HELL'S GATE, Avalanche Alley, Jaws of Death gorge. Only a few hours into an epic rail journey through the Canadian wilderness, the names echo some of the dangers faced by thousands of labourers who hacked and dynamited a way from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Dozens died building the Canadian Pacific Railway, a project that many dismissed as madness. In British Columbia alone, 6,000 Chinese, many from Guangzhou, were recruited.
Workers were exposed to landslides, explosives mishaps, snow storms, smallpox epidemics, scurvy, and attacks by grizzly and black bears, but amazingly the railroad, spanning 4,600 kilometres, was completed on November 7, 1885, after only 54 months - six years ahead of schedule.
The rail gangs had overcome the seemingly insurmountable barrier of the Rocky Mountains and other ranges and bridged many raging rivers to open up the interior and bring isolated British Columbia into the Confederation. It signalled the birth of Canada. William Van Horne, president of Canadian Pacific Railway, announced after the last spike had been hammered home: 'If we can't export the scenery, we'll import the tourists'. Prophetic words.
At seven in the morning I make my way through the grand portico of Vancouver's imposing main railway station, a living monument to those halcyon days, to embark on one of the world's great rail journeys, on board the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer.
We will travel more than 1,000km, eventually clawing our way up the awesome Rockies, over the Continental Divide, and on to the famous national park town of Banff. The journey will end in oil-rich Calgary in Alberta, whose gleaming, showy skyscrapers huddle together against the often icy winds of the surrounding prairie.
The beauty of travelling GoldLeaf class on board the Rocky Mountaineer is that it has two decks. Guests sit in a glass-domed carriage which commands unhindered views of the endless wild terrain of British Columbia and the Rockies. Attendants regularly serve complimentary snacks, coffee, and soft drinks as the journey unfolds, giving an informative commentary on a multitude of historic landmarks.