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Day 1 Egypt Lake Exploration

Siobhan in the twilight at Shadow Lake with Mt Ball (3311 m) in the distance.

Day 1 Vista Lake Trailhead to Shadow Lake Campground, 14.2 km, 981 m Elevation Gain, 861 m Elevation Loss, 5 hrs 45 min.

It was a bright and beautiful sunny day when we left Canmore just before 10 am. It was about a 50 minute drive to the Vista Lake Trailhead on Hwy 93 south. The hike was to be a little over 14 km so I estimated that at about a 3 km/h average we would easily arrive at our campsite at Shadow Lake CG by about 4 pm. The day headed sideways when we lost 45 minutes due to a traffic accident just a kilometre east of the Banff town turnoff. The loss of time was not overly concerning as the day was looking so good and our pre-hike spirits where high. We parked and had our packs on ready to go by 11:36 am.

All smiles, would they last?
View of Vista Lake from the parking lot.
It is 15.3 km to Shadow Lake but the campground is before the lake.

It was a quick 13 minutes to Vista Lake dropping 145 m. As would be expected for trail that has a lot of day use Parks Canada had the trail in very good condition. We crossed a bridge over the outlet to the lake and started heading uphill. I had not looked at any elevation charts but it would be a stiff climb of 600 m over 3.5 km to our lunch spot at Arnica Lake.

Siobhan loaded up. Matching hat and backpack, important to be coordinated in the backcountry.
Vista Lake.
Cutting across a little broken slope.
It is a pretty little lake.
Time to head uphill.

Siobhan led the way uphill but quickly started to suffer. I took over the lead and tried to keep a steady pace going. Siobhan was continuing to struggle and was constantly out of breath. At one point she measured her heart rate from her watch and it was 185 beats per minute. This was when we started to piece it all together. We knew Siobhan had to be in hiking shape as she had just finished a four day hiking trip. The trip she had been on was the Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island at an altitude of basically sea level. We were now hiking at an altitude of a bit over 1500 m heading for a maximum of about 2300 m. So it quickly became apparent to us that the difference in altitude between the Juan de Fuca and the Vista Lake trail must be the reason for her struggles. It was not as if Siobhan was lollygagging and taking it easy. We made the decision for me to take the tent and Siobhan’s sleeping bag to lighten her load a bit. Siobhan was disappointed as she had hoped to be sharing the load 50/50 on this trip but there was no other choice.

“Siobhan: It’s always hard on the ego to admit that your body isn’t performing to your expectations. However, communicating to my hiking partner and lightening my load made the day more enjoyable and allowed my body to adjust. There’s no room for an ego in the back country!”

View from the trail 1 hour into the hike. Can see the parking lot and Vista Lake.

As we made our way up to Arnica Lake we were passed by two young Parks Canada employees. We stopped and chatted with them and for the first time ever I was asked for my permit. They took down my permit number in a notebook. They were headed up to Arnica Lake to check for permits and do a little clean up. We slowly grinded our way up to Arnica Lake arriving at 1:45 pm. We had covered 4.6 km and gained 600 m of elevation in about 2 hrs and 10 min. All things considered we had done pretty good. The hike was going to be a little flatter moving forward.

Arnica Lake with Storm Mountain (3100 m)

We met up again with the Parks employees at the lake and had lunch with them. I had my classic backpacking wrap, red pepper, salami, potato chips and cheese while Siobhan ate homemade pizza. For dessert I had brought a special treat of apple fritters from Fergies Bakery in Canmore. The one Parks employee lived in Canmore and knew Fergies, they were jealous. There were a few groups of people at the lake including a couple of young men with their dog off leash. One of the Parks people went over and asked the men to put their dog on leash. The Parks employees echoed the sentiments my other child Micah that working for Parks Canada and not being Wardens they got very little respect from people. Just before we headed off they took a staged photo for social media of me having my permit checked. I had to sign permission for them to use the photo but never did see it. We headed off from Arnica Lake at 2:05 pm.

“Siobhan: The treat of apple fritter and homemade pizza really improved my mood. Would definitely recommend bringing a tasty (heavier) snack for the first day.”

No distance on the new Parks Canada sign. The rustic sign hidden by the trees had distances in miles. You can see a lot of those rustic signs in the Egypt Lake area.
Heading around a shallow by of Arnica Lake. Enjoying the flat terrain.
Looking out to the main body of Arnica Lake. Mt Storm in the background. Some hikers off to the left enjoying a break.

As we headed off a large group of older hikers passed us heading back to the trailhead. The young men with the dog, now off leash, cruised by us. Luckily the dog was very pleasant and appeared to be very happy.

“Siobhan: We don’t judge, but as locals and fans of outdoor spaces its important to Leave No Trace and follow the rules. They aren’t there to rain on our parades, but to keep the wild wild.”

Siobhan leading the way.

The trail continued to go up as we headed to Upper Twin Lakes but the gradient was much less than the approach to Arnica Lake. After gaining 100 m over the next 0.8 km the trail was predominantly downhill for the remaining 2.5 km to Upper Twin Lake.

This was our first high point of the day, a little shoulder off Storm Mt. In the distance the two peaks on the right are Pharaoh Peak (2711 m) and the peak on the left is The Monarch (2904). In two days we would standing on top of Pharaoh Peak.
Downhill hiking can be hard but we were thankful for change after all the uphill to start.

We arrived at Upper Twin Lakes at 2:44 pm. The trail did not take us close to the main part of the lake but gave a view from the wetlands at the outlet. Lower Twin Lake would be a further 1 km with a 50 m loss in elevation. We were both enjoying the easy hiking along this stretch. After the struggles on the initial ascent we were both feeling very good. We had about the half the hike remaining and only about 270 m of elevation left to climb.

Upper Twin Lake.
The marshy outlet to Upper Twin Lake.

Just a couple of minutes after leaving Upper Twin Lake we arrived at Twin Lakes Campground. The campground looked well maintained and came complete with a brand new outhouse that Siobhan tested out. Smelled like fresh pine.

Welcome to Twin Lakes Campground.
New outhouses are a special backcountry treat.

The trail became very muddy as it flattened out on our approach to Lower Twin Lakes. About 10 minutes after leaving the campground we joined up with the Twin Lakes Trail. From what we could see the trail did not look very well used and was a bit rough.

Great signage, no distances.
Twin Lakes Trail. does not look very well used.
Our trail laving the junction. Just got the edge of the sign in the picture on the left.

The trail to Gibbon Pass which would be our high point for the day does not actually go to Lower Twin Lake. We decided to take a little spur trail to get a close up view of the lake. We passed by the two men and the dog relaxing before heading back to their car at the Vista Lake trailhead.

Siobhan crossing the outlet to Lower Twin Lake.
Leaving the main trail to get a better look at Lower Twin Lake.
Lower Twin Lake.

After checking out the lake instead of hiking back to the main trail we decided that we would bushwhack back to the main trail to save time. I really should have checked the topo map as the hill we had to climb was quite steep. Our route climbed 90 m over just 300 m with plenty of downed trees to navigate. It took us over 10 minutes to rejoin the main trail. It would have been faster and easier to backtrack to the main trail but it was a fun silly little side adventure but not I would recommend.

“Siobhan: I had been feeling quite good all things considered but bushwacking is exhausting. My dad may have gotten a little overeager from all his bushwacking experience on the Great Divide Trail. Moral of the story, sometimes back tracking a few minutes can save a lot of time and energy.”

Really, how bad can it be?!
Siobhan smiling (or swearing at me through gritted teeth) as she scrambles over a downed tree. Siobhan: it was the latter
The last obstacle.
Back on the main trail. The going is much easier.

The trail contoured nicely up to Gibbon Pass. We passed a couple of backpackers heading for the Twin Lake Campground. The larches were just starting to turn golden. While it would be a big day hike the Gibbon Pass area must look amazing during larch season.

Storm Mountain. Much of this section was in the trees and this was one of the few view points.
The ground cover already turning colour as the altitude climbs.
Just a hint of yellow on the larches.
An easy golden approach to Gibbon Pass.

Including our bushwhack it took us 1 hour to hike the 2.8 km from Lower Twin Lake to Gibbon Pass. The pass was quite gorgeous with the green trees dotting the orange blanket of the undergrowth. The pass was marked by a nice plaque marking it at 7500 feet. Gibbon Pass was named in 1929 fro John Gibbon who was the public relations manager for the Canadian Pacific Railway. On the horizon we could Mt Assiniboine a straight line distance of about 75 km.

Siobhan made it to the pass.

There is a trail just a couple of hundred metres past the monument that leads up Little Copper Mt to a panoramic viewpoint. We talked to a guy in camp later in the evening and he said it only took him 30 min and that the view was stunning. Maybe next time but it was closing in on 4:30 pm and we still had 3 km left to go.

“Siobhan: Half of the fun when hiking is finding more hikes!”

The pass with the snow capped peak of Mt Assiniboine towering in the distance.
Siobhan happy on the trial.

As we headed off the top of the pass we met a couple doing a day hike from the Shadow Lake Lodge. They warned us that the trail down was quite rough. About 15 minutes after leaving the pass Siobhan decided to take a break and eat the rest of her pizza.

A lovely meadow in the sunshine on the way down.
A busy bee.
Its always a good time to eat pizza.

As we started the descent in earnest we met a couple of lovely dogs with backpacks heading up to Gibbon Pass with Twin Lake CG as their final destination. The trail was a little rough as we had been warned but it was a fairly quick drop to the junction at Shadow Lake Lodge.

Now that is a large mushroom.
This is a good section of trail. In places it was much rougher.
Arrival at the junction. Shadow Lake Campground, Re 14, is not listed. Re 21 is Ball Pass Junction CG. Someone scratched in the direction to our campground. It was about 200 m from the junction.

We arrived at the junction with the Redearth Creek trail at 5:15 pm. We took a quick look at Shadow Lake Lodge. I had always assumed it was backcountry hotel but the guests stay in individual cabins. We made our way to our campground. The tent sites were all close together in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. There were two tents set up, one belonging to the hiker we saw up on Gibbon Pass. We chose our site and dropped our packs at 5:20 pm.

Cabins at Shadow Lake Lodge.
Our campground.
Campground complete with new outhouse.
My overburdened pack.
6 pm tent all set up with Frosty on guard.

We set off to the eating area to have dinner at about 6:45 pm. We were undecided if we would head off to Shadow Lake after dinner as we would hike right by it in the morning. We shared the table with a lovely couple and the guy just happened to be a professional photographer. He made his money leading client trips so Covid had been particularly tough on his business. After talking with him we made the decision to head off to Shadow Lake after dinner to take photos in the soft evening light.

Dinner tie.

The trail to Shadow Lake was a little sloppy and I had chosen to walk in my sandals. With the light fading we had both decided to bring along our headlamps for the trip back to the campsite when it would probably be dark. Our time at Shadow Lake was amazing. We both played with different ways of setting up our cameras and we were quite pleased with the results.

“Siobhan: I’ve previously hurt my toes wearing sandals on uneven terrain at Floe Lake, so I only wear my sandals around the campsite.”

First photo on arriving at Shadow Lake. Mt Ball in the background.
Siobhan trying out my lens on her camera. Siobhan: I dropped my own lens cap somewhere in these rocks. More on that later.
Siobhan lining up her shot. The professional photographer set upon the rocks in the distance.
Happy hiking photographers.

We spent about 35 minutes taking pictures at the lake. We headed back to the campsite just after 8:15 pm arriving back at about 8:35 pm. It was definitely getting dark by the time we arrived back at the tent and I was glad I had my headlamp. We had a short day coming up with our destination being just 6 km to the campground at Ball Pass Junction followed by a hike up to Ball Pass. We both read and relaxed before going to sleep the intent was to have a little lie in in the morning. I am not good at sleeping in!

“Siobhan: Nothing like views, a good hiking partner and tasty snacks to make a potentially difficult day pleasant.”

Day 2 Egypt Lake Exploration 2021

Egypt Lake Exploration Home

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Day 3 of my New Years adventure in Arizona up on B Day 3 of my New Years adventure in Arizona up on Bootwreckers, see link in bio.

Hiked the Superstition Ridgeline Trail, 23 km of some very rough terrain.

The views from the ridge were spectacular. The trail is more of a route, then a trail. I got off trail a half a dozen times just on the ascent to the ridge. Sprinkled in for fun where several down climbs where I had to drop my poles before climbing down a small chimney or crack.

There is camping possibilities on the ridge and I do wish I would have camped just before Syphon Draw and enjoyed the sunset. Maybe next time.

This was a very challenging 10.5 hrs on the trail, one of my hardest days ever, but worth every drop of sweat.

Till next time Arizona.

#nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Even in the smoke, there is nothing like hiking in Even in the smoke, there is nothing like hiking in the Canadian Rockies.

On the way to Pinto Lake, going over Sunset Pass with Tuft Peak in the distance.

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #alberta, #albertaparks
Day 2 of my New Years Arizona Adventure is posted, Day 2 of my New Years Arizona Adventure is posted, see link in bio.

Fun and easy day exploring the Superstitions with my four new friends. Lots of varied terrain and lots of breaks. Will make up for that on Day 3.

I did run out of superlatives to describe the scenery, in one word it was simply spectacular!

#nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Day 1 of a fun two day trip out to Pinto Lake over Day 1 of a fun two day trip out to Pinto Lake over Sunset Pass.

It was a little smokey but as you can see from the first photo the views were spectacular.....

The little dot in Photo 9 is a Common Loon, and entertained us for several minutes swimming across the lake and diving for fish.

Big thanks to @kbsymington , @sio.mellors , Kylie and Charlie for making it such an awesome trip.

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #alberta, #albertaparks
Day 1 of my 2023 New Years Arizona Adventure is up Day 1 of my 2023 New Years Arizona Adventure is up on Bootwreckers,  see link in bio.

Day started off rainy, see photo 2, but the clouds cleared off by 8 am and I finally got my hike started.

The day wasn't without adversity as I slipped chasing my water bottle in a stream and fell in the water. My camera got flooded and stopped working so the rest of the photos were taken on my aging BlackBerry Key 2.

Met up with a group of 4 med students and hiked with them for two days.

Despite the ruined camera was a super fun day on the trail in a new place. 

#nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
It took a while but finally posted the intro to my It took a while but finally posted the intro to my New Years trip to Arizona, see link in bio.

I was greater in Arizona to 18C weather followed quickly by near freezing temperatures and the most rain in the Phoenix area in one day since 1906!

My trip went from Plan A, 4 days on the Arizona Trail,  through Plans B, C and Finally D.

Was a fun if sometimes frustrating adventure.

#nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Day 3 of Rockwall 2022 is up on Bootwreckers, see Day 3 of Rockwall 2022 is up on Bootwreckers,  see link in bio.

Sweet little day up and over Tumbling Pass with and a long view of Tumbling Glacier. 

The weather cooperated with blue skies and no threat of rain so we were able to linger at The Glacier before heading down the long descent to the car.

While a straightforward day there were still some adventures to be had, but you have to read about them on the blog.

Big thanks to my amazing hiking partner, @sio.mellors

Looking forward to our 3 day adventure this summer, which will no doubt generate more stories to tell.

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
Day 2 of our Rockwall 2022 trip is posted on Bootw Day 2 of our Rockwall 2022 trip is posted on Bootwreckers, see link in bio. With @sio.mellors

This day was Helmet Falls CG to Tumbling Creek CG.

Day started off beautiful with blue skies which turned to rain after lunch. Somehow through all the rain and thunder Siobhan  never lost her smile.

The day ended with beers and Siobhan giving butt rubs to the doggies in camp.

Photo 1 Siobhan taking in the Rockwall at lunch

Photo 2 Helmet Falls at Golden hour

Photo 3 me and my morning coffee waiting for Siobhan to wake up

Photo 4 on the way up Siobhan with Limestone Peak in th background 

Photo 5 Siobhan at Rockwall Pass (can you tell?)

Photo 6 Siobhan near Wolverine Pass with Rockwall Peak shrouded in clouds

Photo 7 Tumbling Glacier through the clouds

Photo 8 setting up camp

Photo 9 Dinner time

Photo 10 butt rubs

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
New trip posted, three day trip in the Rockwall in New trip posted, three day trip in the Rockwall in Kootenay NP with @sio.mellors. Introduction and Day 1 up on Bootwreckers.

Trip was suppose to be hiking Northover Ridge in Kanananaskis but smoke had us change plans at the last minute.

This would be my third multi day trip on the Rockwall but the first for Siobhan.

Managed to get two camping sites on the Rockwall and instead of smoke we had to deal with the threat of rain.

We did get wet but we had a blast.

Day 1 is from Paint Pots TH to Helmet Falls CG, with a side trip to get up close the the falls. Pretty straightforward day but visiting Helmet Falls is always special.

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
The sixth and final day of our 2022 GDT Section D The sixth and final day of our 2022 GDT Section D hike is up on Bootwreckers, see link in bio.

This day took us from a random camp on the Howse Floodplain to the Mustafa Canyon parking lot. This was an adventurous day with bushwhacking, stream crossings and dead fall but a simply glorious end to a wonderful hike on the GDT. 

Again thanks  to Sara (@sd_kuz) and Lillian (@waterlilizee) for sharing this adventure with me. I am sure we will meet again on a trail someday.

Photo 1 - Morning Colors

Photo 2 - tents on the floodplain

Photo 3 - bushwhacking to start the day

Photo 4 - fields of flowers going to seed

Photo 5 - looking south down the Howse River

Photo 6 - thigh deep water crossing

Photo 7 - big views

Photo 8 - Sara crossing some dead fall

Photo 9 -Mistaya Canyon

Photo 10 - picked up a thru hiker named Roy, enjoying beverages left by Natasha and Kyle from Backpacks and Bikeracks

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Day 5 of our 2022 Great Divide Trail Section D hik Day 5 of our 2022 Great Divide Trail Section D hike is posted on Bootwreckers, see link in bio.

Truly epic day on the trail. Pass through the debris of two avalanches, had lunch by a waterfall, crawled over so much dead fall and hiked on the Howse Flood Plain.

The sunset on the flood plain was one of most magical I have seen.

As always a big thanks to Sara (@sd_kuz) and Lillian (@waterlilizee) for sharing this adventure with me. The Team totally rocked the trail.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Evening light on Picketpost Mt. #aztrail #aztasso Evening light on Picketpost Mt.

#aztrail #aztassociation  #nps, #nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Arizona Trail Passages 14 and 15. Some photos of Arizona Trail Passages 14 and 15.

Some photos of my recent hike down a couple of Passages of the Arizona Trail. 

The trail is so diverse, rolling terrain cut by shallow washes leads to the expanse of the desert then into rugged canyons and tall peaks, all in a space of 92 km (58 miles).

Had a great time, some blisters gave me some concerns but they seem to be doing fine now that they are out of my hiking shoes.

Got lucky with Trail Magic courtesy of Condiments who drove his 4x4 deep into an unarmed wash, was really in the middle of no where, and then again at the start of Passage 15, missed the Trail Angel's name, the wind was so loud.

Like to thank my Trail Angels, Carole for driving me to Oracle to start the trip, with side trip to a Hayden Az, a real ghost town and to Edith for leaving a water cache for me at Passage 15.

Included a video of my time at the high point for Passage 15. My kid likes it when you stop and enjoy the view you earned, thought they would appreciate my effort in the face of 1000 mph winds (ok maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration).

Thanks Arizona and the AZT for providing more memories.

I will be back

#aztrail #aztassociation  #nps, #nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
That sunset says when I wake up it will be time to That sunset says when I wake up it will be time to start my hike on the Arizona Trail, Passages 14 and 15

Love my little motel in Superior, Az, Copper Mt Motel. Has murals painted on all the buildings

Spied the Grand Canyon from the plane 

Adventure awaits 

#aztrail #aztassociation  #nps, #nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Frosty Paws all packed and ready for an adventure. Frosty Paws all packed and ready for an adventure.

Arizona Trail Passages 14 and 15 starting Sunday

Off weekend gooooooo!

#aztrail #aztassociation  #nps, #nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Last weekend before heading to Arizona for a four Last weekend before heading to Arizona for a four day adventure on the Arizona Trail.

I wonder if hiking in the 15 cm of fresh snow will be good prepared for hiking the deserts of Passages 14 and 15?

#aztrail #aztassociation  #nps, #nationalparks, #slotcanyon, #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside #nationalpark #desertphotography #grandcanyon #grandcanyonnationalpark #grandcanyonassociation #nationalparkweek #reichallenge #nationalparksweek #rightnow #nationalparktrust #goparks #aztrails
Day 4 of our 2022 GDT Section D hike is up on the Day 4 of our 2022 GDT Section D hike is up on the website, see link in bio.

This was a truly epic day spent on the Amiskwi and Collie Creek Alternates.

The weather cooperated starting with a spectacular sunrise on the Mummery Glacier, rainbows and blue skies on the ridge.

We had a brief encounter with a little black bear who scampered quickly away. 

Finished off the day with a cold beer, Grizzly Paw Rutting Elk Red, that I had carried with me and it tasted great.

Easily one of th best days on the trail ever.

Again big thanks to Sara (@sd_kuz) and Lillian (@waterlilizee) for sharing this adventure with me. The Team totally rocked the trail.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Day 3 of our 2022 Section D hike is posted, see li Day 3 of our 2022 Section D hike is posted, see link in bio.

This was a shorter day, only about 17 km but took us from the end of the Kiwetinok Alternate up to Amiskwi Pass and then a beautiful meadow at the the base of the Amiskwi Ridge.

Photo 1 - morning sky

Photo 2 - on the Kiwetinok Alternate

Photo 3 - Kiwetinok Alternate

Photo 4 - break time at a stream crossing, Frosty Paws hanging in there

Photo 5 - Fireweed with a view down the Amiskwi Valley,

Photo 6 - fields of flowers as we approached Amiskwi Pass

Photo 7 - Yellow Columbine on the way up to Amiskwi Lodge

Photo 8 - Our camp in the meadow

Photo 9 - Setting sun

Photo 10 - one of the best adventure stories ever! True story of how three prisoners of war escaped and climbed Mt Kenya

Again big thanks to Sara (@sd_kuz) and Lillian (@waterlilizee) for sharing this adventure with me. The Team totally rocked the trail.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
First two days of my 2022 Great Divide Trail Secti First two days of my 2022 Great Divide Trail Section D adventure are up on the blog, see profile for link.

Day 1 was from Burgess Pass Trail head to Yoho Lake Campground. A relatively short day but a good warm up for the rest of the trip.

Big thanks to Sara (@sd_kuz) and Lillian (@waterlilizee) for sharing this adventure with me. The Team totally rocked the trail.

Photo 1 - at Burgess Pass looking at Mt Wapta

Photo 2 - Flowers, it was a great time to hike to see all the flowers in August bloom

Photo 3 - Emerald Lake from up high

Photo 4 - at Yoho Pass, did I mention the flowers

Photo 5 - Duplex tent all set up with Frosty Paws on guard, and oh ya, more flowers

Photo 6 - the north end of Wapta Mt as seen from Yoho Lake.

Super fun little day, the opening a grand adventure.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Sound On. Video clips from my hike along th Supe Sound On. 

Video clips from my hike along th Superstion Ridgeline.

Was an epic hike, 24km from my campsite at Miners Needle to First Water Trailhead where my car was.

Wouldn't recommend doing all in one day backpacking, as the final descent down Siphon Draw Wash is brutal, but I did it in 10hrs 45min

Would love to redo th hike at some point and actaull stop and camp along the ridge.

I had enough water to stop, but I was enticed by the prospects of a beer to finish.

#teamzpacks #zpacks #zpacksduplex #aztassociation #aztrail #aztrails #hike #loveazt #desertphotography #desert #hikingadventures #hikes #backpacking #camping #getoutside #familytime #traillife #aztassociation , #hiking, #hikingadventures, #familytime, #camping, #campingadventures, #outdoors, #outside, #nature,  #FIndyourpark #landscape #landscapephotography #optoutside  #rightnow #goparks #aztrails #aztrail #loveazt  #azt #arizonatrailassociation
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