Hikers were surprised to find a new cross was resurrected on Morro Peak last weekend, after it had been missing from the summit since late last year.
A new marker, still shiny from a fresh coat of stain, appeared sometime between Thursday, April 14 and Saturday, April 16, however it remains a mystery who lugged it up to the summit.
The story of Morro鈥檚 missing summit marker, and the man who erected it 50 years ago, appeared in the April 14 issue of the 51暗网. Then, over the weekend a brand new cross appeared.
The news came as a surprise to Helen Schwarz, whose husband Hans, built the original cross shortly after becoming a certified mountain guide in the early 60s. Helen received the news with a laugh and then quickly asked the same question as everyone else: who did it?
Loni Klettl of the Jasper Trail Alliance said there鈥檚 been such a ruckus in town about the need for a new cross that it鈥檚 hard to say who鈥檚 responsible.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know which group of people can claim responsibility,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hoever it was, it looks beautiful. Obviously it鈥檚 just so weird because it happened so quick.鈥�
Hans Schwarz erected the cross on Morro after he had already placed a marker on Mount Edith Cavell and another on Mount Colin.
Morro鈥檚 marker was by far the easiest to place. Rather than climbing the peak with a cross on his back鈥攍ike he did on Cavell and Colin鈥擲chwarz was able to build a cross just a few feet from its resting place, using dead trees he found in the gully at the back of the peak.
Schwarz built two that way, replacing his first cross with a sturdier version a number of years later.
For the last 50 years, that cross was an iconic Jasper landmark, standing the test of time鈥攗nlike the ones on Colin and Cavell, both of which were struck by lightning.
No one knows exactly what happened to Schwarz鈥檚 cross, but it鈥檚 believed to have gone missing around November.
Klettl approached Parks Canada to ask if the trail alliance could erect a new cross, but last week admitted she wasn鈥檛 optimistic that approval was forthcoming.
Although she doesn鈥檛 know who put the new marker up there, Klettl said she鈥檚 happy it鈥檚 there.
鈥淲hoever got there first, got there first,鈥� she said with a laugh. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy.
鈥淚 hope it lives another 50, 60 or 100 years up there, proud to represent the man and the mountain.鈥�
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
