount Robson, perhaps the most famous peak in Canada. The air was almost calm and devoid of clouds, but the smoke from fires afar made it impossible to get a good long shot of the entire mountain. By climbing to 10,500 feet and getting relatively close in the clearer air though, we did get views like these.
2420 Robson “Dark” Side
First this view of the “dark” side. Like the moon, Mt. Robson has a side that few see other than adventurers and people like us riding magic carpets. Unlike nearly all of the others, this glacier makes it all the way down into a lake. Working our way around, you can overlap the features from one pic to the next and see the different faces. Flying counter-clockwise this next face still isn’t really visible from the highway far below, even on one of the extremely rare cloudless days like this.
2424 Mt. Robson Side
Partway down this side are some great waterfalls, some probably 100 feet tall or more, that only aviators and exceptional mountain climbers ever see.
2426 High Falls
At last, here’s the part that’s visible from the highway, though the angle would be much different from so far below. Up here we had a sense of greeting Robson face to face, from a respectful couple of thousand feet below as if to say, “Thank you, sir.”
2428 Robson Familiar Face
Continuing around, we begin to see another glacier at the right, the long waterfall on the familiar face, and another long fall in a rock crevice in the center of the pic.
2433 Robson Other Side
Below is a zoom shot of the high glacier. Though this one’s getting more sun and is thus much more melted than the “dark” side, it still gives the effect of a great powdered wig atop the honorable gentleman.
2442 Robson White Wig
I doubt anyone ever ventures onto this glacier, because it’s obviously very unstable. Countless avalanches tell their tales in the tortured surface. Last up in this Robson roundabout is this wider view from a little further around. The evidence of glacial action is everywhere up here, though most of the ice is gone.
2445 Robson & Neighbor
It would be fun to come here on a totally clear day. No clouds, smoke or even a hint of haze. Fly in with one of those 360 degree ultra-resolution video cameras. We could figure out a way to share that with you on a surround screen. Then you’d have a much better idea of what we just experienced, and why I was so eager to share even these very few of our pix from only this small slice of today’s flight.
But for now, we’re settled into a hotel in Valemount, BC (we can’t seem to stop calling it Voldemort, though it’s undeserving of that). As we left Tripp at the airport riding the hotel shuttle into town, an RCMP cruiser passed at high speed and I started worrying about her. On the highway a moment later, another cruiser actually pulled us over. “My boss was worried,” he said sheepishly. Apparently drug runners have used the airport, but few others fly in here. Too bad, because it’s a great airport and a sweet little mountain valley (thus the name Valemount) town. “I was worried about our plane,” I said to the officer. “Oh, I’ll be keeping a close eye on it tonight,” he assured me. I’m still a little worried, but hopefully we’ll find her safe and eager for another day of delights.
John & Anne Wiley 
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