Death Valley is exceptionally dry. To be considered a desert, an area must receive less than 10 inches of rain per year. Death Valley is fortunate to get even two inches. That means it’s really hard to find water. You have to carry a lot if you want to do a multi-day hike in the park. The Cottonwood-Marble Canyon loop is one of the few places where natural springs let you explore the wilderness for days without the need to carry gallons and gallons of water. Continue reading “Backpacking Death Valley’s Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop”→
As 2015 draws to a close, I feel the need to look back and reflect upon the year. I’ve had some great adventures and lots of good memories.
January – sea kayaking and whitewater canoeing in BelizeFebruary – learning jungle survival skills with two Guatemalan ex-militaryMarch – getting accredited as a PADI Rescue Diver in HondurasApril – trekking the Manaslu Circuit and barely surviving the earthquake in NepalMay – walking across Scotland from coast to coast as part of the TGO ChallengeJune – absorbing backcountry skills in ColoradoJuly – hiking the famed West Coast Trail in unbelievably dry conditionsAugust – navigating crevasses and conquering alpinepeaks in BCSeptember – canoeing peaceful lakes in AlbertaOctober – volunteering with rescued puppies in Turks and CaicosNovember – cycle touring through tea plantations and cloud forests in Sri LankaDecember – celebrating my 7th and final continent in Australia!
Having recently taken part in the TGO Challenge, a walk across the Scottish highlands from the west coast to the North Sea, I got to reminiscing about another great coast-to-coast walk.
Back in the summer of 2012, Michael and I walked Wainwright’s coast-to-coast trail in northern England. It goes right from one side of the country to the other – from the North Sea, across 300 km of mountains, moors, and classic English countryside to the cliffs of the Irish sea. Here’s my journal and some photos from our adventure…
Usually, people walk the trail from west to east and stay in B&Bs along the route but we chose to go in reverse and to camp as much as we could. This let us save what we felt was the most beautiful (and difficult!) part for last.
When I decided to hike Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail again this year, I had no idea it would be the driest summer since 2003. The WCT is known for torrential rain and mud bogs so deep you sink in past your knees. Those are the kind of conditions I encountered when I first hiked the trail in May 2013. This year the conditions couldn’t be more different. Seven days of perfectly dry weather, bright sunny skies, and barely enough mud to dirty your pant legs. We had short hiking days with lots of time to swim in the warm creeks and relax around campfires in the evening.
Day 1 – Gordon River to Thrasher Bay (south to north)
6 km, 2 hours
It all starts with a boat ride
Just before starting the WCT we also hiked the Juan de Fuca trail. The unusually dry conditions made the risk of a forest fire exceptionally high, so there was a fire ban in place. When we arrived at the WCT information center we were excited to learn that the ban excluded the entire WCT. We couldn’t have been happier. Now, if only we’d brought something tasty to cook over the fire. Continue reading “Drought and Forest Fires on the West Coast Trail”→
Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail is one of Canada’s most popular hikes, and deservedly so. It passes along sandy beaches, stunning waterfalls, towering forests, sandstone sea caves, cliffs and tidal pools. You can see bald eagles, sea lions, seals and maybe even the odd black bear. I hiked the WCT two years ago over four rainy days in May. This year I wanted to come back and take a more leisurely pace, really soaking in the scenery, but also making it a bigger and longer hike by combining it with the Juan de Fuca trail. Together, the WCT and Juan de Fuca make a rugged 150-km coastal route.
Ready to rock at the Juan de Fuca trailhead
You can hike both trails back-to-back, stopping for a night in Port Renfrew. Walking through Port Renfrew between trailheads adds about 10 km but there’s a good chance you can catch a ride. Continue reading “Juan de Fuca + West Coast Trail thru-hike”→
I’ve just returned from my second backpacking adventure with Andrew Skurka. Two years ago I joined Andrew for a 3-day Backpacking Fundamentals course in Washington state’s Olympic National Park. This time I wanted to do a more intense 5-day adventure in the Colorado Rockies.
Next week I’m heading to Colorado for a 5-day backpacking adventure with Andrew Skurka through Rocky Mountain National Park. I first met Andrew, along with Mike Clelland, in 2013 when I attended his Backpacking Fundamentals course in Washington’s Olympic National Park. I’d already done a fair bit of backpacking and didn’t really consider myself a novice so I was surprised and very happy that I learned so much during the 3-day trip. That’s why I’m back again this year.
Day 10 – A Challenge Party
Braemar to Lochcallater Lodge 12:30-14:30 (2 hours), 9 km
I left Braemar after enjoying a tasty breakfast at Gordon’s Tearoom. Nothing like bacon and black pudding to fuel a day’s walk. Two hours later I arrived at Lochcallater Lodge. A few other Challengers had already set up tents just outside and more were inside enjoying hot tea. I was really excited to be at Lochcallater, perhaps one of the most prominent landmarks in TGO Challenge history. Every year Challengers gather here to celebrate, sing songs, and eat and drink late into the night.
Setting up camp at Lochcallater Lodge
The atmosphere was wonderful. Seeing so many friends re-unite after a year apart was touching. And how can you not be in a good mood when you’re in a warm cozy room full of like-minded walkers as cold rain falls outside? Continue reading “Walking across Scotland – the TGO Challenge (part 4)”→
Day 5 – Crossing the Monadhliath
Ault-na-Goire to River Findhorn 09:50-17:20 (7.5 hours), 26 km
It was hard to say goodbye to Ault na Goire and the warm hospitality of Janet and Alec Sutherland. After a very filling breakfast I took my tent down and set off toward the Monadhliath Mountains. Not so much mountains as long, rolling hills, this was perhaps the area that I was most excited to see and also most anxious to get across. In bad weather with rain and fog, navigating through these indistinguishable hills can be notoriously difficult. But what I really wanted to see was the impact of rapidly expanding wind turbine developments. Wind power is a controversial topic in Scotland. In most places it’s thought of as a clean form of power. But in the Monadhliath you can see first-hand how it’s rapidly changing the face of the landscape. Construction and access roads criss-cross the land and heavy machinery thunders by. What’s left of this wilderness is fast disappearing.
Wind-farm construction roads wind their way through the Monadhliath
About as soon as I could I left the wind turbine roads and started walking across the boggy, wet moor. At times I had to make large diversions to avoid steep muddy drops into ravines. I counted at least a dozen stream crossings on the ascent, each feeling colder than the last, as I approached freshly melting snow. Yet, it felt good to walk through wilderness, away from the roads and to follow the tracks of deer and rabbit. While it did rain off and on, there was little fog and I found the navigation within my capabilities. In heavy fog it would be quite the challenge! Continue reading “Walking across Scotland – the TGO Challenge (part 3)”→
This is Part-2 of a trip report from my very first TGO Challenge, a walk across the Scottish Highlands. If you missed the first part, you can find it here: Planning for the TGO Part-1: Torridon to Orrin River
Day 3 – The Weather Turns
Orrin River to Kiltarlity 07:15-19:15 (12 hours), 33 km
The first two days of my walk across Scotland were sunny, warm, calm, and really just perfect. It was hard to believe I was actually walking in a place renowned for its heavy rains and violent winds. When I woke up on the third morning of my journey, Scotland decided to give me a taste of the weather it’s famous for.
I awake to cold mist and drizzle
Rain, mist, wind, more rain. This change in the weather coincided with my first true track-less walking of the trip. As I followed the Orrin River downstream to the Orrin Reservoir, I enjoyed taking out the map and practising my navigation skills. The Scottish Highlands are a great place to sharpen your navigation capabilities. Features such as hills are often rounded without distinct points, making them difficult to distinguish from one another. Often, the best way to navigate is to follow waterways (burns, creeks, rivers, etc.) up over the hills then connect with a new waterway to find your way down the other side. Continue reading “Walking across Scotland – the TGO Challenge (part 2)”→
Eating Snow Around the World 