We hiked the Sonoran Desert canyons and ridges, all below the treeline. Tall saguaros, various types of cacti, and prickly shrubs covered the hills and the only trees we encountered were in riparian zones in stream valleys. One day we drove up the road to Mt. Lemmon, an alpine village destination for a summer get-away and a ski hill in … Continue reading…
By the end of March the snow and ice has left the river valley and the volume of water in the Thompson River is low, exposing large sandbars, gravel bars, and wide beaches. From McArthur Island we can walk out southeast onto gravel bars and get to a spot about 8 meters from the beaches of Rabbit Island. We have … Continue reading…
The hills and mountains to the east of Tuscon are home to Saguoro National Park Wilderness and Tuscon Mountains Park. We started the Kings Canyon Trail inside the National Park, but continued up the canyon, bearing northeast, climbing about 488 m over 9.5 km. Desert scrub brush and wildflowers were framed by saguaros, cholla, and ocotillos. This was spring, … Continue reading…
When the south-facing hills start to dry out, we look for scenic routes through the hills. On this mid-March day we hiked up the Pruden Pass Road from the Mara Trail(head), then took side routes out to the Guardsmen Overlook, Panorama Point, and Moby Dick before returning to the double track back to the parking area. We climbed up the … Continue reading…
When the first warming of late winter comes, the south-facing lower-elevation ridges melt first. Ridges dry off mostly quickly because gravity draws the meltwater away in 3 directions and the tops of ridges are also the most exposed to both wind and sun. Any slope that is at 90 degrees to the low winter sun also receives the most direct … Continue reading…
In southern Arizona we traveled southeast from Tuscon to take the tour of Kartchner Caverns, booking an early morning tour. We were underground in the Rotunda Room and the Throne Room for about an hour, enjoying every minute of the tour. Cameras were not allowed on the tour, so a stock photo is shared to get a sense of the … Continue reading…
When the weather starts to warm, the first areas to completely clear of snow and dry up are the south facing ridges. When the sun is low in the sky the angle of the sun’s rays are angled through the atmosphere so they are strongest at 90 degrees to the height of the sun at the time. In late February … Continue reading…
Near the end of February, we hiked from Tranquille, around Cooney Bay, over the bluffs and out to the last point before Battle Bluff and back. the weather was clear and mild and there was no wind. It felt like the end of winter. The first part of Cooney Bay had some mud, but after that, the section to the … Continue reading…
The Tranquille River Trail goes from the parking lot up past the old dam to where the canyon narrows down. Beyond that is all scrambling. Hikers can walk on the double track, then the single track for about 2.4 km before turning around to come back. there are routes that can be climbed on either side, but those are mostly … Continue reading…
The middle elevation hills of Lac du Bois Grasslands Provincial Park are open areas with grass and sagebrush on rounded hills and ridges. The soils are mainly a thin layer of organic materials on top of glacial tills. Where the glaciers moved across bedrock outcrops, moraines collected into kames and shaped hills. Between these hills potholes formed, once full of … Continue reading…
When we get some warmer temperatures in winter, the snows start to melt and the first places to be free of snow and mud are the shoreline trails and beaches of the rivers. The premier route for a winter walk/beach is along the Rivers Trail to the west beaches between the airport and Tranquille. We park at the end of … Continue reading…
When warmer winter weather wafts across the greater Kamloops area, the snows start to melt and the first areas to clear are the beaches and shorelines of the South Thompson River, the North Thompson River, the downstream Thompson River, and Kamloops Lake. These areas are lower, open, treeless, tend to be windy, and have granular soils. Within week of warming … Continue reading…
Each winter we seem to have a month when more moderate weather melts the snow at lower elevations. The best places to hike when this happens are along the shoreline and beaches of our rivers and Kamloops Lake. The Cooney Bay Road is rough at any time of the year, but it was even more potholed with deep slushy puddles … Continue reading…
I have been hiking Dufferin Ridge in December for a few years now, picking days when valley fog lies below, but some clear skies above make the hilltops into islands above the sea of mists. The hike from the parking lot to the top of Dufferin Hill along the Tower Trail is 1.6 km. The trail continues along the spine … Continue reading…
When snow covers the hills and fog settles into the valleys, I sometimes drive up the Lac le Jeune Road looking for a break in the cloud cover. I don’t need a trail so I look for a parking spot and some open forest. On this cool day in December I set off into the forest near Inks Lake, following … Continue reading…
When driving conditions are “iffy”, we know we can drive up the Coquihalla Highway to the first exit and pull off to hike in the Outer Inks Lakes trails/tracks. Most of the double tracks were set before the Coquihalla Highway was built. The maze of tracks was used by the Greater Kamloops Motorcycle Association who added a number of single … Continue reading…
