Another year is about to close and a new one beginning with endless possibilities. I love taking a few moments in the short days of winter that come around New Years to reflect on both the ups & downs of the last 12 months. Here’s what my year looked like…
With 2016 come and gone, I wish you the best in 2017. Happy adventuring!
Skoki is one of the most popular backpacking areas in all of Banff National Park and usually you have to book months in advance if you want a chance at grabbing a spot in one of the crowded campgrounds. Unless you go in October, that is. After the warm days of summer have turned crisp & cold and before the ski lodge opens in December, you might just have this famous trek all to yourself. That’s what Sil and I found on our 4-day hike & snowshoe last weekend. Continue reading “Skoki Loop in Late October”
Since backpacking in Glacier National Park this spring, I’ve been eager to explore more of Montana. So, when the opportunity to do a trip with BackpackingLight came up, I couldn’t say no. Continue reading “A Windstorm in Montana’s Beartooth Wilderness”
Idaho is famous for its long flat fields of potatoes stretching endlessly into the horizon… but that’s not all this state has to offer. Continue reading “Idaho: more than just potatoes”
I was looking for a challenging, largely off-trail backpacking trip to do just before the arrival of summer. The mountains sandwiched between Canmore, an increasingly busy and overgrown former mining town, and Lake Minnewanka, the longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies, are surprisingly untraveled despite being so close to so many people. With three days to spare, I decided to hike a (nearly complete) loop from the industrial town of Exshaw to Canmore’s Cougar Creek. At 60-km long and choked with flood debris, this proved to give me just the right amount of challenge. Continue reading “Backpacking from Exshaw to Cougar Creek”
Glacier National Park is only a few hours away from where I grew up but, up until last month, I’d never visited. I’m not sure what took me so long. This southern most part of the Canadian Rockies is stunning! Continue reading “Waterfalls of Glacier National Park”
I passed through Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument four years ago after visiting some of the classic highlights of the US South West, like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Escalante has far fewer visitors but it’s no less impressive. This rugged landscape, filled with endless twisting canyons, was one of the last areas in the United States to be mapped and explored. I’ve been excited to get a closer look ever since.
Continue reading “Backpacking in Utah’s Coyote Gulch”
