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Day 3 – Colorado River Trip 2015

The view across the river from our campsite at Spanish Bottom.

Day 3 The Loop to Spanish Bottom, 13 miles, 4 hrs 30 min.

Another glorious morning on the Colorado River.

I had coffee on at 7:50 am. With such a short day we were in no rush to get going and we all just sat back and ate a lazy breakfast watching the sunshine creep into the canyon.

Coffee on.
Watching the sunrise as the shadows descend on the rocks.
Photo taken 15 minutes after the one above.
Do not remember what I was cooking for breakfast.
Our canoes docked as the sunshine reflects off the rocks. (Siobhan Photo)
Sunrise.
Time for breakfast. Siobhan and Mikah using rocks as both tables and chairs. Another thing learned, bring camping chairs.
Even dad gets a few moments of peace to enjoy breakfast and bask in the stunning scenery. (Siobhan photo)
Only 20 minutes after the breakfast photos and the temperature is shooting up. Siobhan working on the breakfast dishes.
Terry all set up. Time to pack up, getting ready to leave. 10 am.
Camp all tidied up.
10:20 am all ready to go.
Video showing our campsite at The Loop and how we accessed it.

Our final destination on this day would be where we would end our trip on the river at Spanish Bottom just above Cataract Rapids. We had but one stop planed for this day at Anasazi Bottom (unofficial name from the guide book) about 4.5 miles from our camp. There was suppose to be multiple Anasazi structures to see. Back on the water we first had to finish paddling the loop which was another 4 miles.

The rock layers are not all flat.
Early paddling in the sunshine.
Back into the shade as the river winds its way through The Loop. The break in the cliff on the left is the viewpoint for the Loop Overlook Trail.
The spire on the left of the break in the wall was very evident from the photos from yesterdays quick hike up the Rim Overlook Trail.
One of the campsites mentioned in the book is in this little canyon on the left (south) side of the river just before exiting The Loop, the author has named it Box Elder Campsite after the small box elder trees growing in the canyon. If you had to leave the river the author describes a hike from here that will take out to the White Rim Road doable with no technical skills. According to the author this is the only way to hike out from the river along this stretch of river.
The ever changing face of the rocks.
Just one hour and 10 minutes after we left camp we are already scrambling our way onto Anasazi Bottom.
There was a little step up, it really was not easy to get, a helping hand is always appreciated.

While it was not easy to access Anasazi Bottom it was well worth the effort. We spent just under an hour exploring the area.

The remnants of a small granary.
Amazingly preserved granary.
Mikah investigating the inside of granary. Long pants and long sleeves have come back on as we are in the shade and it is much cooler than the sunshine we had back at our campsite.
Happy explorers.
To believe that this was built by someone 800 – 1000 years ago.
Fun erosion in the sandstone.
It’s a hole.
Siobhan taking a hard look at the soft sandstone surface.
Anasazi Bottom = Good times.
Small granary.
One last look.
The access to Anasazi Bottom from the river.

We had no more planned stops until we arrived at our final destination on the river at Spanish Bottom. We passed by two more large canyons, Salt Creek and Elephant Canyon. Both canyons allow for hiking opportunities but neither provide access to the rim or have any historical points of interest.

Coming up to Salt Creek.
Salt Creek. Salt Creek is a very twisted canyon unlike Elephant Canyon which is quite straight. About 25 minutes and 1.5 miles from Anasazi Bottom.
Elephant Canyon. Can see much further into the canyon as opposed to Salt Creek.
The tower of rock guarding the south side of Elephant Canyon.

After passing by Elephant Canyon the next point of interest was actually on the river, a feature known as The Slide. The Slide is simply a large rockfall that slid from the western cliff of the river with the debris of the slide causing a slight constriction in the river. Interesting in the guidebook the author lists possible camping spots but does specify only in times of low water. Unless it was getting dark I would avoid camping at The Slide and would stop at either Salt Creek or Elephant Canyon.

Approaching The Slide. Warm on the river. Mikah has their jacket off. We did put our life jackets back on for our passage through the slide.
The relatively turbulent water of the slide.
Very long video of a short trip through The Slide.

After passing the slide it is a quick 1.5 miles, 25 minutes, to the confluence with the Green River. There are some hiking opportunities along the river but they all require a significant investment of time and there are no Anasazi ruins or art to see.

Coming up the the confluence. The large cliff in the centre has the Green River to the right and the Colorado River continues around to the left.
Moon is out.
Mikah taking a long look up to the Green River.
The Green River.
The picture does not show it all, but the two rivers where completely different colours and it was fun to see the separation and how over the next mile or so the two rivers mixed together.

After passing the confluence it was just 35 minutes before we pulled ashore at Spanish Bottom the canoe portion of our trip finished. The last section did have some excitement as there was another ripple in the river that was not mentioned in the guidebook. We ploughed straight through without any issues but maybe we should have been more careful. When the river forms an upstream “v” it is indication of a submerged obstruction and you should avoid the apex of the “v”. A downstream “v” indicates unobstructed flow. We had an upstream “v” and we basically paddled through the apex. Sometimes you have to have a little luck on your side.

Maybe we should have paddled to the side. In the distance at the top of the cliffs the first spires of the Doll House appear.
Coming up to Spanish Bottom. The spires on the right are the Doll House. We would hike up to the Doll House to see the sunrise in the morning. The trail goes through the gully between the dark and the light rocks.
The spires of the Doll House are carved from Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Sand dunes that were formed around 270 million years ago. The rock immediately below is called Elephant Canyon Formation named after the canyon we had passed a few miles back.
Arrived at Spanish Bottom. Time to look for a landing spot.
The moon was out across the river.

Not sure what was going on between the time we landed and dinner as I do not have any photographs. I am sure we set up the tent and explored the area. Spanish Bottom is 120 acres in size making it the largest bottom on the river. The common geological explanation for Spanish Bottom is that underlying the area is a layer of salt left over from an ancient sea. The salt has moved away either by plastic flow or dissolved in ground water. This removal of the salt as a material allowed the rock above to collapse into the void left by the salt forming the dropped down surface we see as Spanish Bottom.

View across Spanish Bottom (Siobhan photo)

Our afternoon was not entirely peaceful as the Park Rangers we had seen the other day were working across the river with chainsaws removing tamarisks from the water’s edge.

View across the Colorado River. You can just make out the tents of the park rangers on the beach on the right hand side of the photo. (Siobhan photo)
Close up of the ranger camp across the river.

Our plan, my plan really, was to get up before 5 am and hike up a trail from Spanish Bottom to the Doll House to watch the sunrise. The hike rises about 1200 ft (375 m) over 1 miles (1.6 km). Neither of the kids were overly enthusiastic about the idea. We ate early in anticipation of going to bed early. Had the water on the stove to rehydrate our dinners at about 5:20 pm, guess there was no fresh food left. This was another big lesson for a river trip, you do not need to bring lightweight dried food. The canoes can carry so much gear if you are only going 3 – 7 days weight is not a problem so packing fresh food is the preferred option.

Our dinner, re-hydrated meals.
Spanish Bottom is just a stunning place to camp. Can see one of our 5 gallon jugs of water. The food is in its packets re-hydrating to the right of the blue cooler.
Where the park rangers are camping the sun has set. Really an awe inspiring and peaceful place.
View across Spanish Bottom. Not a lot of trees as there was a fire in the early 2000’s which burned most of the trees.
The river is so still.
View of our campsite and Spanish Bottom. Dinner still re-hydrating beside the cooler.

There was one other group at Spanish Bottom. A couple of ladies had brought their own kayaks and had paddled down the Green River. They had camped right beside the river so we had to walk right past them as we unloaded our canoes. Their canoes were caked in mud from getting stuck a couple of times on the Green River in shallow water.

Even brought the plastic sporks to save on weight.
Hot chocolate and potato chips for desert.
Terry all set up with a prime view of the river.
Brought a frisbee with us. Good way to unwind.

Despite having to wake up early for our hike the next day the easier day on the river had us staying up a little later than planned. Darkness settled in around 8 pm and with it the stars came out. Living in cities we never really had the opportunity to see the stars in a truly dark environment. On our previous trip to Canyonlands NP we stayed up and watch as the Milky Way appeared overhead, one of Nature’s truly magnificent sights to behold. As it steadily grew darker I started playing with my camera taking photos in the low light. I also did my first attempts at astrophotography. I did not have a tripod or any idea of what I was doing as evident by the shaky photos with the stars appearing as streaks. Regardless of the outcome at the time it was fun to play around and you have to start the learning process at some point.

Not a sun star but a Moon Star, and it really is sunlight.
Enjoying the late show.
Our campsite in the darkness.
Ok the stars are a little streaky.
One of the better photos, only a little streaky.

Good night from Spanish Bottom.

Day 4 Colorado River Trip 2015

Home Colorado River Trip 2015

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Day 3 of our 2015 Colorado River trip is posted, s Day 3 of our 2015 Colorado River trip is posted, see link in bio.

After th epic day prior this was a super relaxed day of just 13 miles and one stop.

Photo 1 - evening reflections at Spanish Bottom

Photo 2 - morning at camp

Photo 3 - breakfast time in our secluded backcountry campsite

Photo 4 - Mikah paddling back on the river

Photo 5 - a look at where the Loop Overlook trail brought us the day before

Photo 6 - investigating Anasazi Bottom

Photo 7 - Mikah and Siobhan at Anasazi Bottom

Photo 8 - Me at Anasazi Bottom

Photo 9 - arrival at Spanish Bottom, can see the pinnacles of th Doll House on the cliffs

Photo 10 - Looking down at camp at Spanish Bottom 

Another awesome day on the river.

Enjoy.

#canyonlands, #canyonlandsnationalpark, #nationalpark, #nationalparks, #turkshead, #anasazi, #anasaziruins, #utah, #exploreutah, #coloradoriver, #canoeing, #redrocks, #hikingadventures, #camping, #hikingadventures #texriverways, #floatritp #canoe #familytime❤️ #outdoors #outside #outsidethebox #earthpix  #wildernessculture  #wildernessociety  #seeutah  #igsouthwest #discoverearth #earthofficial
Day 2 Colorado Float Trip 2015, Little Bridge Cany Day 2 Colorado Float Trip 2015, Little Bridge Canyon to Random Camp on The Loop.

This was a huge day packed with ancient Anasazi ruins and various forms of rock art, and some big mileage paddling the river.

Full summary on our blog, link in bio.

Photo 1 - docked at the Loop Overlook Hike

Photo 2 - Siobhan and Mikah ready for another day of adventure 

Photo 3 - morning light on the river

Photo 4 - Big sky

Photo 5 - Siobhan and rock art at Big Bottom

Photo 6 - Mikah and Siobhan with more rock art, those hands on the wall were from a person living thousands of years ago, again at Bit Bottom

Photo 7 - Anasazi Granary

Photo 8 - Anasazi Granary Monument Creek

Photo 9 - looking downriver from Loop Overlook trail

Photo 10 - evening river vibes

Enjoy!

#canyonlands, #canyonlandsnationalpark, #nationalpark, #nationalparks, #turkshead, #anasazi, #anasaziruins, #utah, #exploreutah, #coloradoriver, #canoeing, #redrocks, #hikingadventures, #camping, #hikingadventures #texriverways, #floatritp #canoe #familytime❤️ #outdoors #outside #outsidethebox #earthpix  #wildernessculture  #wildernessociety  #seeutah  #igsouthwest #discoverearth #earthofficial
New post, throwback to 2015, our first canoe trip, New post, throwback to 2015, our first canoe trip, an adventure down the Colorado River from Moab to Spanish Bottom.

Posted the main page for the trip plus our travel day to Moab and Day 1 on the river.

This trip remains a favourite of ours as it was so different from all the hiking adventures. Although we did some hiking while on the river.

One of the great things about the trip is a person could go again, stop at different places and have an entirely different trip.

Photo 1 - evening on the Colorado, looking downriver from our campsite

Photo 2 - Siobhan getting a greasy meal at Five Guys in Salt Lake City

Photo 3 - with Wayne at the Budget Inn, Green River, and freshly baked blueberry muffins

Photo 4 - Siobhan getting ready

Photo 5 - Mikah checking their straps

Photo 6 - on th river

Photo 7 - happy paddler

Photo 8 - Siobhan up high taking in the view

Photo 9 - Mikah found their perch

Photo 10 - the view upstream from out campsite at Little Bridge Canyon

See link in bio to our blog and full summary of the trip.

Simply can't wait to go back.

#canyonlands, #canyonlandsnationalpark, #nationalpark, #nationalparks, #turkshead, #anasazi, #anasaziruins, #utah, #exploreutah, #coloradoriver, #canoeing, #redrocks, #hikingadventures, #camping, #hikingadventures #texriverways, #floatritp #canoe #familytime❤️ #outdoors #outside #outsidethebox #earthpix  #wildernessculture  #wildernessociety  #seeutah  #igsouthwest #discoverearth #earthofficial
Day 4 of our Labour Day Weekend trip through the E Day 4 of our Labour Day Weekend trip through the Egypt Lake area, Banff NP.

Hiked from Pharaoh Creek CG up over Healy Pass back to our car, now at the Sunshine Village Parking Lot.

Low stress day on the trail but the fall temperatures made for a great day in the backcountry.

Photo 1 - morning at Pharaoh Creek CG

Photo 2 - Chilly breakfast, yay for coffee

Photo 3 - approaching Egypt Lake Campground 

Photo 4 - fall colours and The Sphinx

Photo 5 - Pharaoh Peak 

Photo 6 - Golden meadows of Healy Pass

Photo 7 - looking back to the Egypt Lake area, can see Scarab and Egypt Lake

Photo 8 - view south all the way to Mt Assiniboine 

Photo 9 - creek crossing

Photo 10 - end of another successful adventure

Great trip, awesome hiking partner, @sio.mellors, looking forward to more adventures with her this summer.

For full summary see link in bio

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #teamzpacks

Happy trails!
Day 3 of our 2021 Labour Day Weekend trip through Day 3 of our 2021 Labour Day Weekend trip through the Egypt Lake area, Banff NP.

This day took us from the campground at Balls Pass Junction over Whistling Pass, with a detour up Pharaoh Peak, which wasn't without some drama.

Lunch was another side trip to Scarab Lake followed by an excursion to Egypt Lake.

Our final destination was Pharaoh Creek Campground. After a lovely evening the Milky Way came out to play.

Read the summary at www.Bootwreckers.com, link in bio.

Photo 1 - moody morning at Balls Pass Junction

Photo 2 - golden meadows as we approach Haiduk Lake

Photo 3 - making our way up Whistling Pass

Photo 4 - heading up Pharaoh Peak, and it really was this steep

Photo 5 - looking over Mummy and Scarab Lakes from the Pharaoh Peak.

Photo 6 - group shot on the way down

Photo 7 - at Egypt Lake

Photo 8 - Frosty Paws guarding the tent

Photo 9 - the Milky Way

Video - scree skiing down Pharaoh Peak

Another great day on the trail with @sio.mellors

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #teamzpacks
Day 2 of our Labour Day weekend trip through the E Day 2 of our Labour Day weekend trip through the Egypt Lake area, Banff NP is up on Bootwreckers, see link in bio.

The day was sunny and the skies were blue, it was simply an amazing day to be on the trail.

Out day started out retracing our steps from th previous evening back to Shadow Lake.

After lingering to take in the stunning view at the lake we had an easy hike to our campsite at Balls Pass Junction.

After setting up the tent and having lunch we headed up the short but steep trail to Ball Pass. Ball Pass is in mu opinion one of th premier viewpoints in Banff NP. 

After exploring Ball Pass we returned back to the campground and enjoyed a well earned stream chilled beer and a nap.

Clouds rolled in later in the day but it only lightly rained.

Was not the biggest mileage day on the trail but was proof that a great day on the trail.
Photo 1 - Siobhan looking at Mt Ball and it's Glacier from Ball Pass
Photo 2 - Siobhan checking directions
Photo 3 - Shadow Lake and Mt Ball
Photo 4 - Siobhan on bridge crossing outlet of Shadow Lake
Photo 5 - dried  strawberries on the trail
Photo 6 - heading up Ball Pass
Photo 7 - Siobhan looking over the valley from Ball Pass
Photo 8 - heading down from Ball Pass
Photo 9 - our reward for a good day on the trail
Photo 10 - finding peace and tranquility in the backcountry 

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
Day 1 of our amazing trip through the Egypt Lake a Day 1 of our amazing trip through the Egypt Lake area Labour Day Weekend, 2021 now posted up on our blog, link in bio. Another Grand adventure with one of my kids, @sio.mellors.

Our four day trip started at the Vista Lake Trailhead on Hwy 93 South. Up and over Gibbon Pass to camp at Shadow Lake Campground on day 1.

Day 2 was a short hike to Balls Pass Junction CG, then after a short break off to explore Ball Pass, in my opinion one of the best vistas anywhere.

Day 3 we hiked over Whistling Pass on the way to Pharaoh Creek CG, with a scramble up Pharaoh Peak, lunch at Scarab Lake, and a visit to Egypt Lake on the way.

Day 4 was hiking over Healy Pass and out to the Sunshine Village parking lot where our car had been moved to.

Lots of stories from this adventure,  was a lot of fun to revisit and write.

Photo 1 - evening as Shadow Lake

Photo 2 - pre-hike happy team photo

Photo 3 - Arnica Lake, where we had lunch

Photo 4 - the yellow of Larches starting to come in

Photo 5 - the golden meadows of th high alpine at Gibbon Pass

Photo 6 - view all the way to Mt Assiniboine from Gibbon Pass, about 70 km away

Photo 8 - mushrooms in the undergrowth as we approach Shadow Lake CG

Photo 9 - Frosty guarding our campsite

Photo 10 - still smiling at the end of th day at Shadow Lake

#parkscanada #parks
#shadowlake #banffalberta #banffnationalpark #banffcanada #banff #backpacking #camping #lake #egyptlake #Egyptlake  #backcountry #family #familytime #familytime❤️
The trip summaries for Days 10, 11 and 12 from ou The trip summaries  for Days 10, 11 and 12 from our 2021 GDT Section E hike is now up on www.Bootwreckers.com, see link in bio

We had a great end to the trip. Day 9 was a short day from our wild camp on the Bald Hills to Evelyn Crk Campground. Day 10 was a spectacular hike up over Little and Big Shovel Passes to the iconic Jasper Skyline Trail. Camping at Signal Campground. 

Day 11 was an easy walk into Jasper.

The trip was an amazing experience over 11 days, I met and hiked with many people but big props to my kid, who for some reason keeps hiking with me.

Photo 1 - end of hike, looking off into the distance, across th Athabasca River at Cairngorm Mt. 

Photo 2 - morning Bald Hills

Photo 3 - campsite Evelyn Crk CG

Photo 4 - Reading before bed

Photo 5 - fresh bear print on the trail

Photo 6 - Little Shovel Pass

Photo 7 - Snowbowl

Photo 8 - Last grind up to the Notch

Photo 9 - looking east from the Skyline down through Excelsior Creek

Photo 10 At campsite Signal Campground 

See trip reports on our blog, link in bio.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #teamzpacks #zpacks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Day 7 and 8 on our GDT trip from last summer. Day Day 7 and 8 on our GDT trip from last summer.

Day 7 was from Waterfalls CG to a meadow in the Six Passes Route. Was a wet, moist day. Numerous creek crossings. Left the main GDT route at Maligne Pass and went off trail into the Six Passes. 

Spent the first night in an amazing meadow. With rain in the forecast we did 5 passes and the ridge walk in one day.

In one word the day was "Epic" . Was a spectacular journey. Huge day, 23 km and over 1500m up and down. So happy we did it, but we were so relieved to put in the tent somewhere flat.

Picture 1) the view of the Six Passes Route from the top of the first pass

Picture 2) me getting ready to leave Waterfalls CG

Picture 3) crossing a creek on a wet log

Picture 4) camping Six Passes

Picture 5) hiking Six Passes

Picture 6) sunrise pass # 2

Picture 7) it's a rocky climb

Picture 8) mmmm chocolate 

Picture 9) the final ascent on the ridge

Picture 10) happy to be home for the evening

See trip reports on our blog, link in bio.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #teamzpacks #zpacks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
First 5 days of my 11 day 2021 Great Divide Trail First 5 days of my 11 day 2021 Great Divide Trail Hike Section E is up on Bootwreckers, see link in bio.

Includes the 2 days I did on Section D but aborted due to smoke.

Picture 1) Camp on Owen Creek
Picture 2) Camp at Lower Michelle Lake
Picture 3) Pinto Pass
Picture 4) hiking up Cataract Creek
Picture 5) Smokey sunrise over the Brazeau River

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks #teamzpacks #zpacks #duplex #sectionhike #sectionhiker
Fun trip out to the Ink Pots in Banff NP on Decemb Fun trip out to the Ink Pots in Banff NP on December 31st.

Was very cold, -30C, but bluebird skies overhead.

Did a little snowshoeing in the meadow.

Saw almost no one above the upper falls at Johnson Canyon.

Fun adventure.

Happy New Year everyone.

#outside, #outsidethebox, #liveoutdoors, #liveoutsidethebox #naturephotography, #naturelovers,  #retiredhusky, #rescuer
#parkscanada #banffnationalpark #banffalberta #banffcanada
#sunstar #sun #lake #sunrise #alpin #scenery #reflectionphotography #reflections #sceneryphotography
Day 6 Section E Great Divide Trail Hike 2021 (Part Day 6 Section E Great Divide Trail Hike 2021 (Part 1)

Fun day on the trail heading from Four Points CG to Waterfalls CG. 

The day started dry but damp from the rainfall overnight. As we left the Brazeau River valley and headed up to Jonas Pass the storm clouds blew in forcing us to get our wet weather gear on. 

I discovered shortly after that it is great to have gloves for hiking, but that they should be accessible, not buried somewhere in the pack.

The storm was quite fierce but luckily brief. We arrived at Jonas pass and were able to put our rain gear away.

The clouds would remain with for the duration of the hike adding some mood to the hike.

This was my second time hiking over Jonas Pass and Jonas Shoulder and both times it has rained.

We arrived at Jonas Shoulder. We took some time to enjoy the view and let off some steam. The rest of the hike would be downhill.

Happy Friday

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
Waterfall on Owen Creek, Day 1 GDT Section E. Req Waterfall on Owen Creek, Day 1 GDT Section E.

Required a fun bit of scrambling to access.

Happy Friday

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #waterfalls #waterfall #naturephotography #naturephotography #nationalparks
Day 5 GDT 2021 Section E. This day was memorable Day 5 GDT 2021 Section E.

This day was memorable for a few reasons. First waking up to more smoke.

First photo is the sun rising over the mountains at 8:30am, shouldn't really be that red.

Doing the extra distance on day 4 meant that this day I had a 3.1 km hike from Boulder Crk CG to Four Points CG.

I could not extend the day as Emily was joining me on this day coming in from the Nigel Pass trailhead and the next campground on our route would be to far to reach on this day.

When I arrived at Four Points it was just before 8am! Must be my shortest day ever.

I spent the day reading and waiting for Emily. I heard her bear calling down the trail about a minute before she arrived.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Met some some people from Calgary who I had a mutual friend with, he used to be their cross country ski coach.

We went to bed reasonably early as we had a decent day ahead of us tomorrow.

The smoke was lifting as we went to bed. 

The last photo is Links' Happy Badass Bandana. Still miss my little hiking partner.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking
Day 4 Great Divide Trail Section E. Pinto Lakes to Day 4 Great Divide Trail Section E. Pinto Lakes to Boulder Creek CG.

Super fun day full of adventure and a lot of smoke. This was a big day, 32 km over Cataract Pass into the upper reaches of Bourgeau Creek in Jasper NP.

After the clear skies of my astrophotography in the middle of the night I got up at 5am, jst 3 hours after I put the camera away, to join my trail companions Jason and Bent for the day. 

The terrain was suppose to be rugged and the trail a little iffy so I thought it would be good to have some companions. As it was we got took two wrong turns in the first 15 minutes.

After several steam crossings, some with suspect bridge work, finally had to cross a wide stream and get wet feet. I had sandals, but my companions ploughed through so I figured I had to keep up.

I found a rock with ancient Indigenous petroglyphs. It is just off trail, but a good day and a half hike from any road.

We passed from Banff NP to Alberta Parks Wilderness area. There is wild camping in the Wilderness area, but good camping spots are hard to find.

I was going to stop for the day short of Cataract Pass, but it was so smokey I thought I would continue on.

We had lunch at the base of Cataract Pass. I used Frosty Paws as a table for my lunch.

It was such a big day I will conclude the trip in another post.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking
Milky Way and the Persaids Meteor Shower. Pinto La Milky Way and the Persaids Meteor Shower. Pinto Lake

On the night of day 3 I got up at 2am to take photos of the night sky. I was hoping to catch the Milky Way and I knew that the Perseids was going on, so hoping to see both.

I must have seen a good couple of dozen meteors during the hour I was awake.

I went to sleep in my hiking clothes because I knew I was getting up at 2am to take photos then we had a big day ahead of us so the breakfast wake up call was 5am!

I got so lucky with the pictures as in the couple's hours between returning to bed and getting up to start Day 4, the smoke rolled in.

Photo 1 is the Milky Way but no meteor. There are meteors in the following three photos.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #milkyway, #perseidmeteorshower #perseids #nightimephotography #astrophotography
Great Divide Trail Section E, Valley after first p Great Divide Trail Section E, Valley after first pass on the Six Passes route.

New post on www.Bootwreckers.com, preparation and plan for my GDT Section D and E hike for the summer of 2021 (see link in bio)

Learned a lot from last year,  still discovered some new things about hiking and camping.

First post has to do with all aspects of preparation:
- Gear
- Food
- Training
- Itinerary 

The GDT - Where everyday is an adventure.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking
Day 3 of my trip on Great Divide Trail Section E. Day 3 of my trip on Great Divide Trail Section E.

Relatively easy day from Michelle Lakes to Pinto Lake, only over two passes.

I started traveling with two guys I met actually at Yoho a week back, Jason and Bent.

Of course Frosty was on trip, enjoying the early morning at Michelle Lakes.

The first Lake is Upper Michelle Lake.

The photo of me at the pass is at the unofficial names Michelle Pass. Then it was up to Pinto Pass.

I took a one last picture back to Michelle Pass. Last picture is at Pinto Lake.

Great day, only got a little lost.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #zpacks #teamzpacks
Jupiter and 4 little moons First try at astrophot Jupiter and 4 little moons

First try at astrophotography using my camera attached to a telescope, 8" Celeron

Pretty happy with results. Need to research settings for camera to get some colour on Jupiter, but for a first try pretty happy.

Taken from field near Two Jack Lake in Banff NP. Jupiter was over Mt Rundle.

#artofvisual #visualoflife #areyouawake  #earthfocus  #adventurethatislife #createscenery #earthexperience #primeshots #simplyadventure #goparks #wildernessculture #folkscenery #wondersofourplanet #amazingphotohunter #all2epic #milliondollarvisuals #sky_sultans #astrophotography #astronomy
Another photo of the waterfall at Michelle Lakes, Another photo of the waterfall at Michelle Lakes, Day 2 GDT Section E.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #sunstar
#waterfall
#waterfalls
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