The Winslow mail., 1922-08-04

chief distributing point. Yoho Park
has not yet Accommodations to handle
such crowds as visit Banff and Lake
Louise each year, but the person who
wishes to see exceptionally beauti-
full mountain cenery and who does
not expect to view it merely from
the seat Of an observation car may
find lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, can
yon6 and mountain peaks probably
not duplicated.
1t is not that the mountains in the
Canadian Rockies are extremely
high as mountains go, for they are
not as high as some of the peaks
farther south in the United States,
but they rise generally above COM
paratively low surrounding valleys,
and thus appear higher to the per-
son in the valley than do the noun
tain D eaks that rise from a high
foundation of tableland. Moreover,
the heavy precipitation of the lower
snow-line of the more northerly lat
itude provide many peaks with per-
petual cap of snow, and consequent
Ely glaciers, that would in a more
southerly latitude be bare of snow
excepting in winter. These circum-
stances also result in heavy. growth
Of timber on the lower slopes with
very dense vegetation in the valleys.
The glaciers feed innumerable
streams that tumble over precipices
N dazzling cascades, or form wond-
erful Jewels of lakes whose waters
reflect in their depths the outlines
Of their mountain lords and which
t1A
to the brightest emerald, hues pecul-
lar to glacial waters that must be
seen before their absolute beauty
can be even family appreciated
The Columbia River. which
reaches the Pacific in the state of
Oregon, rises in the western foothills
Of the Rockies near the southern
boundary of British Columbia, flows
northeasterly about $50 miles, and,
after making an abrupt bend, flows
southwark into the United States.
Within this great elbow lies the
massive Selkirk Range. Geological
ly, the Selkirks are older than the
Rockies and consequently not quite
SO high, their highest peak, Mount
Sir Sandford, being but 1854 feet,
and their average somewhat lower.
From the standpoint of alpine seen
cry, however, they are in no way in
ferior The warm humid breezes
from the Pacific deposit most of
their moisture in the Selkirks and as
result the latter lie under vast
fields of slow and ice at attitudes and
at seasons when corresponding
peaks in the Rockies are bare. The
effect of this greater precipitation is
seen in the edsity and size of the
timber that clothe the lower slopes
and also in the almost tropical pro-
fusion of the underground and veg
citation in the valleys.
Forming an irregular rectangle
containing 468 square miles, Glacier
National Park lies atop of the Sell
kinks, having Rogers Pass, through
which runs the main line of the Can
allan Pacific Railway, as its center,
and cut on the western slope by the
Illicilliwaet Valley. In addition to
innumerable glaciers and snowfelds,
stupendous mountains, fairy water
falls and gem-lakes, the Nakimu
Caves are perhaps most worthy of
mention. This series of subterran-
can galleries and grottoes is to be
found in the Cougar Valley about
seven miles northwest of Glacier
Station. Up to the present time these
underground passages have been ex
plored for about 1000 feet. They
are from 100 to 120 feet beneath the
surface and have evidently been
eroded by the Cougar River which
can be heard reverberating in their
dark recesses still gouging them out
to greater depths. Evidently, some
convulsion of nature has caused the
river to follow this subterrenean
course and in the ensuing ages it
has, where the rocks was softer, hol
lowed out these great caves, some
of which are from 100 to 200 feet in
length and from 20 to so feet high
and from 10 to 80 feet in width.
These larger chambers are connect
ed by passages of varying heights
and widths.
Continuing to the west, near Rev
elstoke, British Columbie, one comes
to Revelstoke Park, which occupies
the broad undulating summit of
Mount Revelstoke, aggregating IS
square miles. This park is all above
the 7,000-foot mark and affords
unique opportunity to secure a
splendid view of alpine scenery, in
Guiding the Columbia and Illicili
waet valleys, from the clouds with
out any of the discomforts of climb
ing, as an excellent switchback mo-
tor road has been constructed from
Revelstoke.
Canadas largest-and, until re-
Gently, least kUown-national park
is Jasper, comprising 4,400 square
miles on the eastern watershed of
the Rockies in Northern Alberta and
constituting the largest big game
sanctuary in the world. Entrance to
Jasper Park is through the Athabas-
ka Valley, the principal route of the
fur-traders in the days before the
railway was dreamed Of Here on
the shores of a small tam on the