Parker Ridge is the northernmost trail in Banff Park and the views of the Saskatchewan Glacier are up close and personal. The pre global warming--human Industrial Age length of the glacier is clearly visible in grey. I sat and pondered life-nature-being-joy. After hiking along Parker Ridge north toward Mount Athabasca, I drove up the road a bit to the Wilcox Pass trail, one of the famous Jasper Park trails. Like the Helen Lake trail yesterday, you climb to the hidden valley and are quickly greeted with vistas of the icy mountains, glaciers, Icefields and green-blue valleys. The Columbia Icefield, a high alpine valley set between a half dozen towering mountains and filled with ice 600 feet thick in spots, was the star of the vista. I hiked to Wilcox Pass and then turned left toward the Icefield and famous Athabasca Glacier, where you can ride a special truck up and walk on the glacier. Once at the far ridge, I hiked toward Mount Wilcox, enjoying the views and peace of this wo...