Ever heard of Mount Robson? Most good Canadians have. Especially those people who are lovers of mountains and wild places. It's the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, located about an hour outside of the town of Jasper, in British Columbia. It's everything you think of when you think of the Canadian Rockies: a giant grey behemoth of rock, heavily glaciated, with a stunning turquoise lake at it's base. It has a couple of glaciers that run right down it's face and drop huge chunks of ice into the lake below, Berg Lake. It's other worldly and it's incredible.
Here's what the Mount Robson Provincial Park website says about the area:
Mount Robson Provincial Park, the second oldest park in British Columbia's park system, is truly one of the world's crown jewels. The mountain for which the park is named guards the park's western entrance.
I Love You Berg Lake
The monarch of the Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson, at 3,954 metres above sea level, is one of the spectacular scenic attractions preserved in this beautiful park. Picturesque waterfalls, massive blue glaciers, pristine lakes and lush valleys endow this special place. Berg Lake Trail is a world-renowned hiking and backcountry experience. Berg Lake Trail takes hikers to some of the best scenery in the province. This incredible trail climbs to the shoreline of Berg Lake, located at the base of Mount Robson. Beyond Kinney Lake, the trail enters the Valley of a Thousand Falls. Fed by the massive Mist, Berg and Robson glaciers, visitors often see huge sections of ice break off or “calve” into the blue/green, silt-laden waters of Berg Lake.
As far as beautiful mountain places I've been, Berg Lake has a special place in my heart. Once you've seen it, it implants itself in your mind forever and ever. This trail run has become a tradition of sorts for me, I've run it once a summer for the past 2 years and both times it left me reeling in awe at the beauty of this natural world of ours. The first year, I did it as a memorable solo run and the second year, I wanted to share this place with friends. On an interesting note, it's also almost an exact marathon distance of 42km as an out and back to visit Berg Lake.
Year 1 Blog Post here.
Year 2 Blog Post here.
So, you can imagine my surprise and excitement when I found out yesterday, that there is going to be a race on this special trail, to this extra special place. The Mount Robson Marathon will be a one-time only event held in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of BC Parks. Only 100 participants allowed for the event, with bragging rights and naturally, a permanent course record for all of eternity. A series of frenzied e-mails to trail running friends ensued and about 7 of us signed up immediately. Unbelievable! There's going to be a race. To Berg Lake and back. And it's going to be Amazing.
