Mount Edith Cavell is a mountain in the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') in Alberta, Canada, originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in nationa ...

and Astoria River valleys of

Jasper National Park Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains, spanning . It was established as Jasper Forest Park in 1907, renamed as a national park in 1930, and declared a UNESCO world heritage site ...

, and the most prominent peak entirely within

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. The mountain was named in 1916 for

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...

, a British nurse executed by the Germans during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

for having helped Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium to the Netherlands, in violation of German military law. It was previously known as Mount Fitzhugh. A close-up view of the north face of Mount Edith Cavell is visible after a short hike to Cavell Meadows. The trailhead is by the parking lot at the end of Mount Edith Cavell Road. The trail to the meadows is one way, rising to . ''

The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide ''The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide'' by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson, describes 225 hiking and backpacking trails in the Canadian Rockies, including in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. The first edition was published in 1971, wit ...

'' describes the trail in detail. The hanging Angel Glacier is visible from Cavell Meadows, which spills over a cliff on the north face. Access to the Tonquin Valley trails can be found about one kilometre before the end of the Mount Edith Cavell Road. There is a parking area across from the Mount Edith Cavell Hostel. A short walk down the gravel path leads to the north end of Cavell Lake. There is small bridge across the stream that empties the lake. From here there are good views with the lake in the foreground and the Mount Edith Cavell massif in the background. It is believed that one of the world's largest

glacial erratics A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

, called Big Rock, near

Okotoks Okotoks ( , originally ) is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region, Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Downtown Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to t ...

, Alberta, was once part of Mount Edith Cavell. The erratic was formed approximately ten thousand years ago when a large portion of quartzite stone was stripped away from the mountain along with the receding Athabasca River Valley glacier.

Climbing routes

There are several popular climbing routes, including: * West Ridge (normal route):

Yosemite Decimal System The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a five-part Grade (climbing), grading system used for rating the difficulty of rock climbing climbing routes, routes in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southe ...

II * East Ridge: Yosemite Decimal System III, 5.3 * North Face, East Summit: Yosemite Decimal System IV, 5.8 The North Face route is included as a classic climb in Steck and Roper's '' Fifty Classic Climbs of North America''.

Notable ascents

* 1961 ''North Face'', IV 5.7, First ascent by

Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and businessman. His company, Patagonia, sells outdoor products, outerwear, and food. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by '' ...

, Fred Beckey and Dan Doody. July 20–21. * 1966 ''North Face'', Second ascent by Denny Eberl and Gray Thompson. July 30, 1966. * 1967 ''North Face'', First solo ascent by Royal Robbins. *1981 ''North Face'', Second solo ascent by Dane Burns- North Face, via the Chouinard, Becky, Doody. 7hrs from the parking lot to the summit, with a direct line left of the Angle Glacier on the lower slopes and directly up the shale at the summit.

In philately

Mount Edith Cavell was featured on a $1 Canadian stamp issued on December 4, 1930.

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the mountain is in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the

Gallery

File:Cavell_Lake_Beginning_to_Freeze.jpg, Snow is often evident and the lake begins to freeze over by early October. File:Angel_Glacier.jpg, Angel Glacier in 1992 File:Canadian Rockies, Mt. Edith Cavell.jpg, Mount Edith Cavell from Icefields Parkway

References

External links

* Angel Glacier photos on Wikimedia Commons
HI-Mount Edith Cavell Hostel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edith Cavell, Mount Mountains of Jasper National Park Three-thousanders of Alberta South Jasper Ranges