Again today I was tempted to hike to the Towers, but swayed by our guide´s description of the French Valley hike as a trek that has a bit of everything. How true that was!
We took a catamaran across a small lake to the start of the hiking trail. The beginning of the trail was a bit sad, winding for the first couple miles through the recently burnt forests - a fire started by a camper had swept through approx 10% of the park in December. The smell of charred wood still hung in the air, but the trail brightened as we passed by another lake and walked parallel to the stunning blue water for the next couple of miles. Finally we entered unburned forest and we could appreciate what has been temporarily lost to the fires. The air cooled and small flowers dotted the trail edges. We crossed a hanging bridge and then started the steeper climb to the French Glacier. Ultimately, we finished at a stunning viewpoint of the glacier and a 360 degree view with higher peaks on all sides. We heard something that sounded like thunder and Rafa, our guide, pointed to an avalanche at the top of one of the peaks were snow from one of the hanging glaciers cascaded down onto French glacier. As I looked at the mountain more closely, I found it was difficult to tell the waterfalls apart from the avalanches that happened with surprising frequency. The warm temperatures combined with the rains of the previous days created the perfect conditions for these snow falls. We were far enough away that they posed no danger at all, but it was marvelous to watch. The only way I could tell the avalanches from the waterfalls was to wait and see if they stopped as the waterfalls would continue at the same pace while the avalanche would start as a heavy burst that subsided. It was a beautiful setting and the weather was the best yet with clear skies and warm temperatures.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner