In the Park of the Gods
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Had Odin searched the world for Valhalla, his search would have ended in the remote mountain area of Valhalla Provincial Park in southeastern British Columbia. The 49 000 -hectare park is of breathtaking beauty. It stretches from fjord Slocan Lake - upwards steep slopes creased by deep valleys covered in dense interior rain forest of ancient cedars, hemlocks and firs, up into alpine basins dotted with turquoise-blue lakes. These jewels are framed by peaks as high as 2800m with Nordic names like Woden, Freya, Dag, Njörd, Gimli, Asgard and Midgard.
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Elisabeth von Ah | |||
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Valhalla, according to Norse mythology, is Odin’s glorious hall of fame.
Herein only the bravest of slain human warriors are called to support the
war-god in his last battle against his enemies, hostile demons and giants.
Pampered by the Valkyries, heavenly maidens, with met and roasts, the
warriors wait with the gods for the final day of fighting. 
According to the
saga the battle ends with a giant fire and the destruction of the world.
In the last week of July 2003 our group of four traversed the Park of the
Gods from South to North. 
During seven days we covered about 50km, ascended
and descended approximately 6000m using topographical charts and altimeter
to find our route through this rugged mountain world.
Again and again our
route took us up and down steep passes, over snow fields and loose gravel,
creeks and swampy meadows sometimes fighting our way through dense bush,
before being able to ascend again into the alpine. On days, when we hiked up
to 10 or 12 hours, the heat, our sore feet, the pressure of the heavy
backbacks on our shoulders and millions of mosquitoes after sunset were
quite a challenge.
But this beautiful wild area, rarely entered by humans, was well worth the
effort. We enjoyed bright days with deep blue sky and clear nights camping
near fairy tale lakes in the midst of an absolute wildflower paradise.
During the day the world was at our feet and at night we rested under a
heaven loaded with stars as can only be seen far from city lights. We drank
the purest water, breathed the cleanest air and encountered wild animals
such as marmots, eagles, deer and mountain goats.
For each of us it was
interesting to experience our personal limits under such circumstances, and
yet to enjoy good company in a group, where we motivated, cared for and
shared with each other. In the evenings exhausted, but relaxed, we enjoyed
deep conversations, fun, laughter and a special closeness.
When we returned to the civilised world, in this extremely hot and dry
summer, more than a thousand wild fires had broken out over British
Columbia. Huge areas were devastated, hundreds of houses destroyed, 50.000
people had to be evacuated, countless wild animals have been threatened and
lost their habitat. It seems like a miracle that the Park of the Gods had
been spared - we can return to Valhalla next summer.
