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Day 8 GDT 2021 – Section E

Looking back at the sunrise from the 2nd pass.

Day 8, August 18th, First Valley Six Passes to Random Camp Bald Hills. 26 km, 1600 m elevation gain, 1450 m elevation loss, 12 hrs 20 min (Segment 27 Six Passes Alternate).

Our hike Day 8. Blue line at top of map is Six Passes Alternative and where it joins the Parks Canada Trails. We deviated from the trail during the scramble off the ridge and random camped on the Bald Hills.
Little video of our hike

The sky was clear overnight and the temperature dropped steadily through the night. I started off quite comfortable in my -9 C down Marmot sleeping bag but at some point during the night I started to feel cold. I ended up pulling my down jacket inside my sleeping bag and sleeping with like a mini blanket. I was warm enough and slept well for the rest of the night but I am quite concerned about my sleeping set up as the temperature overnight did fall below freezing but it was not close to -9 C. Waking up and looking out of the tent in predawn light I could see frost on the ground sheet.

Frost on the ground sheet. It was a chilly morning.

I was out of the tent at about 5:30 am and set off to retrieve the bear canisters and get the coffee ready. It may have been an early start and we had a long way to go but we still needed to start the day with a hot soothing coffee. We had the tent all packed up and were on our way by 6:20 am. Our spirits where very high. I am not sure if we were not just a little naive of what lay ahead of us after successfully completing just one pass.

Frost on the ground. Pretty pink sky. Can see the small hummocks that litter the valley floor.
Emily with gloves on and her Buff on under her hat. Shackle Peak (2867 m).
Pass #2 in the distance. Looks pretty straightforward from here.
Frost collecting on my shoes. I believe I am hiking with my jammie bottoms under my pants for early day warmth.

It was about a 3 km hike to the base of the 2nd pass. Where the creek draining the valley flows under the 2nd pass the ground flattened out creating a marshy area. It appeared that we would have another day with wet feet.

First stream crossing for the day.
Looking back to the valley. Great shot of the hummocks that we had to walk across.
There is a thin layer of ice on the water.

To avoid the marshy ground we cut to the left and walked across a small boulder field to the base of the pass. Just as we started up the pass we spied a bear print in the mud. We knew that there are bears around but we never did see one.

We hiked across the rocks to keep our feet dry.
Couple of bear prints.

From the base of the pass it looked like a pretty straightforward hike up a grassy slope. The pass rose 120 m over 1 km. We headed up the pass zigzagging back and forth creating our own switchbacks. Halfway up we were treated to an spectacular sunrise. We both stopped to take in the view. It was a truly awesome way start to the morning.

The slope up the 2nd pass.
Sun is coming up as we pick our own routes up the slope.
Emily pausing to take in the sunrise.

We arrived at the top of the grassy pass after just 40 minutes of relatively easy hiking. We had a clear view of the 3rd pass which appeared to be another grassy walk. We we feeling very good with two of the six passes down and the prospects of another easy ascent for the 3rd pass.

One last look back to the first valley and the 1st pass in the distance. Can clearly see how wet the ground is at the base of the pass. Good that we stayed near the base of the cliffs.
Arrival at the top of the 2nd pass.
First view of the 3rd pass. Our plan was to hike up around the left end of the trees at the base of the pass then hike diagonally up the pass aiming first for the dirt drainage and then to the lowest point on the ridge.
The stunning cliffs of the Endless Chain Ridge.
Our first view of Maligne Lake

As we made our way down the first pass of the day we had a boulder field on our left. I kept wondering if it made sense to attempt to cut across boulder field to have a more direct path to the bottom. When we got onto the 3rd pass and looked back it was evident that that the best route down the 2nd pass is just to hike to the right (east) and stay on the grassy slope and head to the bottom of the valley. Near the valley floor the ground got quite soggy and it was impossible to keep our feet dry. The best strategy was just to accept the wet feet and march forward. We arrived at the bottom of the valley about 30 minutes after the top of the 2nd pass pass. It was now it was time to head up pass number three.

We would hike in the little space between the boulder field and the trees at centre. It may have been easier to walk on the green slope on the right than squeezing between the trees and the rocks and a creek we could not see.
Its a very sudden division between the rocks and vegetation.
At the valley bottom. There we had another little stream crossing then just headed uphill.
Emily taking a moment to look back.
Flower season appears to be over but there is still a little colour.

After about 25 minutes of heading uphill we stopped for a break and for Emily to tend to her feet. Emily had a couple of hot spots but quick treatment prevented her from getting any blisters. The walking was no more challenging for the 3rd pass than it was for the previous pass. At 280 m of elevation gain the 3rd pass did rise over twice what the 2nd pass did and I feel it made the pass more mentally challenging as the top did not get closer very quickly.

My feet are so wet. I wondered if my shoes will ever be dry again.
Emily putting our blister tape to work.
Emily disappearing over a small ridge.
Footprints. People have gone before us.
This is steeper than it looks. We made our own switchbacks to gain the top.
The ghost behind the camera.
Looking back to the 2nd pass from near the top of the 3rd pass.

When looking back from the top of the 3rd pass the boulder dominates the down side of the 2nd pass. The boulder field is actually a rock glacier. A rock glacier is a mass of rocks that may lie on top of snow and ice or be mixed in with the snow and ice. A rock glacier flows downhill just like a typical ice glacier. The boulder field on the north sides of the 3rd and 4th passes are also a rock glaciers. My research on rock glaciers was from a paper I reviewed on rock glaciers in Jasper published in 1977.

Research paper on rock glaciers and the excerpt that references the Endless Chain.
Emily approaching the top of the 3rd pass.

The grass covered slope that covered most of the pass gave way to a firm rocky base that allowed for an easy arrival at the top. It had taken us exactly 1 hour, including the break, to hike from the valley floor to the top of the 3rd pass covering a distance of 1.7 km.

Looking over to pass number 4. The route is not so obvious.
Roughly the route up the 4th pass.
Heading down. The wall created by the Endless Chain Ridge is truly impressive.
Easy walking. It won’t last.
The initial descent is down a pleasant grassy slope.

The descent off the top of the 3rd pass was initially very easy. I was somewhat concerned at what lay ahead for us. The route up the passes so far had been very obvious but looking at the 4th pass in the distance we were now faced with a heavily tree covered slope with no obvious route up. The biggest lesson we had learned while hiking the Six Passes was to find the top of a pass you need to “follow the drainage”. This became our mantra for much of the day. When one of us asked how do we get to the top the other would answer “follow the drainage”. Drainages tend to be very straight so following them may not be the easiest way to the top but they were definitely effective. After about 20 minutes of downhilling we left the open slopes and started our first true session of bushwhack through the trees. What made negotiating the trees a little more difficult was that there were many little streams running down the hill so you had to be careful where you stepped or your foot could fall much further than you expected which could lead to a twisted ankle or other small but annoying injury.

On the way down and the bushwhacking begins.
Emily route finding.
One of the hazards. The small fir trees hide deep holes usually besides rocks.

It took us just under an hour to arrive at the valley bottom a distance of 3 km and elevation loss of 400m from the top of the 3rd pass. For comparison it took me 42 minutes to descend 420 m off the top of Michelle Pass covering 2.2 km. After a very short walk across the meadow at the bottom of the valley and another small stream crossing we headed uphill into the trees. It was 10:35 am and we had hiked 10.7 km in 4 hrs 10 min.

The bottom of the valley between the 2nd and 3rd passes. Could definitely camp here but not today.
There is no obvious route up.

The trees were very thick as we worked our way up the 4th pass. Our plan when moving through the tress was to look uphill and look for the where the light was, which became another one of our mantras. Where there was light coming through the trees meant that that route would be less densely vegetated as opposed to a route where we could not see any light coming through the trees. Looking for the light in conjunction with the Guthooks (Far Out) app allowed us to make our way through the heavily treed section in a fairly direct route uphill. Very soon we emerged from the trees and out onto more open slopes. I think that the lack of photos during the bushwhacking is an indication of how difficult it was. I was more focused on forward progress than taking photos.

It took me a while to remember why this photo was significant. The log on the ground has been broken and crushed and displays signs of human traffic. I felt reassured that other people had come this way.
Leaving the trees and onto boulder strewn slopes.

It had taken us 40 minutes to clear the trees. The boulder field offered more visibility but it was much slower hiking as we really had to watch our footing going from rock to rock. After about 10 minutes we came to a small gully which was rock free. It was still hard going in the gully since it was straight up hill but the footing was much more secure than it had been on the rocks.

Emily making her way up the rocky slope. With the sun rising in the sky it was now starting to get warm on the south facing slopes
DIRT! Never been happy to see solid dirt. The gully that rescued us from the rocks.
It is up and it is steep but the footing is solid.

The dirt section of the gully started to disappear so we cut to right over a small ridge to another drainage. Emily called time out on our ascent to apply some sunscreen and have a little break. We had been climbing up for about an hour and we had the top in sight so a break was a great idea.

The rocks are hard to hike on but they make great seats.

Similar to the previous pass the top of the 4th pass was on hard packed gravel. We arrived at the top of the pass just 10 minutes after finishing our break. It had taken us 1 hr 26 min to hike 2.1 km from the valley floor gaining 330 m of elevation to the top of the 4th pass. We went right over the pass without stopping and followed a ridge down to the right. We had tremendous views of in every direction and with the hard packed rocks under our feet we could easily take in the views as we walked. What I could see of the 5th pass in the distance was telling me we had more of what we had just completed.

Emily heading down off the 4th pass. Can make out the slopes of the 5th pass in the distance?
Sympathy Peak (2780 m). It does not look very sympathetic.
Looking back the way we had come. The hiking on the top of the ridge was very pleasant.
Monkhead Mt (3211 m) sits at the south end of Maligne Lake. In behind out of view is a glaciated ice field.
The lowest part of the pass is at a drainage which we could have followed from our rest point.

The descent off the top of the 4th pass was quick on packed ground. Similar to the 2nd pass there was a rock glacier below the cliffs but this time we stayed well to the right and did not waste time trying to find a short cut.

Good view of the 5th pass.

It took us only 32 minutes to descend 180 m over 1.5 km from the top of the 4th pass to the valley floor. It was 12:30 pm as we prepared to ascend the 5th pass. We had been hiking for 6 hrs 15 min, gained close to a 700 m of elevation and had covered 12.7 km. We did not know it at this time but this would be approximately halfway for the day in terms of distance, elevation gain and time. After another creek crossing we were face with a wall of trees. Not seeing anything obvious Emily decided that the direct route would be best and plowed her way into the trees. With a little help from the Guthooks (Far Out) App we quickly found a drainage that would take us the majority of the way up the pass.

Heading into the thick of things.
Our friendly drainage.

The drainage was fairly steep in places and I was certainly glad I had my hiking pole to help push me up and over small steps that were frequently in our way. It was hard work going uphill and the conversation level dropped dramatically. After 20 minutes of hiking we started to climb out of the trees and had a better idea of the route ahead.

Breaking tree line. Taking a small break to look around.
Looking back at the 4th pass. Found the footing to be slightly better out of the drainage.
Same location as the previous photo. What lay ahead. What we can see is not the top of the pass.

Once we climbed out of the drainage it was a straight walk up to the top of the pass. It had taken us just 45 minutes to climb 240 m over 1.2 km to the top of the 5th pass. The 5th pass was not as tough as I had feared but the wear and tear of each pass was beginning to take a toil physically on us.

Looking back to the 4th pass from the top of the drainage. The small turquoise lake on the right is an indication that there is glacier erosion taking place. The glacier is hidden under the rocks, hence a rock glacier.
The top is straight up there.
Quite flat at the top of the pass. A short stretch of easy horizontal hiking.

Just a few minutes after crossing the top of the pass we found a nice little ledge to serve as a back rest and stopped for a well deserved lunch. Our lunch spot had an amazing view of the rather diminutive 6th pass and the daunting climb and ridge that would finish off the hike. It was during lunch we got a weather update from Laura that said there was a 80% chance of rain overnight only dropping to 60% in the morning. We decided to complete the ridge and scramble on this day to avoid potentially down climbing in the rain. We were both a little underestimating how challenging the ridge would be. I know in my mind I was envisioning a nice Kananaskis Ridge walk on solid footing. Much to my disappointment this would not be the case.

Looking back up to the 5th pass.
A view to the 6th pass, the twin tarns and the final ridge on the right.
Was a little windy at lunch.
Just drying out her feet. I see the first aid kit near Emily probably applying more tape. Socks drying on the rocks.

We had a solid 40 minute break for lunch. I was quite happy to start heading downhill after lunch as it was a great way to get the legs going again after a long rest. I find it unpleasant to get up after a break and head uphill at maximum effort. Always nice to have a little warm up. Our way down off the ridge followed a drainage, what a surprise. The valley between passes 5 and 6 was the widest valley we had on the Six Passes and the creek running through it was the deep brown colour of a rich dark hot chocolate.

Descending down a drainage.
The 6th pass is very short but has a lot of trees.
One of the wider valleys. Looking like another wet crossing.
With the flowers it is a pretty little creek. Looks like chocolate milk but I don’t think I will sample it.
Small drainage heading into the trees. I think we will follow it.
Emily crossing the creek utilizing well placed rocks to keep her feet dry.

We gathered ourselves up for one last serious bushwhack. It was 2:45 pm and we had hiked 18 km in 8 hrs 20 min. The going uphill was very rough at first. There were lots of downed trees which made our progress very slow. Checking the Guthooks (Far Out) app the route was a little to our left. What a difference just 20 feet made. The app was following a drainage and it would prove to be a big improvement over hiking through the forest. Scrambling down the slope to the drainage was a little exciting.

The going was a little rough.
There were scuff marks on the log so other people had come this way. This is actually pretty good for bushwhacking the trees are not too closely packed together.
Emily making her way down to the drainage.
It was not easy. But it would be better than going through the trees.
Emily displaying how she is feeling. This section was short but tough.
This is only 4 minutes after the last photo. The first section of trail we have seen since Maligne Pass.

After finding a very short section of trail we stayed in the trees utilizing our “follow the light” philosophy. Guthook (Far Out) displayed the route about 20 m – 30 m to our left. This would have put us right under the cliff face hiking on rocks which we opted to not do. Only 35 minutes after we first pushed into the trees we arrived at the twin tarns. The 6th pass was only 1.2 km long and had the lowest elevation gain at just 145 m. It was 3:20 pm we had been hiking 9 hrs 5 min and had covered 19.3 km.

Emily disappearing into the trees. You can see from the cliff to our left that we are almost done. The twin tarns are at the base of the cliff.
The first tarn. The ridge looming large in the background. Our route would be hiking up the grassy slope to attain the ridge working back and forth hiking our own switchbacks.
View from the first tarn.
First Tarn.

If we had been able to stop at the twin tarns the day would have been easily a 15/10 day hiking. The hike had been exhilarating, challenging and spectacular. Unfortunately for us we felt we had to finish the ridge and the scramble while we had good weather or risk scrambling in the rain. Since we were planning on random camping on the Bald Hills and could see no obvious water sources on our map we filled our water bladders with enough water for the remaining hike, dinner and coffee in the morning. After a pleasant 15 min break we heaved our packs onto our backs and headed for the ridge. We avoided the heavily forested area at the base of the south end of the ridge and decided to aim for the grassy slopes and work our way up to the ridgeline.

Crossing the outflow of the tarn.
Easy walk across the meadow before the work starts climbing the ridge.

We worked our way across the meadow at the base of the ridge before heading up. We were walking apart in silence. We both knew what we had to do but the energy level was definitely not what it had been earlier in the day. I lead the way up the slope making several small switchbacks before contouring over to the ridgeline. It took us about 30 minutes to arrive on the ridge and we found ourselves on top of the ridge after 1 hour after leaving the the twin tarns. We found the top of the ridge to quite exposed and the footing very crumbly. We followed the Guthooks (Far Out) app and which had us hiking just below the top of the ridge.

Trying to keep the mood light.
It was a pleasant walk to the base of the ridge.
It’s the land of many lakes.
Getting a little rocky.
Working our way up the ridge.

The first section of the ridge was quite good and we made good time. We had amazing 360 degree views but for the most part we were just focused on our feet and walking. After an 30 minutes of ridge walking we came to a series of very rocky crossings. The large rocks were quite unstable so we descended slightly away from the ridge where we felt a little safer.

The hiking was still good on solid footing.
Looking over to the Balk Hills and Maligne Lake.
Looking ahead along the ridge.
The hiking was still good, it is 4:50 pm.
This was where it got hard.

After skirting passed the crumbly rocks we ascended back to the ridge for the final push to the summit. On paper the climb to the final summit rises just 70 m over 1/2 kilometer. This minor climb would take us a punishing 15 minutes. Much like the first pass the ground was very soft and every push wasted some energy as the ground gave way under our feet. Both of us were in agreement afterwards that this was the hardest section of hiking we have done.

The view from the ridge. The plateau is called the Bald Hills.
The final grind. Just 7 minutes from the top.

During the ridge walk I was super nervous and constantly looking at the sky. The sky was a little cloudy but in no way was it threatening but I kept looking to the west every few minutes to check on the incoming weather. We had a bad experience on a ridge when we hiked the GR20 in 2018 and ever since I am not happy when exposed at altitude in anything but perfect weather. We had blue skies and some cloud and I was sure it was not going to rain but I could not relax until we were off the ridge.

The view down the ridge. It really was quite stunning.
The view from just before the summit.

I arrived at the summit first. It was 5:40 pm and we had been hiking for 11 hrs 15 minutes and had covered 23 km. I had a few moments of concern as I looked over the edge at what awaited us on the descent. In my research I had read that it was an easy scramble off the summit. It looked incredibly steep to me and I was not at all happy about having to make our way down what I saw but I knew in the back of my mind that we had little choice. Emily was very tired as she approached the summit and she quickly voiced her very strong displeasure at the idea of scrambling down off the summit. I recall her saying something to the effect of “I’m not doing that!”. Interestingly Emily’s reaction helped focus me as I had already had my “holy crap” moment and had come to terms that there was no option. I could see from the top that the first ledge just a few feet below us had boot prints in the dirt. This reassured me that people had done this before. I quickly hopped down to start the descent and to demonstrate to Emily that it was possible. After arriving at the first ledge I shuffled over to my left and then had to bum scooch down a small slab. My shoes did not have Vibram soles so I did not have great grip on rocks so bum scooching while not very elegant was a safe way down the slab. When Emily descended the slab she just walked down without any hesitation. The steepest part of the scramble lasted only about 5 minutes. The change in the slope was not a lot but it was noticeable and it made a big difference to us mentally. The Six Passes Route follows the ridge onto the Bald Hills. We could see that there was another crumbly boulder crossing on the ridge like the ones that we had crossed on the main ridge earlier. So we had a little team meeting and decided to leave the ridge and hike straight down and onto the Bald Hills. There was still a boulder field to cross but crossing at the bottom took away the risk of falling and was just mentally easier. The rest of the descent was actually quite easy. The limestone formation making up the cliff was broken nicely into a series of steps. The slope was still very steep a small slip would have a person falling a long way. We slowly and carefully worked our way day shouting encouragement to each other and reminders to be careful. It took us 35 minutes of careful descending to drop 200 m to arrive on moderately flat ground.

This was taken after just 3 minutes of descending. While still steep we had grown in confidence that the scramble was not quite as bad as it had first appeared. We still had to be careful and after such a long tough day we moved slowly and methodically as we descended.
One last boulder field and we were on firm ground. Now it was time to find a campsite. The boulder field extends to the ridge and is why we decided to abandon the ridge.

We walked easily across the Bald Hills the smooth level ground a welcome relief from the ridge. While very tired our spirits were high as we had completed the Six Passes, tomorrow would be a short day and it would soon be dinner time. We wanted to find a small stand of trees to act as wind block to the west. After 35 minutes of walking we settled on a nice spot that did have access to fresh water. It was 6:35 pm and after hiking for 12 hrs and 20 minutes covering 25.5 km we were done for the day!

Tent all set up. A very happy Emily.

To highlight how tough a day it was after dropping our packs Emily called for a team hug. This does not happen so it made the moment all the more special. After quickly setting up the tent we realized that we were on a bit of slope so we made some channels to funnel any rain water away from the tent. We would thoroughly brush the area the following morning to remove any trace of our campsite. We set up our kitchen in a small ephemeral stream bed a little away from camp. Emily reread the guide book and its description of the Six Passes now that we had knowledge of the route.

Our attempt at building some canals around the tent.
Emily reading about the guidebook’s description of our day and about what is in store for us tomorrow.
Putting the tent to use drying out the socks.
The Six Passes Route is just up on the ridge in the distance.
The tall peak left of centre is Samson Peak (3081 m) and the glacier in the distance identifies Maligne Mountain (3192 m)
Good view of the summit of the ridge. It was only a couple of hours ago that we were on the summit.
Summary of the day.

Good night from the Bald Hills.

Day 9 GDT Section E 2021

GDT Section E 2021 (aborted Section D) Home

bootwreckers

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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