On the Roof of the Rockies

With the horses picking up weight and strength all the way, we cantered into Banff on October 24th, 10 weeks after our departure from Lake Louise. Not one horse had been lost; not one had been permanently lamed, in the whole course of what was probably the roughest continuous pack-train journey made in the Rockies since the time of the pioneers.

First published in 1925, On the Roof of the Rockies details the amazing efforts undertaken by Lewis Freeman and Byron Harmon to scientifically explore and comprehensively photograph during their 70-day, 500-mile journey the most stunning regions of the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains. With a guide, a wrangler, a cook, 16 horses, two dogs, some carrier pigeons and hundreds of pounds of what was then state-of-the-art photography, moviemaking and radio equipment, the group journeyed through the area contemplating the routes of earlier explorers, facing violent storms and ultimately preserving historic views of pristine wilderness for future generations.