Blueberry Lake to Kakwa Lake – 130km
July 27 – Back to Blueberry Lake
After a brief break in McBride and Valemount I hitched a ride back to Blueberry Lake. It started raining not long after I arrived but I found the best little tree grove to hide my tent from the cold wet wind. Continue reading “GDT – Grand Finale”
Miette River to Blueberry Lake – 135km
July 19 – A Wet Walk in the Woods
I awoke to a wet world in Jasper. The trail starts off quite gently as it follows the Miette River up toward its headwaters. I knew I was in for a soggy few days when even the initial bit of road was saturated with water and muddy. Continue reading “GDT – Crossing Glacial Rivers”
Maligne Lake to Miette River – 87km
July 11 – Jasper Skyline Trail
I have great memories of hiking the Jasper Skyline Trail with good friends a few years ago. We did it the hard way, starting at the low end of the trail and then dipping down into the Watchtower Basin for a night. Now, as part of my GDT hike, I managed to snag a last-minute spot at Curator Campground. Such good luck. Continue reading “GDT – Jasper Skyline Trail”
Saskatchewan Crossing to Maligne Lake – 135km
June 2 – Washout
I left Saskatchewan Crossing on a crisp morning. It felt like September, not the beginning of July. The walk along the highway was actually quite enjoyable. There was no traffic at all. Continue reading “GDT – Christmas in July”
Field BC to Saskatchewan Crossing – 100km
I’ve had two wonderful days in Golden with Dan and Tara. We stayed up late talking about hiking, geeking out on backpacking gear, and just having a good time. It’s great to connect with like-minded people, especially such nice, generous ones. Tara and Dan are doing a great job of helping hikers and making the Great Divide Trail more accessible. I feel well rested, well fed, and ready to hit the trail. Here’s their sweet dog, Sitka… Continue reading “GDT – Through the Car Wash”
Rockwall Trail to Field BC – 75km
June 21 – First Day of Summer
Andrew and Nicky dropped me back at the trail at noon, which was actually really good timing as the rain had just stopped. Fresh snow dusted all the peaks to the north.
It’s a big climb from the highway up through an old burn but I enjoyed the mix of bright green young plants and dark charred trees. Continue reading “GDT – Rockwall Trail”
Kananaskis Lakes to Highway 93 – 126km
June 11 – Camping in the Snow
A few days after the big snowstorm, I returned to Kananaskis Lakes for what is perhaps the most popular and busiest part of the entire Great Divide Trail. Sil and two good friends joined me for the first half of the day. Continue reading “GDT – Pass the Snow, Please”
Cache Creek to Kananaskis Lakes – 117km
June 4 – Crossing the River
After a few days off waiting for the deep snow to melt a bit, I headed back to the trail. I’d crossed the Old Man River to get to the road and now I needed to cross back. Only that melting snow now swelled the river and made me anxious about being able to cross back over. This is what awaited me immediately downstream if I got swept off my feet… Continue reading “GDT – Snowstorm”
Coleman to Cache Creek – 89km
May 27 – Just Stretching the Legs
I said goodbye to Coleman and set out on a long road walk.
Continue reading “GDT – Deep Deep Snow”
West Castle to Coleman – 48km
May 23 – Postholing Through Deep Snow
For hiking, May is early season in the Canadian Rockies. Really early. July is a pretty normal time to begin walking the 1100-km long Great Divide Trail, June adventurous, but May? Well, it’s been such a low-snow winter, I thought why not start as soon as avalanche conditions permit? Shouldn’t be too much deep stuff left, should there?
Continue reading “Great Divide Trail – Too Early?”
Eating Snow Around the World 