Category: mountaineering

2021 in 12 Photos

2021 was a year of staying at home in Canada, a place that many people dream of visiting. Even though I really wanted to travel, staying at home gave me the opportunity to foster kittens and to welcome a wonderful dog into our home. I reconnected with the mountains at the BMC climbing camp and got together with good friends to explore a rarely visited park, hidden in northern BC. With the cooler temperatures of autumn, I began exploring many more of the beautiful trails that the Kootenays have to offer and set myself a goal of hiking every one of them in my guidebook. Finally, at the end the year, I got to travel again. We picked Chile, one of the safest but most complicated countries to visit, where both the capital and the amazingly scenic Patagonia left a lasting impression.

En 2021 me tocó permanecer en casa en Canadá, un lugar al que mucha gente sueña con ir. Pero, qué sitio tan bonito. A pesar de tener muchas ganas de viajar, me hice amigo de muchas gatitas, a las que cuido como dueño de paso, y una perra cariñosísima. Volví a las montañas rocosas de Columbia Británica a hacer alpinismo y me reuní con buenos amigos para explorar un rincón escondido en el norte del país. Descubrí muchos nuevos senderos y me propuse terminarlos todos, lo cual será un meta a largo plazo. Por fin, a finales del año, me tocó viajar de nuevo. Me fui a Chile para conocer la capital y para desafiarme en los caminos patagónicos. Que el año entrante sea muy especial y lleno de aventuras.

– January – After many years of spending winters travelling, it’s wonderful to snowshoe everyday.
– Enero – Después de muchos años viajando, es maravilloso disfrutar del invierno canadiense.
Continue reading “2021 in 12 Photos” →

BMC 2021

BMC 2021

Nearly every summer since 2014, I’ve attended a week-long mountaineering camp in BC. There are two similar camps, one fairly big and the other more intimate. The larger camp is organized by the Alpine Club of Canada and it’s really quite impressive the logistics that go into hosting 25+ climbers. Given the ongoing pandemic and just because I prefer smaller groups, this year I decided to join the smaller camp organized by Pierre Hungr and his wife Natelle. After missing out on both camps last year due to the pandemic, I was pretty excited for the whole experience. Continue reading “BMC 2021” →

2020 in 12 Photos

2020 hasn’t been the best year for travelling, which has been my main theme and focus for the last ten years. Despite that, I did manage to visit five new countries at the beginning of the year before the coronavirus turned into a pandemic and I’ve also learned a new language – español. While I couldn’t travel during most of the year, staying put in Canada gave me the opportunity to explore my own backyard and to spend time with my loved ones.

El 2020 no ha sido el mejor año para viajar, lo que a mí más me gusta hacer. Sin embargo, logré visitar cinco nuevos países y he aprendido a hablar un nuevo idioma – el hermoso español. No pude viajar durante gran parte del año pero eso me permitió conocer mejor mi propia tierra y pasar más tiempo valioso con mis queridos familiares.

– January – A tea ceremony welcomes us to Kinosaki Onsen, Japan
– Enero – ¡Bienvenidos a Kinosaki Onsen, Japón! Una ceremonia de té nos da la bienvenida más cálida

Continue reading “2020 in 12 Photos” →

2018 in 12 Photos

2018 was a year full of travel, adventures, and some nice time back home. I made sure to keep things interesting by having a wide diversity of themes to each trip, probably more so than I’ve done in recent years. From cooking classes in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur to backpacking trips in Kyrgyzstan and the Grand Canyon, and cycling through Western Australia, it was a great year.

January – Trying strange street-food in Hong Kong

Continue reading “2018 in 12 Photos” →

2017 in 12 Photos

I’ve been terribly remiss in writing about my travels over the last year but I’ve had some great adventures. At the end of one year and the beginning of the next, I love looking back and reflecting on what I’ve experienced. Here are a few of my favourite memories from each month of 2017.

January - I discover my new favourite place to hike & cycle - the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona
January – I discover my new favourite place to hike & cycle – the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona
February - Crisp early mornings give way to scorched afternoons
February – Crisp early mornings give way to scorched afternoons
March - the desert comes alive with the colours of spring
March – the desert comes alive with the colours of spring
April - My first cycle race, the Round-the-Isle Randonee on England's Isle of Wight
April – My first cycle race, the Round-the-Isle Randonee on England’s Isle of Wight
May - I discover the soft rolling landscapes of England's South Downs Way
May – I discover the soft rolling landscapes of England’s South Downs Way
June - Iceland's thundering waterfalls
June – Iceland’s thundering waterfalls
July - An unusually dry summer makes for great mountaineering among BC's rarely visited peaks
July – An unusually dry summer makes for great mountaineering among BC’s rarely visited peaks
August - I discover just how hot the Grand Canyon can get on my first full crossing from the north to the south rim
August – I discover just how hot the Grand Canyon can get on my first full crossing from the north to the south rim
September - I do my best to capture the beauty that Ansel Adams discovered in California's Sierra Nevada
September – I do my best to capture the beauty that Ansel Adams discovered in California’s Sierra Nevada
October - Cycling through Vietnam and Cambodia, I discover some wonderful people and delicious food
October – Cycling through Vietnam and Cambodia, I discover some wonderful people and delicious food
November - I'm awed by the unbelievably massive mountains on Nepal's Annapurna Circuit
November – I’m awed by the unbelievably massive mountains on Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit
December - Sunset over the Himalayas
December – Sunset over the Himalayas

Here’s to more fun adventures in 2018.

2016 in 12 Photos

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…

January - Cycling to the Edge of the World Tasmania, Australia
January – Cycling to the Edge of the World
Tasmania, Australia
February - visiting the famous The Twelve Apostles along Australia's Great Ocean Road
February – visiting the famous The Twelve Apostles along Australia’s Great Ocean Road
March - awed by Bali's new year celebration, Nyepi
March – awed by Bali’s new year celebration, Nyepi
April - salt cracks form octagon shapes in Death Valley's Badwater Basin, the lowest point of North America
April – salt cracks form octagon shapes in Death Valley’s Badwater Basin, the lowest point of North America
May - cycling through the tail end of winter on the Icefield Parkway
May – cycling through the tail end of winter on the Icefield Parkway
June - caught in a snowstorm while traversing off-trail through the front ranges of the Rockies
June – caught in a snowstorm while traversing off-trail through the front ranges of the Rockies
July - mountaineering in BC with the ACC
July – mountaineering in BC with the ACC
August - Rio Summer Olympics!
August – Rio Summer Olympics!
September - sharing great times while trekking through the rugged landscape of Ladakh, India
September – sharing great times while trekking through the rugged landscape of Ladakh, India
October - in Idaho, the higher you get, the higher you get
October – in Idaho, the higher you get, the higher you get
November - stumbled upon a UFO recovery and repair service
November – stumbled upon a “UFO recovery and repair service” in Southern California
December - desert magic in Sedona
December – desert magic in Sedona, Arizona

With 2016 come and gone, I wish you the best in 2017. Happy adventuring!

2015 in 12 Photos

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 in Belize
January – sea kayaking and whitewater canoeing in Belize
February - learning jungle survival skills with two ex-military in Belize
February – learning jungle survival skills with two Guatemalan ex-military
March - Getting accredited as a PADI Scuba Rescue Diver in Honduras
March – getting accredited as a PADI Rescue Diver in Honduras
April - trekking in Nepal
April – trekking the Manaslu Circuit and barely surviving the earthquake in Nepal
May - walking across Scotland from coast to coast as part of the TGO Challenge
May – walking across Scotland from coast to coast as part of the TGO Challenge
June - Absorbing backcountry skills in Colorado
June – absorbing backcountry skills in Colorado
July - Hiking the famed West Coast Trail in unbelievably dry conditions
July – hiking the famed West Coast Trail in unbelievably dry conditions
August - Navigating crevasses and conquering alpine peaks in BC
August – navigating crevasses and conquering alpine peaks in BC
September - Canoeing peaceful lakes in Alberta
September – canoeing peaceful lakes in Alberta
October - volunteering with rescued puppies in Turks and Caicos
October – volunteering with rescued puppies in Turks and Caicos
November - Cycle touring through Sri Lanka
November – cycle touring through tea plantations and cloud forests in Sri Lanka
December - living like a local in Melbourne
December – celebrating my 7th and final continent in Australia!

Yamnuska’s Intro to Alpine Climbing

Yamnuska’s Intro to Alpine Climbing

Glaciologists estimate that the Canadian Rockies will have no glaciers remaining by 2050. That’s shocking for a landscape that was carved out by massive iceflows and is one of the world’s premier places to enjoy and explore alpine terrain. It also means big changes for the millions of people living downstream of the rivers fed by these glaciers. It’s hard to imagine how these cities will function and survive with only seasonal water flow.

That’s a bit of a round-about way to introduce an article about a course on alpine climbing, hosted by the guiding company Yamnuska, that I took part in during the latter half of August. Alpine Climbing is all about accessing these kinds of wild landscapes in as safe a way as possible. It’s a combination of mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, and efficient movement over rugged terrain. My motivation for signing up with Yam for this course was to experience this alpine world for myself and to gain the skills to become a more autonomous climber.

August snowstorm on Mount Rundle
August snowstorm on Mount Rundle – an exciting start to a great week

Continue reading “Yamnuska’s Intro to Alpine Climbing” →

Climbing in BC’s Purcell Mountains

Climbing in BC’s Purcell Mountains

I attended my second Alpine Club of Canada General Mountaineering Camp last week. I loved my first time at the camp last year (despite snow and howling winds in July!) so I was excited to return again this year. I’m amazed at how the camp organizers manage to find such fantastic locations. This year our camp sat atop a small plateau, surrounded by tumbling glaciers and crashing waterfalls in the Purcell Mountains just north of Radium Hotsprings in BC.

The weather started off much as it did last year. Light rain turned into a downpour as we waited for the helicopter to arrive and fog threatened to close in. Very ominous. Fortunately, the flights got through without any trouble, taking us the long way around to avoid having to go up and over the glaciers in such weather. In camp the rain turned to hail, then snow.
Continue reading “Climbing in BC’s Purcell Mountains” →

Alpine Club of Canada Mountaineering Camp

Alpine Club of Canada Mountaineering Camp

In a few days I’m heading to an annual event hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada. I first attended the General Mountaineering Camp (GMC) last year and I’ve been excited to return since.

It all starts with a fun helicopter ride
It all starts with a fun helicopter ride

Each year the ACC chooses a different location for the camp but it’s always spectacular, especially when you arrive by a thrilling alpine helicopter ride. We started the adventure on a foggy day and the helicopter got grounded in camp before it could make its return to pick up all the guests waiting down at the road. This just built the anticipation and excitement. When we finally made it to camp, flying low over rushing streams and cascading waterfalls, I could hardly wait. There were no trails into this pristine alpine area and getting there on foot would be exceptionally difficult, especially with a week’s worth of food and all our climbing gear. That’s one of the luxuries of the GMC.
Continue reading “Alpine Club of Canada Mountaineering Camp” →