Discovering beauty in Canada

At the risk of carrying the discussion too far, I want to respond to the letter ``Beautiful, Polluted Parks,'' Sept. 23, regarding Banff Park and Lake Louise. The author of the letter contends that these areas are too crowded and too littered. My wife and I have just returned from several days in Canada. In the Canadian Rockies, in particular, we found practically no evidence of the conditions she condemns. On the contrary, compared with many US venues, Canadian parks - and cities, for that matter - are sparkling jewels of pristine beauty.

Lake Louise and other glacier lakes have a rather opaque blue-green color, not because of pollution but because glacier-melt contains a sediment that gives the water that peculiar but beautiful color. It's the same color that the ice itself has if one looks deep into the crevices of a glacier.

We found Banff to be a charming community in a spectacular setting. Overbuilt? I don't think so; the setting is too expansive and dramatic to be intimidated by a town. Too crowded? Maybe, particularly during the tourist season, but that's because the parks are such desirable places to visit. C.H. Humphrey, Oceanside, Calif.

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