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Day 5 GDT Section C – 2020

Heading up Citadel Pass.

August 15th, Lake Magog CG to Howard-Douglas CG, 22 km, 785 m elevation gain, 689 m elevation loss, 7 hrs 50 min (all distances and elevation are as per the guide book), Section C Segment 17.

We have no Viewranger track for this segment as I was concerned about the battery usage of the SPOT X and our limited ability to recharge as I had brought only one battery charger that was rated for two full recharges for a standard phone. I decided that keeping the SPOT X charged was more important than the tracking our hike. Once back home I did do a manual track on Viewranger, called a ‘Route’ and was very surprised that even though the day finished off with a stiff hike up Citadel Pass gaining 450 m we finished at Howard-Douglas CG less than 100 m above where we started at Lake Magog CG. Checking the profile of the day it starts as a long continuous downhill hike steadily losing elevation until finally reaching the low point after 12 km. The elevation gain is limited to 3 km between km’s 13 and 16 with the hike finishing off downhill into Howard-Douglas CG. The net elevation gain for the day was about 80 m.

I was up and out of the tent around 7 am. Today was a moderate length day at around 22 km so we were not afforded the luxury of sleeping in but we were not in a big rush to get going either. I expertly boiled the water for coffee and we had our coffee and Logan Bread while packing up the campsite. We headed off down the trail at about 8:30 am. The day was overcast with heavy cloud. Emily started off the day with her lightweight fleece over top her hiking shirt.

Breakfast time.
Trail starts off in the forest that blankets the north west shore of Lake Magog.
Quickly exchange the forest for walking in an alpine meadow.
Not a great view of Mt Assiniboine.

We made our way back to the Assiniboine Lodge and hung a left. We would spend most of the day hiking in Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park and the signage along the route was excellent. We dropped through a little canyon into a wide open meadow that stretched for miles in all directions. We would hike in the meadow all the way to Lake Og. It is thought that the meadow formed the basin of an ancient lake.

A little drop in elevation. A stream must have flowed here once to carve the little canyon.
Decision time.
The clouds are clearing.
I am on the trip. Emily has taken her fleece off. It is 9:10 am.
The view ahead of us.
The view behind us.
Emily rarely passes up an opportunity for a little climbing. The cliff behind Emily is Cascade Rock (2880 m) the high point of the ridge leading to the far right is Mt Cautley (2880 m). The centre peak has no name but is also at a height of 2880 m.

The sun started to come out behind us but it was still cloudy where we were heading. The elevation drop to Og Lake is only 70 m over the 4 km from the Assiniboine lodge. When you look at the profile, it is very apparent how this section is believed to have been a lake in the distant past. Over time the water has carved a path through the limestone and produced a clear steadily downhill route to Og Lake. Og Lake is a example of karst lake; it has no outlet, and instead the water drains through cracks in the limestone that forms the bottom of the lake.

Emily’s Note: I like that boulder. That’s a nice boulder.

The segment marked as “Ancient Lake Bed” has an elevation drop of only 30 m over its 4.5 km length. Distances measured from Magog Lake CG.
Emily following the well graded trail down the Og Lake.
Limestone is a great place to find caves. Caves are produced by water flowing through the limestone. Is anyone living inside?
The trail leads that way to Og Lake. It is cloudy but the views are spectacular.

We arrived at Og Lake 55 minutes after Emily had stood on her pedestal. Og Lake has a pretty little campground. The tent sites are very open and not a lot of privacy or protection from the wind. The campground offers a great view of Mt Assiniboine, but for us the peak was still buried in the clouds. We dropped our packs to investigate the campground and to use the biffy. We made a small error in judgement at this time because we had neglected read the guidebook before we started the day. The guidebook states very clearly the next section from Og Lake to Citadel Pass is very dry with little to no water sources. Lacking this knowledge we did not take the opportunity ensure we had enough water for the hike to and over the pass. We did end up rationing our water as we climbed the pass in the afternoon sun. The next water source ended up to be about 10 km from Og Lake and consisted of a couple of small ponds just shy of the top of Citadel Pass.

Og Lake, the campground and Mt Assiniboine in the distance.
The information board at Lake Og. I feel the photos are a little dated.

After a few minutes of relaxing we left Og Lake and headed on our way to Citadel Pass. The trail heads up a small rise then drops down a long valley towards the junction for Porcupine CG. This was a fun section of trail with many short ups and downs and little twists and turns. A stark contrast the long steady descent to Og Lake. We dubbed this the Rock Garden because of the many loose rocks that were scattered across the landscape. The official name is the Valley of the Rocks.

Emily surveying the path forward.
The winding trail.
A snapshot of the Valley of the Rocks. A winding trail, sparsely vegetated and has lots of limestone rubble.
A very zoomed in photo of a pika.
One of the many small ups along the way.

During our time in the Valley of the Rocks we ran into a couple of guys relaxing among the rocks. They had a week long trip planned from Sunshine Village to Mt Shark Parking lot. They were traveling about half our daily distance each day. Emily remarked that they were probably having a great time not being in a rush. We stopped for lunch at 11:45 am. It had been about 1 hr 20 min since we left Og Lake.

Emily’s Note: I like full hiking days, I do, but I also really see the appeal in taking a chill trip where you’re completely free to just amble along the trail and stop and swim or sit whenever you want to. One of these days I need to drag one of my non-backpacker friends out for a trip like that.

Wraps for lunch. On the left Emily has some dried hummus (I dried it for her). I am going with the sliced pepperoni.
End of lunch. Glad we had the butt pads, the rocks were very sharp.

We got going again after lunch at 12:10 pm. The sun was shining, we had blue skies and our water supplies were dwindling. We came to the junction to Porcupine campground at 12:35 pm roughly 13 km since the start of our trip. The junction signaled the end of the Valley of the Rocks. We would lose a little more elevation before beginning our 7 km climb up Citadel Pass. The trail conditions changed drastically as we left the junction. The loose rocks that had been underfoot since Og Lake disappeared leaving us with a much softer trail with few rocks. The initial part of the hike to the pass was a long side slope along the lower flanks of Golden Mt. We lost whatever shade we had been enjoying and with the south facing slope slowly started to bake in the afternoon sun. We crossed many stream beds that were indicated on our map but they were all dry.

Not a lot of shade along our winding path.
The Valley of the Rocks is coming to an end.
Emily checking out the the signpost. What is interesting is that you can continue onto Porcupine CG and then follow the valley all the way to Hwy 93. We are going right. 7 km to Citadel Pass.
Grassy slopes softer tread under our feet.
High five. Go team.
Emily working her way along Golden Mt. Simpsons Ridge across the valley to our left.
It quite a steep slope Emily is hiking on. Do not want to tumble down the hill. The peaks at the end of the valley are The Monarch (2904 m) near Sunshine Village. This was only 10 minutes after the previous photo.
Trail is now stating to head up.

We arrived at the west junction for Porcupine CG at 2 pm a distance of 4 km from the east junction. The elevation change over the 4 km between the junctions was only 125 m. This left us with the bulk of the 480 m climb to Citadel Pass to be gained in the remaining 3 km. The trail kicked up steeply for just a km or so leaving a very moderate final 2 km to the pass. We had a little treat shortly after leaving the junction when we met a group coming the other way who had an adorable and friendly dog. I do not remember the dog’s name but it was very pleasant and amused us by chasing a small stick we tossed and bringing it back to us so we could toss it again. After a couple of minutes of doggie play time we said our goodbyes and headed back uphill. Our water situation was not great; I ran dry soon after we left the junction. There was two small ponds shown on the map at near the top of the pass just a short distance away, so I was not worried about dehydration but quite annoyed at myself by getting into the situation.

Aggressive wildlife.
Its only 3 km to Citadel Pass and then just over 3 km to Howard-Douglas CG. We have come 16.5 km from Lake Magog.
It is not really that far up the hill.
DOGGIE!

It was a quick, hot (for us) hike to the two small ponds at the top of the steep climb. The trail followed the drainage up with few switchbacks. The tall grasses had us on high alert for bears. Looking back Mt Assiniboine slowly climbed into view in the distance. We did not talk much, focusing our energies on getting to the next water source. We crested a rise and the trail split. We went to right, where we had a quick drop to what was left of the lower pond. At this time in the summer the pond was more of a slew than a pond. The colour of the water did not excite me very much but it was water. We finished off what little we had of Emily’s water and headed down to the pond to replenish our supply.

Mt Assiniboine coming into view just left of centre.
The trail stayed in the open exposed to the sun. It had been overcast when we started our hike at Lake Magog. Good bear territory.
The end of the hard part. The trail flattens out after this. The lower pond is just down to the right.
Main trail goes left so we went right to the water.
Hmmm water.

We carefully stood on some rocks to collect water as far away from shoreline as possible to minimize the sludge we might pick up. There water was definitely not high quality, with lots of little floaties in it. We dropped an extra iodine pill into each of our bottles and figured in half an hour we would be good to go. A couple came by as we were getting ready to leave. The were carrying one two-litre bottle for water. Their bottle was barely a quarter full so we asked them were they were headed. Og Lake was the reply. We suggested that they fill up here as there was no water until Og Lake. We were slightly horrified when they just dipped their bottle into the pond and took a drink. We offered up some pills since the water was not the best. They declined saying they never filtered or purified their water. After a short discussion they did accept our offer of a couple of pills. Not sure why people take the risk with water.

Emily’s Note: This was some of the more disgusting water I’ve drank on a trail. Not quite stagnant standing water, but going in that direction. I ended up pouring most of it out later, though I was glad to have it right then, since we were parched and it was boiling out. I nearly always purify my water, even if its from a crystal clear creek–you never know if there’s something dead just upstream–but standing water? Wouldn’t risk it.

Back on the trail heading to the pass.
Breaking out into the open. Citadel Peak (2610 m) looming in the background.
The second of the two ponds on our map. Not a stellar option.

After a pleasant well graded approach we arrived at the pass at 3:30 pm. It had taken 2 hrs 50 min since we left the first junction at the end of the Valley of the Rocks, and about 25 minutes from our water source. With the hike up to Citadel Pass being on a south facing slope the afternoon sun had made it quite a warm hike. With the increase in elevation Mt Assiniboine came back into view. We would not lose sight of Mt Assiniboine for good until we left Sunshine Village Ski Resort tomorrow.

Emily’s Note: I can’t count how many times we “said a final goodbye to Mt Assiniboine,” only to spot it again the next afternoon.

Mt Assiniboine rises above the rest.
Taken us exactly 7 hrs to hike 19.5 km from Lake Magog CG.
Only 3.2 km to our campsite at Howard-Douglas CG. Fatigue Pass sounds intriguing.
Amazing map in the middle of the backcountry. Glad we are not lost.
Citadel Pass

Emily has a few unwritten rules when hiking and it is good not to violate them. After reaching the top of a climb Emily likes to take a few minutes to savour the view afforded by all the work it took to get there. I had already been to this exact spot on a previous backcountry trip with Siobhan and Links to Howard-Douglas. Knowing that the end of the hike was an easy 3 km downhill walk I pushed on as soon as we arrived at the pass. Emily followed but was not happy. It was not until we had been in camp for a while that Emily informed me that she was not pleased with leaving the pass so quickly. I did my best on the rest of the trip to wait and pause to take in the view before moving on.

Emily’s Note: “Not happy” he says, like I wasn’t trudging behind him plotting his grisly death by horse fly for 3km. I believe ‘hangry’ is the term. Luckily, we’re pretty good communicators, so we always manage to clear these things up pretty quickly. And to be fair, if we had stayed at the pass we probably would have been devoured by horse flies anyway. They were out in force that day.

We are headed to the mountain at centre, Quartz Hill (2580 m). The campground is nestled at the base of Quartz Hill.
Citadel Peak is more impressive from this side.
The flowers are out.
Final approach to the lake.

We threw our packs down at 4:25 pm, 7 hrs 50 min since leaving Lake Magog. Shortly after we arrived, the French couple from our first night arrived in camp. I have no idea where we passed them on the trail. The could have been at Porcupine CG. They did not have a permit for the campground and were asking Emily and I what to do. A voice from one of the tents yelled out that they should just find a spot off to the side and everyone would be happy. As it was a gorgeous day one of the first things I did was to put the beer that I had carried for four days into a creek to cool. It never did get very cold but it sure did taste great.

Well earned.

After setting up the tent we washed ourselves and our clothes in the lake. More a rinse really as we did not use any soap. It was very refreshing.

Emily’s note: When the horse flies weren’t attacking, that is.

Tent all set up. With the wood chips probably do not need the ground sheet.
Emily doing laundry.
Working on my tan.
Nothing more invigorating than a cold water wash.

Not sure if it is because it was among the smallest campgrounds we stayed at but we had a really lovely time all evening talking with the different campers. During dinner we chatted with an older group of three, two ladies and hubby. The hubby, for some reason, (Emily’s note: snoring) was banished to his own tent as the ladies shared one between them. They were a great group of people. While getting older and little slower they had some amazing stories of hiking across the northern tundra. The stories were super intense and provided Emily and I with food for thought on new places to explore. At some point, the hubby discovered a crack in his flask that was carrying his whiskey, so I had to help him drink the whiskey before it leaked out. The whiskey, combined with the beer that I had with dinner, made me feeling a little light-headed for part of the evening.

After dinner we all congregated near a log by the lake. We struck up a conversion with the other group at the campsite, a father/son duo. The son had been pretty silent all evening as the adults dominated the conversation so I purposely asked the son questions to bring him into the discussion. Turns out he was in university like Emily, and from there the conversation grew naturally as they discussed the different ways Covid had impacted their schools and university experiences.

Good night from Howard-Douglas CG.

Day 6 GDT Hike Section C 2020

GDT Section C 2020 Home

bootwreckers

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
Campsite at Lower Michelle Lakes, Day 2 GDT Sectio Campsite at Lower Michelle Lakes, Day 2 GDT Section E.

Scored the best campsite on the trip at Lower Michelle Lakes. Had more own personal waterfall. Frosty as always had the best spot.

Spent the day relaxing, reading and watching the helicopter activity. 

Started the next day hiking with Jason and Bent who camped by Upper Michelle Lakes and did not know about the waterfall.

#greatdivide #greatdividetrail #gdt #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #thruhiking #outside #backpacking #zpacks #teamzpacks
Morning at Ball Pass Junction, west end of Haiduk Morning at Ball Pass Junction, west end of Haiduk Peak.  Day 3 of our hike around the Egypt Lake area. Thrilled with the colours of the morning sky.

We had some rain overnight, but not much. The clouds lifted off later in the morning. 

Another great day on the trail with @sio.mellors

#parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #sunset #shadowlake #Egyptlake #banffalberta #banffnationalpark #banffcanada
Evening at Shadow Lake, Banff NP. Super fun 4 day Evening at Shadow Lake, Banff NP.

Super fun 4 day hike with @sio.mellors thought the trails around Egypt Lake area.

Shadow Lake was our first evening and was a lovely place to watch the sunset.

 #parkscanada #parks #bcparks #trails #longdistancehike #longtrail #outdoors #outside #thruhike #hike #sunset #shadowlake #Egyptlake #banffalberta #banffnationalpark #banffcanada #reflection #reflections
Day 1 Great Divide Trail Section E 2021, Saskatche Day 1 Great Divide Trail Section E 2021, Saskatchewan River Crossing to Upper Owens Creek.

First day of my 11 day hike from Sask River Crossing to Jasper. I was solo for the first 5 days before being joined my my daughter at Four Points CG.

This was only day I actuall slept on my own.

I left Sask River Crossing at 12:30pm followed an old road that intersected th GDT just past the park gates.

Hiked until about 6:30pm as I wanted to camp near tree line for a clear view of th nights sky. The sky was clear and the Perseids Meteor shower was on and did not disappoint 

Photo 1) my tent and the Milky Way

Photo 2) Me getting ready to  head out

Photo 3) view looking West along th north Saskatchewan River

Photo 4) water dropping into the canyon on Owens Creek

Photo 5) the slide that gave people grief earlier in the summer was passable at creek level

Photo 6) the confluence was a mess a hard going

Photo 7) nice waterfall after th confluence

Photo 8) little Canyon near upper reaches of th creek

Photo 9) dinner cooking in th kitchen

Photo 10) Frosty Paws, me and my tent

Was a great day out on th trail.

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