Courtesy of Jesse Chen Jesse Chen, sophomore international studies major, witnesses a man scaling a frozen wall in Maligne Canyon, Jasper National Park in Canada.
Jesse Chen, sophomore international studies major, stepped off the plane into frigid Vancouver air for a road trip through Canada with his friends during Christmas break.
Chen joined three friends in Vancouver for a transnational expedition through the border of Canada, all the way down to San Francisco over break. The road trip spanned the entire Christmas break and consisted of ventures into Banff National Park, Valemount, Jasper National Park and Glacier National Park in Canada and Mount Shasta, California.
Kevin Chen, freshman aviation science major, said the trip inspired the group about God’s creation as they played worship music while driving through mountains and past glaciers.
The two said they came across ices caves, glaciers and lakes as they explored Banff and Jasper national parks.
The students faced many obstacles, such as 2-inch thick ice on the roads and a close encounter with a moose. Jesse said the experience helped them form a stronger bond, as they both said the most memorable moment was a near-death experience with a frozen lake.
“This lake was about two miles long; we cleared snow and there was this huge layer of ice,” Kevin said. “I saw these air bubbles inside. All of a sudden Jesse picked up a rock and started hitting the air bubbles. The whole lake cracked and there were about 30 people ice skating near by while we were just dashing for our lives.”
Jesse said there will be more travels in their future as they have already started planning their next trip.
“I have been to a lot of places but I haven’t been to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon so we’ll probably go to one of those next,” Jesse said.
