Home»All Photographs»2015 Hikes»Rae Glacier 08-15-15

Clayton and I headed to the easternmost glacier in Alberta - also the closest one to Calgary - today.
Rae Glacier is tiny by glacial standards, and is melting quickly. As soon as the ice melts, it becomes the very beginning of the Elbow River which is Calgary's drinking water.
The result of several recent B.C. forest fires was present on this hike. The gloomy day alternated between fog and drizzle. This cleaned the air of the lingering smoke and Clayton and I both noticed a strong smell of 'campfire' in the air and even saw that the fog was beige rather than grey. To top it off, I drank some glacial meltwater and it even tasted of wood smoke! The ecosystem is tied together in so many fantastic ways...one action in one place really does leave a related reaction in another place.
After visiting Rae Glacier, we extended our day to explore Rae Lake and Sheep Lake before looping the hike out back to our vehicle.