Scene of a spirited tale

Spirit Island gets its name from an old First Nations tale, which tells of a Romeo and Juliet-like couple from feuding tribes who would meet on the secluded islet. The woman's father learned of the tryst and barred her from returning to the island, leaving her beau to wait for her there and eventually die, his spirit remaining tethered to the secret spot.Mythic tragedies aside, it's no wonder that even though Canada has as many as 2 million lakes, this view of Maligne Lake looking past Spirit Island is among the nation's most photographed scenes. Nestled in Jasper National Park in the western province of Alberta, Maligne is among the largest glacier-fed lakes on Earth, its waters pigmented turquoise by powdery rock flour that tumbles down from the surrounding Canadian Rockies.