We’ve put together a video with highlights from our trip through Section C of the Great Divide Trail (GDT) in 2021. We will be putting out more videos in the future, so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
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Mentally Preparing for a Multi-Day Hike
Notice I didn’t say, “thru-hike”? That is because I haven’t spent months on a trail and so I can’t speak to being away from home for a duration longer than two weeks. What I do have is experience with trying to keep up with a faster partner, mom-guilt, and pushing through day after day of hiking tough terrain. Here are a few of my recommendations for a successful multi-day hike.
Set Goals
Trails aren’t easy. Unless you picked a trail with flat terrain and nice gravel paths, you are in for elevation ascents and descents, uneven ground, and a variety of other changing conditions from mud to bugs. There are times when you will feel miserable with the rain pouring down on you while the clouds block the views that you were hoping to see after a long climb. You might also find that despite your best efforts to prepare for the hike, your legs aren’t cooperating and discover climbing switchbacks to be especially difficult. Setting goals will be a huge help in winning the mental game of a hike.
Creating goals allows you to break your hike into bite-sized pieces rather than feel intimidating by what is yet to come. Goals can look different depending on what motivates you, such as:
- Target a visible point on the trail, such as a tree twenty feet above on the switchback or the top of a particularly muddy climb.
- Take a Zero Day. There is no rule that you can’t leave trail and head into town for a shower, an overnight in a hotel or a nice hot meal. Setting the goal of a Zero Day might be the motivation you need when facing a particularly challenging day.
- Reward yourself for reaching a milestone. Rewards can be as simple as a long rest or a drink of water to a snack you have been saving or a drink you tucked away in your pack. Celebrate 50km, 100km, or reaching the top of your first pass. Whatever it is, celebrate your wins.
- Set a long-term goal of a particular campsite you want to reach. For me, I was determined to get to Floe Lake on the GDT. I had seen pictures before the start of our hike and was going to push through to make sure I got there.
Know Your Why
There will be stretches of the trail where you love every moment of being out there and times where you wonder what you got yourself into. When the bugs are trying to bite, your legs are scratched up and your feet hurt, you can find yourself spiraling into continuous thoughts of misery. This negativity can take distract you from the beauty that surrounds you and taints the experience.
Recalling why you decided to hike the trail will help refocus your thoughts away from the immediate misery to the payoff that lies ahead. For some, the why will be the accomplish of completing a trail end to end. Others might want to hike a trail to reach a particular view. Fitness might be a why. There are also hikers who are there for the personal journey. Whatever your reason is for hiking, there will be days when you will reflect back on your why. It doesn’t need to be an earth-shattering reason, but the reason will be important to you. The reason is what you will judge your days against. Are you getting out of this hike what you’re putting into it? Is it worth the suffering, sacrifice or cost?
During the last leg of our GDT hike, I found myself mentally drained. We were pulling long days on the trail and I felt I had spent most of those days staring at the ground rather than at the views. The trail had become rather technical with overgrown bushes snagging my already fatigued ankles. Whenever I caught up with my husband, he would take off and I wouldn’t get a chance to stop and take in the view as I felt I was going to be left behind. I was struggling to finish the hike because I wasn’t satisfying the why, which is to enjoy the views. Once I expressed to my husband that he needed to give me time to stop to enjoy the views, I found a renewed energy every time we took a break. Knowing your why is no joke.
Reflect on How Far You’ve Come
Take a moment to look over your shoulder to see how far you’ve climbed or the distance you’ve covered. There will be days when the climb seems to go on forever. While some of the climb will be more vertical with switchbacks zig-zagging up the mountain side, other climbs will also take you across more horizontal miles. Depending on where you are, you might see a distant highway, a river you crossed in the morning, or the valley where you camped the night before. You might not be able to see the bottom of the mountain where the climb started or the lake you swore was down there somewhere but is obscured through the trees or blocked by a ridge.
Every time you put one foot in front of the other, you are that much closer to completing your trail or celebrating your next milestone. Looking back provides a moment for you to reflect on what you have accomplished. On our GDT hike, I can recall a few times when I looked back and marveled at how far I had come.
One particularly memorable moment was standing at the top of Wonder Pass surrounded by snow and I turned back to see the ridgeline of mountains behind us. Although I was chilly, I took some time to ponder how I was standing there in the snowy mountains. I never imagined myself hiking in a place like that, and there I was. It felt surreal. We had come so far and we couldn’t see where we had started from. There was still so much trail to go, but I felt like I had conquered the GDT.
Hike Your Own Hike
On the trail, I tell my husband he hikes like a gazelle or a mountain goat. While he happily hikes up a mountainside, I work for every inch. He doesn’t look like he feels any drain from the climb while I need to stop and guzzle water. Our bodies are very different and it can make for some interesting challenges when I want to rest on flat ground when he is getting twitchy, anxious to get moving again.
Hiking your own hike, to me, means hiking without judgment. Don’t try to compare your need for breaks against your partners. Communicate what you need and set expectations for frequency of stops and distances that can be covered in one day. Depending on your comfort level, you might have your faster partner hike ahead of you with the intention of to meet up where there is a junction or at a creek crossing. Your partner could scout out flat ground during difficult climbs so you know how much further you need to go before your next break.
You don’t need to be jealous of your hiking partner’s abilities or criticize how you perceive your fitness level. Remember that you have 30lbs or so of weight on your back and are doing something that millions of people wouldn’t dare try. You are already doing something amazing and while it’s hard, you’re putting one foot in front of the other and will reach your campsite or the trailhead if you keep going.
Include Your Loved Ones
Being in the middle of the mountains or forest means you have limited to no access to internet or cell phone service. This can be challenging if you have children or pets at home. Even though you have made arrangements to have them cared for while you are on trail, you will find your thoughts being pulled toward wondering if they miss you or if they are okay. These thoughts distract you from the views you have worked so hard to reach.
Remember that your time on the trail is limited. While you aren’t away on a work trip, you are doing something that mentally recharges you. Your children, and your pets, will enjoy hearing about your adventure and see the pictures you took along the way. Your dog will be especially interested in hearing about all the squirrels you saw.
Identify plants, rocks, formations, or any other sights long the trail that a loved one back home would appreciate and take a photo of it. Finding ways to include them helps to eliminate any guilt you feel about leaving them behind and makes it feel like they are with you. Thinking about what they might like will also get you thinking about different perspectives and you will spot things on the trail that you might otherwise have missed. You don’t need to bring them a souvenir when you come home. Just tell them what you saw that reminded you of them.
Write It Down
My final recommendation is to journal and write about the highlights of your day. Write about there being toilet paper in outhouses, animals you spotted, the ups and downs from the day… whatever it is, document it. You can read your entries while on trail or when you leave trail, but writing helps you sort through your thoughts from the day and identify changes you need to make to improve the next day.
Journaling also gives you something to review before your next hike. You can see what worked for you and what factors were negatively impacting your experience. When preparing for your next hike, you can implement changes or equip yourself differently so you have all the tools in place to have a successful hike. Adding a pen and a thin notebook to your pack isn’t a big addition to the weight you’ll carry. It will not only give you that opportunity to mentally check-in, but it will also give you another way to capture your trip and recall those great memories you make along the way.
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AZT Prep – Gear Changes – Cheryl
I thought I would highlight a few pieces of gear I am reusing and what I am bringing in new this time around.
New Gear
In preparation for hiking the AZT in March, I have made a couple of purchases, or am going to be making a few purchases to have the right gear and some added flexibility.- Go Pro Hero 12 – One thing I wanted to do is take video on our hikes. Previously, I had used my cell phone to capture some footage, but I was always concerned about dropping it. I also didn’t necessarily want to bring it out in the rain and missed capturing some of the more challenging moments on the trail. I enjoy seeing videos from other hikers and I know my friends appreciate seeing the places we have been. With the Go Pro Hero 12, I am looking forward to getting video and sharing our experiences through another medium.
- Cotopaxi Hip Pack – Having quick access to supplies such as toiletries and Go Pro accessories was a priority for me this trip. After stressing about what the tuckamore would steal from my pack while hiking in Gros Morne National Park this summer, I didn’t want to have as many items tucked in my backpack’s side pockets, such as my toiletries bag. I also don’t want to leave anything of value in my backpack should we decide to go on a day hike and leave the remainder of our gear at our campsite. My only concern will be comfort when wearing the hip pack along with the waist belt of my backpack. I see an update coming in the future.
- Montem Trekking Poles – If you read our Gros Morne National Park trip reports, you would have read how I bent a trekking pole after sinking and falling into a muddy bog. We hunted around for replacement trekking poles for the trip and came across the Montem brand. My brand new white poles have already arrived and the company has sent customer service messages to let us know they will be responsive to any concerns. I think I already like them as a company, so I will be even happier if I like their trekking poles. After the hike, I will need to do a gear review on them.
- Gossamer Bottle Rocket (or Similar) – I am currently trying to track down an accessory for my backpack that will attach a 750ml water bottle to my shoulder strap. I am tired of turning in circles when attempting to slip my water bottle back into the backpack side pocket. I keep running into shipping issues where a $15-30 item will have taxes and shipping costs totaling around $25, bringing the total expense to around $50. That’s more than I want to pay for a little pouch that hangs off of my pack. Stay tuned for whatever I eventually find.
- Pillow – I decided to give a new pillow a try on this trail. When I track down the name of the new pillow, I’ll update this post. While my Trekology pillow was easy to inflate and never leaked on me, there was something about it’s shape and how it always slid off of my mattress throughout the night that I didn’t like. Also, the fabric on my face was not the most comfortable. I’m hoping my new choice of pillow will work better for my sleeping style and maybe will stay in place better.
- Shorts – For the first time, I will be packing shorts. There is no way I would not bring a pair of pants as cold mornings will mean cold legs, but knowing I will be hiking in the desert in hot temperatures during mid-day, I am definitely wearing shorts. I have never done a multi-day hike in shorts as we have always gone to the mountains or to Newfoundland where temperatures really aren’t ideal for those with exposed legs. I’m looking forward to the warmth.
Returning Gear
- Saucony Peregrine 11 Trail Runners – The last time I used these was on the Pioneer Footpath, which I found was not the right shoe for Newfoundland and Labrador terrain since I needed the ankle support for the hidden uneven “trails”. I then used my Keen Hikers for our Gros Morne hike and found the ankle support gave me more confidence when stepping on the moss that deceptively made you believe the terrain was soft and even. The trail runners were great for our hike on the Great Divide Trail where the terrain was visible and rocky, so they are making a comeback for the AZT.
- Outdoor Research Puffy – I love my little green puffy. It keeps me warm when I need it most and is light to pack around. I also like to use it as an extension of my pillow when my Trekology pillow decides to go exploring in the middle of the night.
- Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xtherm and Synthetic/Down Hybrid TopQuilt – I run cold and I have found this combination of a sleep system works well for me. While we are going to add sleeping pads for more protection from pokey things on the ground, I am not going to change my sleep system. It kept me warm in Gros Morne and I am confident it will keep me warm on the AZT.
- Durston Drop 40L – While I do want to get a water bottle holder for my shoulder strap, this pack has been great for me now that I know how to adjust all the loaders and waist strap to suit my needs. I have beaten on this pack, dragging it along the rough surface of boulders as I slid down to tossing it into the back of vehicles. It remains in good shape and keeps everything dry. Even though we’ve never had a problem with moisture, we have still always put our clothes and other items in dry sacks. This time we are going with a pack liner and will just stuff everything in there so we don’t leave any spaces unfilled.
- The North Face Pants – I can’t tell you how much I love my North Face pants. These things are comfortable and durable. I have slid down so many surfaces while wearing these things and they are still in great shape. Sure the fabric is getting a little rough and pilly, but they are my favorite piece of clothing. They are definitely coming with us.
While I’m making some gear changes, almost everything is going to remain the same. I think I have my gear pretty dialed in and I like the way it operates. Comfort for me on the trail means using what is familiar and my trusty gear has performed well on our backcountry trips thus far. It is even making me feel almost comfortable enough to consider doing a solo hike. Don’t tell Oliver I said that.
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Gros Morne Northern and Long Range Traverse Summary
In August 2023, we decided to hike both the Northern and Long Range Traverse in Newfoundland. The Northern Traverse is estimated at 27 km long and the Long Range Traverse is said to be 35 km. To those who enjoy multi-day hikes, this doesn’t sound like a lot of km to cover, but this route does not have a trail and goes through some difficult terrain which makes you earn each one of those km.
Before going on this hike, you need to get a permit from the visitor’s centre and to be granted a permit, you must attend their mandatory orientation. Here they will go over how this is not a trail, you are not going for a nice little stroll, and you are choosing suffering. They tell you to be prepared to have wet feet, be eaten by black flies, and generally have a miserable time. They also tell you that it is some of the most beautiful scenery you will see, and they are right about that. Most of what they emphasize is the tuckamore, especially the section they call “Tuckamore Tangle” if doing the Northern Traverse, and what it will do to your gear and your navigation.
I almost backed out of doing both traverses in one go after a pre-orientation conversation with Parks staff as we had a timeframe to complete the trail and I worried that we might be better off doing one or the other. After digesting what was said and seeing the actual orientation, I changed my mind and we were back to doing both. We were experienced and were prepared for what was going to be thrown at us. We got a ride to the trailhead from a couple who were going to do the Long Range Traverse the following day and got ready to step off.Day One – Northern Trailhead to Snug Harbor
This was the easiest portion of the hike as we walked down a nice gravel path which leads to the tour boats. There is a little junction for those going on the Northern Traverse that leads into the forest and eventually to a river crossing where we waded in knee-high water to the other side. We were warned that this water crossing can get waist high in some weather conditions. This stretch was generally uneventful as we pushed through overgrown paths, climbed down onto the sandy and rocky beach and back into the forest again. Eventually we made it to Snug Harbor which had about four or five tenting spots, two large chairs on the beach, a bear box, picnic table, and a green throne. It was the best maintained site on the trail with a beautiful view. At night, the toads were very loud and woke me up, but experiencing nature is what we were out there for.Day Two – Snug Harbor to the Crest
We started out this day with a beach walk to where the “trail” begins in the trees. We ran into a couple who were exiting the Northern Traverse and showed us their scratched, bitten, and bruised legs. Almost immediately we were climbing and we attempted to follow the ribbons tied to the trees. We’d check the GPS and find we were off track and readjusted only to see another ribbon to our left or right that was only visible from above. We found clothing items that had been snagged on branches and chuckled, making a mental note to keep a close eye on anything drying on our packs. Eventually we made it out to an open area on the hillside with a view of the ocean in the distance. The clouds were moving in (and the fog) and we knew we needed to find our stopping point for the night before the forecasted storm hit. The wind was kicking up as we settled on a patch of moss in the tuckamore. It wasn’t perfectly flat and I had a mound of dirt to sleep against all night, but it was sheltered. The wind and rain battered our tent and both of us went out into the field across from our site to gather stones to pile onto the stakes as they had a difficult time staying stuck in the moss. It was a long night as our tent took a beating until the storm passed in the early morning hours.Day Three – Crest to Triangle Lake
This was the day where we were introduced to tuckamore. We spent a bit of time trying to locate the trail. It was hidden under the low brush and while we thought we could make out where there was a break in the tuckamore, or where the trail might be, we couldn’t spot how hikers chose to get there. We had to backtrack a couple of times as we ended up on game trails and then got deeper into the tuckamore. Everything was boggy. Grass was boggy, mud and water pooled around the base of the tuckamore, forcing us to swing from the branches from one root to another, hoping to land of firm ground on the other side. I tested a patch of grass with my trekking pole only to find the ground give way when I stood on it, sinking to my knee. I placed my other foot on another patch to pull myself out, only for that foot to sink in too. My boots were now suctioned in knee-deep mud and my husband had to help pull me out as I couldn’t get any leverage.Of course, the Northern Traverse wanted to also introduce us to its boulder fields where I learned that my balance on rocks needs improvement and it took a lot of patience to pick away at the obstacle. We reached Triangle Lake which had a couple of wooden tent pads and a few other flat patches that were suitable for tents. We had a nice rest in the sun and set up camp for the night.
Day Four – Triangle Lake to Gilley Pond
Today we learned that tuckamore likes to grow in hillsides, which means climbing up and down while it snags on your packs, and for fun, the ground likes to erode under the branches and roots, so you could be scrambling over a drop of several feet all while hoping that the root you’re standing on will hold.Where there was no tuckamore, there was a lot of uphill which was at such an angle that it was easier for me to claw my way up than try to stand upright. Oliver didn’t have this problem and just walked up, but I felt closer to the ground and decided it was a much better idea to take a few moments to sit on the moss and celebrate how far I’d come. It was during one of these moments that I looked up at a distant hillside and saw a moose running along the ridgeline. It was the only moose we would see on this trip. To finish off the day, the Northern Traverse decided to treat us with a long descent down into Gilley Pond. It might not have been that challenging of a descent, but given how muddy the hill was, it was a slow climb down. Even though we could see the camp, it took forever to get there. The view that night of the stars and the silhouettes of the hillsides was stunning. You could also hear the coyotes in the distance.
Day Five – Gilley Pond to Mark’s Pond
For those choosing to do both the North and Long Range Traverse, this is decision time with regards to if you want to complete both traverses. After this day, you reach the top of the Fjord where you can climb down the waterfall and wait for space on the tour boat to get a ride back to the parking lot and quit the trail, or keep going. After talking about how we were feeling (tired, wet, and literally bruised by the tuckamore), we chose to keep going.
Being that is was the Northern Traverse, we had rain in the morning as we climbed out of Gilley Pond, making it a soggy and muddy climb out, then we found ourselves searching the tuckamore-covered hillside for signs of ribbons to guide our way through, and climb even more combinations of uneven ground and tuckamore before we finally reached the rock and moss hill that lead down to the viewpoint at the top of the waterfall. It was the payoff. We stopped here for lunch, had a good rest and celebrated reaching this beautiful location. We had chosen the hard way to get there, but it was beautiful. As we went to take a picture together, we realized that the legs of the mini tripod I had attached to the shoulder straps of my pack and been ripped off in the tuckamore, so our angles became limited.Energized from reaching the top, we climbed up the rocky waterfall and continued along the top of the ridge, following the rolling hills to finally get to Mark’s Pond where we snagged a dry site along the lakeshore. You really need to get used to mud on this trail because there was a lot at this campground and at Little Island Pond before it. Also, look out for hidden little washouts on the paths. When lighting was poor in the evening, I stepped in a hole on my way to the green throne and made a splash as I landed in a puddle near the tent. I had one of my best sleeps at this site. It was lovely.
Day Six – Mark’s Pond to Lower Green Island Pond
A creek crossing is the first thing to greet you as you leave Mark’s Pond. Most of this day didn’t feel all that bad, except for Oliver’s determination to keep his feet dry. The “trail” would run along the bottom of the hills and cut right through the muddy bog. Oliver would take wide swings around the bogs and climb up and down the hills. I would follow behind him, but found the effort was wearing me down. It added extra km and it was just more up and down for me to manage. The tall grass was also damp and as I followed him, I slipped. As I fell, my trekking pole sunk into the ground and I managed to grab hold of it and prevent myself from sliding all the way down the hill into the waiting bog. But the Northern Traverse had another slip in store for me.
I gave up following Oliver up onto the hills and decided to remain down in the bog and mud. My shoes and socks were already wet and I embraced the situation. The sound of squishing moss became the soundtrack for the trail as I stomped. And then I took another tumble. This time I was walking through mud and stepped on a rock. This should have been something solid for me to stand on, instead my mud-covered boots slipped on its surface as my trekking pole didn’t quite catch the solid patch of grass on my right side. As my pole sunk into the deepest portion of the mud, so did my right foot… and down I went. Oliver asked if I was alright and I lifted my now bent trekking pole out of the mud. RIP trekking pole.
At the end of the day, we reached a descent to our camp but quickly realized we were off the GPS route as we were at a cliff. It was a cliff we had been warned at the Visitor’s Centre to avoid and there we were, standing at the edge of it trying to figure out the best course of action. Neither of us felt like trying to jump or slide down nine feet onto a narrow dirt landing and instead chose to hang on to a piece of cord and a tree branch while inching our way across a slick rockface to another, much shorter drop. By the end of this, I was done for the day and we found a patch of grass near the occupied tent pads to set up for the night.Day Seven – Lower Green Island Pond to Gros Morne Trailhead
The final day on trail. This felt like a long day as we started with another creek crossing and then had several climbs to do and almost all of them were muddy. You have to understand that the steps that you climb up are goopy footprints from previous hikers and the mud wraps around your shoes with each step. Something about stepping on the mud didn’t make me feel confident as I didn’t have the grip I wanted. One really has to embrace getting wet and muddy on this trail and just lean in and grab hold of anything to get yourself up a muddy hillside. Let’s just say, I chose to slide down a few times.
We reached Bakeapple viewpoint which, I would say, is the second best view on the trail, but there are so many wonderful views along the way. It was another great place to stop and eat before we continued down Ferry Gulch (again, muddy and slippery) and then finally connected with the very long trail for day hikers doing Gros Morne mountain. Just when we thought we would be on a nice hiking trail, we encountered scree and plenty of uneven rock. There was even a little tuckamore thrown in, which we laughed at and called “baby tuckamore”.
The walk back to the car seemed to go on forever. By this point, we were ready to be at the parking lot as we were now in the trees on a wide open path with nothing to see, wondering “how much further”. As we met people along the way, they wanted to hear about our adventure, astonished that we had hiked all that way with the mud and tuckamore. When we reached the parking lot, we were relieved to see our car to make our way to Rocky Harbour where we would get a hotel and drop off our permit at the Visitor’s Centre so they knew we made it out.
At the hotel we got our town bags out of the car, had nice long showers, and treated ourselves to a huge meal at the restaurant, even if our now stiffening legs just wanted us to go to bed. After we were well fed, we finally gave in and climbed into the nice warm bed we had worked so hard to earn and had a great rest before our drive home the following day. -
AZT Prep: Gear Changeover – Oliver
After hiking sections of the Great Divide Trail (The Wildest Thru Hike, or so they say) and the even wilder Gros Morne Traverses, we have seen rough trail conditions and variable weather. We have adapted our kits to cope with wet, with bugs, with sketchy trails (or nonexistent ones), with fluctuations in temperatures from hot sunny days to snow and ice on our tent.
But in choosing the Arizona Trail for our next hike, we are going to be challenged by a completely new set of variables. There will be some items in common, but enough differences to make it worthy to consider.
First, the temperatures will be higher. And drier. The elevation we will be dealing with will be higher also – even the Great Divide Trail does not reach the heights of the American Rockies in terms of elevation above sea level. The highest pass we hiked was Wonder Pass at just shy of 7800 feet. The height of Mica Mountain, our first big climb on the AZT is 8594 feet. Another thing to consider is when we did the GDT our home was at about 2000 feet, so the difference between the trail altitude and our home was not nearly as great as this time, where we live is just 50 feet above sea level. So, while it is possible we may see the remains of the winter on the AZT at certain moments, what we will have to plan for is management of water supplies and protection from the sun, and keeping cool (well, cooler anyway).
The AZT, we have been told, has bears but not like the Grizzlies of the Canadian Rockies. The consensus seems to be one doesn’t even require bear spray or food storage precautions they are so seldom seen. So that will lighten our load in one direction.
Out In Long Pants Shorts Bear Canister/Ursack ThermaRest Z-Lite Foam Pad Bear Spray Extra 1L Water Capacity Mid or Insulation Layer Tent Footprint RainGear GoPro But we will add weight in another area: our shelter. Many “Cowboy Camp” the AZT but we are going to bring our DurstonGear XMid 2P just in case. However, we have heard that the rocky desert and its abundant poky things will require consideration as well so we are adding weight there. So here’s a nerdy chart for you:
Going from pants to shorts will be interesting for me. I have always done the convertible pants thing, but for this trip I am just going to stick with shorts. Cheryl will probably have some leggings but she runs colder than I do.
Dropping the bear stuff will be a significant weight savings, and I am still processing breaking the cardinal rule of food in the backcountry – no food in your tent! Not sure how I am going to feel about it on trail but it seems that’s what people do on this trail.
The extra water capacity won’t add much weight if empty (Smartwater bottles don’t weigh much) but full that’s an extra 2 lbs. The GoPro is Cheryl’s weight – I take the tent so she carries the camera.
The question of base/midlayers and raingear is interesting to me. I know myself, sporadic storms are better dealt with in a fleece than a rainjacket/pants because I just wind up soaked with sweat in them (I only use rain pants to protect from morning dew and water off foliage). I’d rather be wet and warm in a fleece and dry out quickly than locking in all my own moisture! But, bringing two insulation layers (fleece and puffy) seems redundant with this trail. I’ll never wear them both. A puffy provides insulation on cold mornings and evenings, and wind resistance on windy days. The fleece provides water tolerant warmth but no resistance to wind. I am thinking just the puffy may be the way to go. I’ll have a set of technical base layers with me if it’s REALLY cold but doubt I’ll use them. They could also be used in a pinch if it’s raining, as they will still provide some warmth if wet. But I really don’t see it likely we will experience hours and hours of soaking rain on this hike.
The last thing to discuss is the tent/sleeping changes. I have seen horror stories of air mattresses being punctured in desert conditions. We watched a thru hike video of a couple who used larger egg crate mats as their sit pads, giving more area to recline and relax on during the day, and use under their air mattresses for extra insulation at night. We really like that idea, not so much for the insulation (Cheryl runs an X-Therm and I have a Tensor Alpine) but for protection from possible punctures. We will also bring a footprint for the tent – we have never needed one up to this point – it’s a durable tent! But it has never faced desert, so we will err on the side of caution.
One other tiny thing we will bring along – we like the idea of a cowboy camp, but find it hard to believe creepy crawlies won’t amble over to us at night so we are bringing Dan Durston’s “Stargazer Kit” – it weighs next to nothing and allows us to pitch the inner part of our tent without the fly – best of both worlds!
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Dayhike: Turtle Mountain, Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, 2019
Another daylong adventure I took boys on while we lived in Southern Alberta was Turtle Mountain. It sounds innocuous if you aren’t from the area, but if you are there is another connotation entirely.
Turtle Mountain, when you are driving through the Crowsnest Pass is unmissable. Why? Because the side of the mountain sheared off in 1903, crashing down onto the coal mining town of Frank, burying it and the railroad under millions of tons of rock and killing as many as 90 people. To this day, it feels like you are driving through a rock quarry as the entire foot of the valley is covered in boulders.
There is a trail on this mountain though. If you drive west up the valley past the slide, you come to a town called Coleman, and if you drive into town and bear to the southeast, you will find a trailhead. The hike is 7 km return, up and back, with about 900m to the top of the remaining peak.
I elected to take my twins up there. In retrospect, probably ill-advised, as I did not realize how nervous I would be with them near (less than 5m) away from the sheer cliff that is the slide face. They were good boys though, they listened and never went really close.
The hike up was steady, with views of the town behind us. The trail mostly stays on the side of the mountain away from the slide, and does get steeper and more exposed as we got close to the top. What I found particularly interesting… or possibly unnerving, was that when we got to that zone, we wove amongst cracks in the stone that sometimes descended a couple meters down.
I was able to see firsthand how the slide happened – snow and ice had built up in some of these cracks, and with the spring thaw, ice has an interesting characteristic. Water decreases in volume as it cools to 4 degrees Celsius, but below 4 it actually begins to expand – this is what gives ice its buoyancy. Unfortunately, this freezing and thawing cycle can be so dramatic it can fracture rock. So one day the ice got too deep and expanded a little too much with a freeze cycle, and broke the mountain.
So this hike is great for geology lessons, and for incredible views of the slide and the pass. I heartily recommend it for a dayhike, even with kids!
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GDT C – Day 11 – McArthur Creek to Ottertail Trailhead
I was woken up by my husband playing “Rise Up” from the Hamilton soundtrack. After taking forever to fall asleep with sore legs, I needed to sleep in. While we got a later start at 8:30am, it wasn’t a sleeping in morning. We still needed to hike out.
It was a slow morning as I wanted to rest my head on the picnic table, but I slowly woke up and we packed up the tent. My ankles took a bit of time to loosen up on the trail as everything was tight from the day before.The hike started out on a quad trail that was mostly clear, except for the odd spider web. There were some taller weeds growing on the trail and a few branches hanging over, but nothing like the other trails we were on,
It was hotter this day and I needed to drink a ton of water just on the flat sections. There ended up being more climbing on the way out than either of us expected. It wasn’t terrible, but I was tired from not sleeping and my muscles were done. Had this been the first day on the trail, it would have been a breeze.At one point, we heard some rustling in the trees and a martin ran onto the trail toward Oliver, then quickly changed course and ran across the path, out of sight. I spotted a second martin running toward the path before it changed directions and went up into the forest. That was our excitement on this walk.
We were treated to views of the mountains, although not as majestic and they turned into hills the more we descended into the river valley. It was mostly rivers and logs that had been cut away to clear the path.There was one viewpoint where the land had eroded away leaving hoodoo-like formations below. Someone had arranged stones on the ground to form numbers, although neither of us took a picture of the numbers or recall what was written.
We could finally hear traffic from the highway as we neared the end of the trail. The hoods of vehicles reflected in the sunlight and I hugged our car when I reached the parking lot. My feet were happy when I finally took off my runners, but were unhappy when I put my shoes back on to enter Truffle Pigs restaurant to eat lunch.We ate all the food we could and then drove to Canmore where we stayed at Canmore Inn and Suites to rest up and clean up before traveling home the next day. For my first section hike, it was difficult, but rewarding. Most importantly, it didn’t scare me off from future hikes and only made me want to do more.
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GDT C – Day 10 – Tumbling Creek to McArthur Creek
In the morning, we discovered that our lighter wasn’t working to start our Jetboil as it got wet the day before. That meant no hot tea or coffee to start our day on a cold morning. We packed up and were on the trail by 8am with a long ~24.5km day ahead of us. We grabbed water just above the dry creek bed outside of the campground and followed the trail toward Wolverine Pass.
It was a switchback climb with us on alert for mama grizzly and her cubs. Oliver admitted that he did want to see bears on the trip, but at a distance so he knew where they were. He didn’t like knowing they were sighted the day before and not know if they were still nearby.
The area around Wolverine Pass was open meadows with another short climb in the direction of where we were to camp the day before. We had made the right choice to stay at Tumbling Creek because I would have been too exhausted to have made that final climb.
We enjoyed the spectacular views of the Rockwall with the cliffs towering over our left side along the path. There were blue glaciers clinging to the base and a cool breeze was blowing but we weren’t chilly as long as we were moving. We still kept our eyes open for bears and saw nothing.
There were some interesting paths where the trail looked like it had been washed away and we needed to dip into a dry creek bed and back out again. Helmet Falls was beautiful and we had to push through more branches to reach the campground where we ate a late lunch. We were starting to feel that we were falling behind but only because we had an arrival time in mind. I tried to just focus on “getting there”.
We grabbed water at the campground and began to climb up to Goodsir Pass. As we climbed, I was definitely running out of steam. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain positive on push up the hill. I was determined to keep picking away, even with sore feet, ankles, knees, and shoulders.We encountered our first horseflies on Goodsir Pass and batted them away. There was one for each of us. Luckily, that was all. There wasn’t much to this pass compared to the others. We did find a lovely spot, with views to have a snack before beginning the climb down.
The descent was where I struggled. My body was tired and sore and we counted 30+ fallen trees we had to climb over before we stopped counting. There were also alder bushes we had to push through. My fatigued ankles struggled to keep me balanced on the uneven trail and they bent in many uncomfortable positions. The view of Mt. Goodsir was at least a good payoff for all the hard work.
We reached McArthur Creek Campground at around 8:30pm and searched the blowdown covered campground for the cooking area to eat and hang our food. It was a late dinner and a late tent set up (by headlamp light), but we were happy to get to bed on our last night on trail. The long day resulted in the worst leg spasms I had experienced on the trail, so it was also a long night.
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GDT C – Day 9 – Floe Lake to Tumbling Creek
Oliver woke up to the sound of an animal sniffing around our tent. The women camping nearby also reported the same thing, so we assumed it was a porcupine which had been reported to be in the area and frequent visitors to the campground. I also woke up to my pack falling over in the vestibule, which I had to prop back up as it had been hailing with freezing rain throughout the night.
We were up around 7am for breakfast and chatted with a few folks. Taking pictures of the sunrise on the mountains was a challenge as there were a group of young women skinny dipping in the lake nearby.With our packs ready to go, we set out for Wolverine Campground. The path went up almost immediately and I was in shock as I understood we had a nice easy exit from the campground to warm up, but we were straight into the climb up Numa Pass. It was tough to get up the switchbacks, but felt easy compared to the climb ahead with Tumbling Pass.
On the descent down Numa, my knee was getting sore again, so I strapped on the knee brace, which I found helpful. It was also helpful, mentally, for me to understand that we were on the Numa Pass ascent itself and not an extra climb before the pass, which Oliver had mistakenly told me when he looked at the map. I was worried as I was quickly running out of gas on the climb and thought I still had to do Numa Pass and Tumbling Creek. It didn’t feel doable. Once the correction was made, I felt better. There was only one more climb to do, which felt manageable.
The long descent took us to Numa Creek Campground. There was a pile of scat on the way to the campground and no more. There was a young woman staying at the campground and she was using it as a base camp for other day hikes. We stopped for lunch and the trail running family from Floe Lake arrived after us. They were going as far as Tumbling Creek where they were ending their weekend trip.
We continued on and began the climb to Tumbling Pass. The climb was terrible. That’s an understatement. There was lots of incline through overgrown alder trees. One SOBO hiker we met along the way lost his bear spray in the tangle on his way to Numa Creek. It wasn’t surprising as the branches snagged our packs.
The final climb was steep and we walked sideways up the hill. Once we reached the top, we had a beautiful view of the famous Rockwall. The teenagers from the trail running family caught up to us at the pass and we walked with their mom for the descent into Tumbling Creek where I decided I was not prepared for a third climb to Wolverine Pass. We were also warned of a mother bear with two cubs on the trail out of Tumbling Creek to Wolverine Pass and we didn’t want to encounter them. Giving them time to move on felt like the best move. That meant added 3km to the next day, but was smart. We set up camp at Tumbling Creek and quickly fell asleep.
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GDT C – Day 10 – Tumbling Creek to McArthur Creek
GDT C – Day 11 – McArthur Creek to Ottertail Trailhead -
GDT C – Day 8 – Banff (Floe Lake Trailhead) to Floe Lake
We repacked our bags, checked out of our hotel, and were picked up by our trail angel by 9:00am. After a drive, and a chat we were on the trail at Floe Lake Trailhead by 10:15am. The parking lot was crowded with cars and we were unclear if they were all day hiking or if they were people camping and making their way back to their vehicles. There were not many parking spots available.
We gathered water at the bridge, but there was another accessible spot further down the trail. The climb started almost immediately, with no cover. The trail went through an old burn area, which would have been hot in higher temperatures. We were lucky to have an overcast day.
There were parts where the trail was rough and washed out, making some of the steps challenging. We also reached a point of the trail where we were on an old creek bed with no signs of where the trail went other than the odd ribbon tied to a branch to guide us.
We encountered a few groups coming down from the lake who told us that there was no one camping there yet, so all sites were open. It made me want to push harder as we had heard about the best camping spots at the lake that were to the left of the campground and we wanted to reach them before they were taken. We didn’t see anyone else coming up behind us and that meant only those going SOBO could get there before us.
One family we passed by were interested in our adventure and said we were the “first true backpackers” they had seen. As someone on her first section hike, I was pleased to be called a “true backpacker”. I guess I had earned the title by that point.The final climb was tough. Brutal. So many switchbacks and not great places to step. I also didn’t give myself much recovery time as I really wanted to get to those campsites and knew time every minute took to catch my breath, someone was getting closer in the other direction. I felt discouraged and struggled to find my legs. We finally crested the hill and began the drop to the lake.
The prime camping site was already taken, only a few minutes before, but we got the second best spot. The women who were there before us said they sent their fastest partner ahead to secure that site. I stayed at the campsite while Oliver scouted for any other sites and also locate the eating area and washrooms.
While he was on his scouting mission, a teenage boy came running down the trail from the same direction we had hiked from. He was a trail runner and his family had sent him ahead to try to get one of the two sites that were now taken. That was how popular these two sites were and we had all arrived within minutes of each other.
After dinner, we played a quick game of chess. Somehow, I won. We then decided to take a quick nap because it was too early to go to bed, and then woke up at 9pm. Oops. We were more tired than we thought. So, it was time to get properly ready for bed and end the night, just in time for what we thought was rain beginning to fall.
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GDT C – Day 9 – Floe Lake to Tumbling Creek
GDT C – Day 10 – Tumbling Creek to McArthur Creek
GDT C – Day 11 – McArthur Creek to Ottertail Trailhead