By the end of February, the south-facing slopes north of Kamloops lose their snow and a week of muddy conditions follows. Sloped benchlands dry out quickly with no tree cover, so we can hike on the lower slopes of the Batchelor Hills early. The area to the west of the Lac du Bois Road has longer routes that wind … Continue reading…
Harper Ridge is really just the east end of the ridge that starts with Mt. Paul to the west. On the east end a lower ridge stands between Harper Ranch and the benchlands. The challenge is that access from the west is on the Kamloops Indian Reserve and access from the east is on private property, Harper Ranch. Access from … Continue reading…
While hiking in the hills above Wallender Lake, there was still some lingering snow, but there were many signs of winter receding. Breakup had begun. Some lakes and ponds had already melted and were full of water. Overwintering perennials like mullein remain green under the snow, ready to start growth in the spring. Snow mold is uncovered as … Continue reading…
Where does the desire to go into the backcountry come from? When does it start? I wonder if it came from hanging out with the Lyles? Lyle L. was an overweight, quiet boy who lived down the lane when we were about 9 years old. In those days, kids just played anywhere, so he and I would meet in the … Continue reading…
At the end of the last Ice Age a dam of ice blocked the flow of the Thompson River and Glacial Lake Thompson was formed. Sediments were carried by steams and rivers into the lake valley and built up over a long period of time. The floor of this glacial lake was higher than the current river valley bottom. The … Continue reading…
This route is really a snowshoe route, but with the warmer weather, all the tracks turned hard and the backroads became icy. Once snowmobiles have ridden along a route or a few snowshoers have stomped in a track, it is possible to walk/hike on tops of the tracks. So, this route can be snowshoed in winter conditions or hiked on … Continue reading…
A favorite hike in the area is on the western edge of Kenna Cartwright Park. We start just past the Corrections Facility and hike up to the Mesa Trail junction, then west to the end of the Sunset Trail where there is a fine viewpoint. The views extend in all directions, but what captures our eye is the expanse to … Continue reading…
In winter, Tranquille Creek continues to flow, but it ices over in frigid temperatures. Although water does move under the ice, it backs up and spreads horizontally, creating ice shelves along both sides. Tranquille Creek empties into Kamloops Lake at Cooney Bay. In the outwash plain near the mouth, the ice expands into a wide fan. Crossing the ice is … Continue reading…
The Subway route is a hike-canyoneering route in Zion National Park that needs little introduction. People come from all over the world to do this and we were lucky enough to get a permit, then be informally guided down the route by our friend Deborah. We were a party of 9 and we got an early start up to … Continue reading…
When winter snows blanket the hills, it is nice to have some routes that can still be accessed for shorter walks/hikes (2 – 8 km) and the beaches of our two rivers offer flat expanses of sand and silt to explore. Overlander Beach disappears in May, but in winter when the rivers are lower, we can do a 3km loop. … Continue reading…
This hike is not in any of the guidebooks and it takes either local knowledge or some careful planning and exploration to link up a route. Almost all of the route is on slickrock in the southeast side of Zion National Park with no trail markers whatsoever. We have been exploring the slickrock terraces, hills, ridges, and canyons on … Continue reading…
The hills cover in snow and hiking is still possible, but more difficult. Snowshoeing and winter hiking are good choices, but we can also walk/hike along the shores and beaches of our rivers in winter. The lowest flow of the year is in the winter, so the beaches are wider and longer. They are at the lowest elevation of … Continue reading…
In Zion National Park, we can hike on designated trails, scramble across the slickrock, or we can canyoneer on technical (or non-technical) routes. Technical routes require equipment to get down the drop-offs when going down a canyon route from top to bottom. We picked Fat Man’s Misery and the Subway on our last trip to the area. Fat Man’s starts … Continue reading…
While snowshoeing and hiking in the middle of winter, we find ourselves in low-light minimal-chromatic environments. White snowbanks, brown-grey trunks, green-grey conifers, and dull skies await us. On a sunny day, the blue skies and reflected light brings out a greater range of colors, but also harsher contrasts of light and shadow. The low sun, though, can be used to … Continue reading…
Snow Canyon State Park near St. George, Utah is a great place for outdoor-minded people. It has paved trails, hiking trails, and many rugged areas to explore. It also has some very interesting slickrock scrambling opportunities. We were lucky enough to be guided by a local hiker (Susan) up an unlikely route onto the flanks of Red Mountain. The word … Continue reading…
When snows blanket the hills, we can still hike. In fact, it is a good time to explore new areas, especially rarely-visited hills, grasslands, and open-forested slopes. With low winter light and frequent cloud cover, slow progress in the snow, and limited access to viewpoints, we can reset our objectives. An interesting choice is to hunt out dead standing trees … Continue reading…
