By Monisha Rajesh, The Guardian; January 23, 2019
Inhaling the sharp scent of fresh pine, I lean over the half-open carriage doorway as tufts of dandelion heads whip by on the wind, and a bald eagle swoops overhead. Barely 12 miles have passed since we departed Jasper, Alberta, but I’m desperate to spot a bear. So far unsuccessful, I gaze out as the Skeena train approaches the south face of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Against an electric-blue sky, and worshipped by a congregation of conifers gathered at the base, its ice-capped crags wink and glisten in the sun, a halo of cloud revolving around its tip.