Hazard Warning and Mountaineering Accidents
A good point to note is that Park Wardens perform more rescue operations on Mt. Edith Cavell than any other peak in Jasper National Park, due to its easy accessibility in summer and the overall popularity of the mountain. It is a serious mountaineering objective which should only be attempted in good conditions by well-equipped and experienced mountaineers. A history of mountaineering accidents on Mt. Athabasca, and details of all accidents are available by clicking this link from theAlpine Club of Canada . Training is available through the Alpine Club of Canada, or a number of licensed guide services throughout the area.
The Alpine Club'sEdmonton Section and Calgary Section both conduct an excellent mountaineering orientation program, which prepares novices for their initiation to mountaineering. Instruction is done by top-notch volunteer members with many years of experience. The program includes theory and practical training in crevasse and rock rescue, subjective and objective hazards, mountain conditions and weather, clothing, ropework, use of technical equipment and personal gear, mountain safety and other relevant subjects. Avalanche awareness courses are available, as well as both summer and winter trips for members. The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides can provide information regarding guide services for those who wish to retain a guide. Several guide services, such as Yamnuska Mountaineering, Inc. , also provide a three-day on-site mountaineering orientation program on various mountains.
A winter climb can be hazardous, with full conditions, depending on the weather. Summer rains melt ice holding rocks and talus in place, and can cause horrendous ice and rockfall down the North Face that has to be seen to be believed. This unfortunately adds great danger to tourists who often hike right to the bottom of the face on the glacial ice and debris that piles up there, unwittingly putting themselves at risk. The thunder and clatter of ice, snow and rock avalanches is typical on Mt. Edith Cavell’s North Face on a rainy day. Climbing is dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Remember that you are in bear country here; common sense must be followed with regard to food storage and approaching these animals. Generally, if you make lots of noise on the trail they will leave your area for a quieter place. Grizzly and black bears inhabit this area, frequent the trails and meadows, and many are unafraid of contact with humans. One night when my wife and daughters were staying at the Mt. Edith Cavell hostel they went out in the dark for a short break to the outhouse and came face to face with a grizzly sow and two cubs. Fortunately they were able to quickly retreat out of harm’s way, but encounters like this are not uncommon. Mountain lions are known to inhabit this area, and recorded attacks by mountain lions have resulted in human fatalities in Alberta's National and Provincial Parks.
A good point to note is that Park Wardens perform more rescue operations on Mt. Edith Cavell than any other peak in Jasper National Park, due to its easy accessibility in summer and the overall popularity of the mountain. It is a serious mountaineering objective which should only be attempted in good conditions by well-equipped and experienced mountaineers. A history of mountaineering accidents on Mt. Athabasca, and details of all accidents are available by clicking this link from the
The Alpine Club's
A winter climb can be hazardous, with full conditions, depending on the weather. Summer rains melt ice holding rocks and talus in place, and can cause horrendous ice and rockfall down the North Face that has to be seen to be believed. This unfortunately adds great danger to tourists who often hike right to the bottom of the face on the glacial ice and debris that piles up there, unwittingly putting themselves at risk. The thunder and clatter of ice, snow and rock avalanches is typical on Mt. Edith Cavell’s North Face on a rainy day. Climbing is dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Remember that you are in bear country here; common sense must be followed with regard to food storage and approaching these animals. Generally, if you make lots of noise on the trail they will leave your area for a quieter place. Grizzly and black bears inhabit this area, frequent the trails and meadows, and many are unafraid of contact with humans. One night when my wife and daughters were staying at the Mt. Edith Cavell hostel they went out in the dark for a short break to the outhouse and came face to face with a grizzly sow and two cubs. Fortunately they were able to quickly retreat out of harm’s way, but encounters like this are not uncommon. Mountain lions are known to inhabit this area, and recorded attacks by mountain lions have resulted in human fatalities in Alberta's National and Provincial Parks.
Edith Louise Cavell
The naming of the mountain is full of history. Edith Cavell (1865-1915), a matron nurse of the Belgium Red Cross in Brussels, was executed by German forces during World War 1 for helping Allied soldiers escape. Her heroic deeds of aiding two hundred or more allied soldiers to escape from behind enemy lines in Germany into freedom in Holland, via the underground railroad, are never to be forgotten with the tribute to her patriotism in the naming of this mountain.
Edith Louise Cavell was born in 1865 in Norfolk, England. At the age of twenty she entered the nursing profession and in 1907 was appointed the matron of the Berkendael Institute in Brussels where she greatly improved the standard of nursing.
After the German occupation of Belgium she cared for wounded German troops but also became involved with an underground group which assisted some two hundred British, French, and Belgian soldiers who were trapped behind enemy lines to escape to neutral Holland and rejoin their armies. Sheltered at the Institute, which had become a Red Cross hospital, they were provided with money and guides by Philippe Baucq, a Belgian. This was regarded as treason under German martial law and was punishable by death. In August 1915 Edith Cavell was betrayed by a spy who asked her to help him escape and Cavell and several others were arrested, tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to be executed. Her defence was that as a nurse she was duty-bound to save lives and she was doing just that by concealing and helping hunted men to return to their homes.
Although neutral governments, including the United States and Spanish representatives, tried to have their death sentences reprieved, both she and Philippe Baucq, were shot on October 12th. Her last words were, "I see now that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."
Technically, the enemy did have a case, but it was a case that completely failed to be accepted by world opinion because espionage was not involved. Her execution was considered outrageous and widely condemned. Although she saw herself simply as, "a nurse who tried to do her duty," she was clearly and widely regarded as a martyr. British propaganda abroad and at home made the most of the incident. After lying in state in Westminster Abbey, Edith Cavell was buried in Norwich Cathedral.
The Premier of British Columbia was the first to suggest that a mountain be named in her honor, initially suggesting the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson. Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden agreed with having a mountain named but instructed the Geographic Board of Canada to make the decision as to which one. As well as having this beautiful mountain named after her, she is commemorated by a statue just off Trafalgar Square in London. A memorial service for Edith Cavell is held each year in the Anglican Church in Jasper.
The naming of the mountain is full of history. Edith Cavell (1865-1915), a matron nurse of the Belgium Red Cross in Brussels, was executed by German forces during World War 1 for helping Allied soldiers escape. Her heroic deeds of aiding two hundred or more allied soldiers to escape from behind enemy lines in Germany into freedom in Holland, via the underground railroad, are never to be forgotten with the tribute to her patriotism in the naming of this mountain.
Edith Louise Cavell was born in 1865 in Norfolk, England. At the age of twenty she entered the nursing profession and in 1907 was appointed the matron of the Berkendael Institute in Brussels where she greatly improved the standard of nursing.
After the German occupation of Belgium she cared for wounded German troops but also became involved with an underground group which assisted some two hundred British, French, and Belgian soldiers who were trapped behind enemy lines to escape to neutral Holland and rejoin their armies. Sheltered at the Institute, which had become a Red Cross hospital, they were provided with money and guides by Philippe Baucq, a Belgian. This was regarded as treason under German martial law and was punishable by death. In August 1915 Edith Cavell was betrayed by a spy who asked her to help him escape and Cavell and several others were arrested, tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to be executed. Her defence was that as a nurse she was duty-bound to save lives and she was doing just that by concealing and helping hunted men to return to their homes.
Although neutral governments, including the United States and Spanish representatives, tried to have their death sentences reprieved, both she and Philippe Baucq, were shot on October 12th. Her last words were, "I see now that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."
Technically, the enemy did have a case, but it was a case that completely failed to be accepted by world opinion because espionage was not involved. Her execution was considered outrageous and widely condemned. Although she saw herself simply as, "a nurse who tried to do her duty," she was clearly and widely regarded as a martyr. British propaganda abroad and at home made the most of the incident. After lying in state in Westminster Abbey, Edith Cavell was buried in Norwich Cathedral.
The Premier of British Columbia was the first to suggest that a mountain be named in her honor, initially suggesting the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson. Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden agreed with having a mountain named but instructed the Geographic Board of Canada to make the decision as to which one. As well as having this beautiful mountain named after her, she is commemorated by a statue just off Trafalgar Square in London. A memorial service for Edith Cavell is held each year in the Anglican Church in Jasper.
Miscellaneous Information
Highlights
Be sure to take in the Astoria Valley Viewpoint, 4 km up the road. And enjoy the landscape at Mt. Edith Cavell, typical of the subalpine life zone complete with recent glaciations and subalpine to alpine meadows. Also note that there are two excellent hikes in the area, Cavell Meadows (for flower-speckled high-subalpine and alpine meadows) and the Path of the Glacier Trail (for Little Ice Age glacial evidence). There are excellent panorama viewpoints at Hardisty Hill and Snaring River Flats. Mt. Edith Cavell can be seen from Highways 16 and 93 North, the Icefield Parkway.
Panorama scenes
I have linked two excellent 360-degree moving panoramic views of Mt. Edith Cavell by Eddie Wong, seen on the Explore Jasper website. These include a panorama view from the broad summit of the mountain as well as a panorama of the basin and Cavell Meadows at bottom of the North Face, and both are well worth looking at. To see these panoramas, click on the links listed below. When the Explore Jasper website comes up, scroll down to see the panoramas.
Explore Jasper website with Mt. Edith Cavell basin panorama
Explore Jasper website with Mt. Edith Cavell summit panorama .
Thanks to Mr. Wong for producing these two beautiful scenes with photos taken during his climb of Mt. Edith Cavell's East Ridge.
The address and phone number for the Jasper Information Center and Trail Office is: Box 10 Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0 Phone: (780) 852-6176 Fax: (780) 852-6152
Topographic and GPS coordinates
The Google Earth website lists topographic and GPS coordinates derived by satellite measurement for Mt. Edith Cavell as follows:
52 deg 39 min 58.94 sec N / -118 deg 03 min 55.16 sec W
GPS coordinates are 52.6664 N / 118.065 W
Highlights
Be sure to take in the Astoria Valley Viewpoint, 4 km up the road. And enjoy the landscape at Mt. Edith Cavell, typical of the subalpine life zone complete with recent glaciations and subalpine to alpine meadows. Also note that there are two excellent hikes in the area, Cavell Meadows (for flower-speckled high-subalpine and alpine meadows) and the Path of the Glacier Trail (for Little Ice Age glacial evidence). There are excellent panorama viewpoints at Hardisty Hill and Snaring River Flats. Mt. Edith Cavell can be seen from Highways 16 and 93 North, the Icefield Parkway.
Panorama scenes
I have linked two excellent 360-degree moving panoramic views of Mt. Edith Cavell by Eddie Wong, seen on the Explore Jasper website. These include a panorama view from the broad summit of the mountain as well as a panorama of the basin and Cavell Meadows at bottom of the North Face, and both are well worth looking at. To see these panoramas, click on the links listed below. When the Explore Jasper website comes up, scroll down to see the panoramas.
Thanks to Mr. Wong for producing these two beautiful scenes with photos taken during his climb of Mt. Edith Cavell's East Ridge.
The address and phone number for the Jasper Information Center and Trail Office is: Box 10 Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0 Phone: (780) 852-6176 Fax: (780) 852-6152
Topographic and GPS coordinates
The Google Earth website lists topographic and GPS coordinates derived by satellite measurement for Mt. Edith Cavell as follows:
Mt. Edith Cavell Acknowledgements and Photo Credits
The information contained on the Mt. Edith Cavell mountain page has been compiled by Henry Timmer, a Canadian citizen, mountaineer and adventurer currently residing in Sacramento, California, USA. To make comments, corrections, additions or inquiries, contact me atclimbwild@hotmail.com
The text of this mountain page is based on the experiences, research and writing of Henry Timmer and is protected by copyright. In an attempt to present as much beta as possible on this majestic area, I have used some photos courtesy of other climbers and photographers, with permission.
Photographs by Ian Bergeron and Joel Schenk are used with permission and protected by copyright. Photographs by Randy Colwell were used with permission, and are protected by copyright.
The information contained on the Mt. Edith Cavell mountain page has been compiled by Henry Timmer, a Canadian citizen, mountaineer and adventurer currently residing in Sacramento, California, USA. To make comments, corrections, additions or inquiries, contact me at
The text of this mountain page is based on the experiences, research and writing of Henry Timmer and is protected by copyright. In an attempt to present as much beta as possible on this majestic area, I have used some photos courtesy of other climbers and photographers, with permission.
Photographs by Ian Bergeron and Joel Schenk are used with permission and protected by copyright. Photographs by Randy Colwell were used with permission, and are protected by copyright.