Nomad-Canadian Rockies

I realized, the other day....... I am a Nomad. The definition of a Nomad is "A member of a group of people who move from one place to another, rather than living in one place all of the time"

Working with a heli-skiing company, my journey takes me to remote locations. Usually travelling by myself, in a variety of conditions, exposes me to the wilderness in all its forms. The other day I was travelling to the Cariboos, about 120kms West of Jasper. The drive thru the Columbia Icefields was magical, with a cobalt blue sky, and the snow covered peaks towering over the landscape. At one point I stopped, stepped out of the vehicle, spread my arms and let out a large "Whoooop" that echoed in the crisp, wintery air. I felt like an eagle flying over the landscape.

As the drive continued, the sky began to change, and grey, sultry clouds began to cling to the mountain tops. My mood changed a bit, and I became more aware of my surroundings close at hand. I now felt like a raven, slowly flapping my wings as I scanned the landscape. Heading westbound from Jasper on the Yellowhead Hwy, I was more cautious, as the road conditions were changing and the traffic increased. Arriving in Valemount after a six hour drive, I was greeted by a low brooding sky and high winds. Meeting one of the team from the lodge, we transferred goods from my Sprinter to a four by four truck and made the 20km journey up the remote mountain road to the lodge.

The next day, after a restful night at the lodge, we slowly made our way down the mountain road that was covered in new snow. At one point, we came around a corner, and our headlights splashed on to the back end of a moose. The moose was slowly trotting down the road, looking back at us to see if we were advancing. Not wanting to scare the moose, and have it injure itself by darting into the thick underbrush, we came to a halt. We then slowly crept forward until the moose found an open clearing to run into. Once in the valley, we transferred the last of the cargo in the Sprinter onto the truck. I began the journey back to Banff.

At the Park gate, south of Jasper, the attendant said travel was not recommended on the Icefields Parkway. Trusting my travel skills and the Sprinter, I proceeded down the highway. After the first 100 kms, the road overall fine, I was wondering what all the fuss was re travel conditions. Then I arrived at the Columbia Icefields. The wind picked up, with heavy blasts threatening to push the Sprinter off the road. The sky darkened, and within minutes I was in the center of a whiteout with snow falling heavily. The windshield kept icing up, and I had to stop numerous times to free the wipers of ice. I now felt like a small mouse, darting from one spot to another, avoiding being captured by the storm.

The storm continued all the way back to Banff. As I came into range of Lake Louise, my phone pinged, with messages asking "Where are you?" and "Are you OK?" Arriving back in to Banff, a bit travel worn, I headed home.

Though loving the sense of adventure, even a Nomad enjoys the familiar surrounding of home.

Robert Krysak