Stage I – Glacier

This stage entails hiking and canoeing. We are taking minimal equipment so that we can travel as light and as fast as possible. We drive from Jasper to the start of the Fortress Lake trail at Sunwapta Falls. From this starting point we hike or snow-shoe (depending on winters grip)  to Athabasca Crossing Campsite. From there, we turn South and off-trail through unbroken terrain until we reach the glacier. After setting foot on it we are at the very source of the Athabasca River. To think that water flows over 4,000km from this glacier is incredible.

After reaching the glacier, we return to Athabasca Crossing Campsite, put the canoe in the water and paddle to Old Fort Point to end the Section in Jasper town.

The section above from Athabasca Crossing Campsite to Athabasca Falls and for a short distance afterwards is rated as Class III rapids for the most part, interspersed with Class I and II, so it is an exciting and challenging section. Because of this, it is one of the most technical sections of the entire journey.

 This section is approximately 150km and we plan to take a week to complete.

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