I’ve long subscribed. But on Tom’s recommendation I went straight to the site to see what I could learn. … Unfortunately, I was instantly distracted by this hilarious video linked by Hendrik:
Ted Bear teaches you how to survive, against all odds.
From now on I’ll pay closer attention to Hiking in Finland. Hendrik does have some near poetic content, including this one – Driving In The Mud and Rain
Rachel Tynan is a hiker who loves Waterton National Park in Alberta, as I do.
She posted at terrific trip report on their scramble of Vimy Peak:
Mt. Vimy is one of my favourite mountains in Waterton as it is the one you always see from the town site. I went online to get information and they SAY it’s a 4 mile bike ride to the trailhead and a 3 mile hike up with the last mile being a scramble. Let me warn you now, they are WRONG! …
… on the Wishbone Trail you can walk or bike this trail for approximately 4 miles (6.5 km) where you will encounter the Vimy trail which is a steep trail up a valley and onto the mountain. …
… about a mile to climb. There is no trail, you have to create your own. By this point I was so tired and had been stopping every 5 minutes, I really didn’t know how I was going to scramble up this steep peak. But we took our time and up we went! …
Guest post via Greg Lynch of Scenic Travel Canada:
Hiking in Kananaskis (Alberta, Canada)
Tucked in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada, are a collection of provincial parks that few international hikers ever experience. Kananaskis Country is an uncrowded wilderness area one hour west of Calgary, the gateway to the Canadian Rockies. Adventure-seekers looking for a lesser known mountain paradise can get their high-altitude thrills in Alberta’s unspoiled backyard.
Millions of visitors unwittingly pass K-Country on their way to the more popular Banff National Park says Greg Lynch, an avid hiker & adventure seeker with Scenic Travel Canada. Outdoor-lovers can hike, bike, kayak and canoe over hundreds of miles in undeveloped territory in the Front Range.î
There are plenty of things to do in Kananaskis Country, Alberta including:
Take a road trip from Calgary on the highest paved highway in Canada. Highway 40 is open from June 15 to December 1 and winds through the pristine wilderness along the Highwood Pass. From your vehicle, youíll get mile panoramic views of snowy peaks and endless valleys.
In spring, prior to the opening of Highway 40 to traffic, many cyclists enjoy the open road all to themselves as they ride 95 kilometers from end-to-end. The best time to go is one month prior to opening (June 15). Any earlier, the road is still covered with snow.
Take a mountain bike excursion to the Alberta-BC border. Carnarvon Lake is a small turquoise lake along the Continental Divide. You’ll follow an old logging road, ford rivers, scale a rock-wall and even take a chilly dip in the cold, colourful water.
Saunter around Upper & Lower Kananaskis Lake and enjoy a classic Canadian mountain scene. A small boat launch is available for anglers, kayakers & canoeists. Hiking trails wind around the shore and deep into the surrounding canyons. You may recognize this picturesque location from movies such as X-Men & Brokeback Mountain.
Slow down and enjoy a picnic at one of the many family recreation sites such as the Mount Lorette Picnic area. The green-water ponds are stocked with fish to introduce little anglers to the solitude & thrill of fishing.
Take a bike tour around the only hotel in the area, which hosted the G8 summit meeting of world leaders in 2003. Paved trails wind through thick forests and along the immaculate Kananaskis River.
There are lots of mountain adventures for thrill-seekers just outside of Calgary and Banff, Alberta.. On your next trip to the Canadian Rockies, head off the beaten path and enjoy the undeveloped and wild places of Kananaskis Country.
I’m happy to give K Country this shout out. I post too infrequently on my own backyard. (I live less than an hour away in Calgary.)
… Brokeback Mountain and the G8 Summit site are unlikely tourist attractions, I’ll admit.
One of my favourite EASY cycling adventures, by the way, is to start at high Highwood Pass. And coast on down into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.
… literally hundreds of climbers have stood on top of the mountain, but not a single mountain biker has ever managed to conquer it. One man hopes to change all that this year.
… Goldstein knows that his task won’t be an easy one. He’ll have to navigate through the dreaded Khumbu Icefall, riding his Huffy across ladders precariously placed over crevasses in the glacier. Once on the other side, he’ll start the long, slow, grueling climb up the South Col and eventually to the top. “I’m pretty sure I’ll only be using the first three gears,” he says. …
Mike Kloser, a Vail, Colo., athlete and a former world-champion mountain biker, is something of a god in the sport of adventure racing. As the captain of Team Nike, Kloser dominated AR for years, including multiple world-champ titles and victories at banner events like the Eco Challenge and Primal Quest under his belt.
Last year, Kloser launched a gear company, Out There USA, and he designed a backpack. After years of racing — as well as living a consummate outdoors existence working and training in Colorado — Kloser put his knowledge toward making his company’s AS-1 Pack something of an ultimate multi-sport tool. …
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