Monthly Archives: April 2024

Cwem Cwem Lake

Nestled under the highest peak of the Trophy Mountains is Cwem Cwem Lake, an alpine tarn.    It is hard to get to, requiring off-trail navigation and scrambling from the Trophy Mountain Trail.    I have hiked to the lake above a dozen times and have promised myself to camp there some day.    It is a great destination in itself but it has mostly been visited as part of a long traverse over ridges and mountains.    One day we even hiked out the last miles in the dark.    It is a jewel in the Trophy Mountains, the source of Silvertip Falls, and located with access to multiple peaks, ridges, and mountain tarns.   Go to kamloopstrails.ca to view posts on hiking to Cwem Cwem Lake.

 

A Condor Encounter

On a solo hike on the Grandview Trail in Grand Canyon National Park, i was on the steep climb back to the rim.  Above the uranium mine area, the trail followed a ridge with steep drop-offs.  Perched on a ledge right by the drop-off was a California condor.    It seemed unconcerned by my close presence and it was kind enough to post for a photo.

The condors are tagged for tracking purposes.   this was a spectacular hike (link), but the condor encounter topped it off.    From this hike, I continued east to the Lake Powell in Utah, all part of a hiking trip in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.

 

Asulkan Brook

We hiked from the Illecillewaet Campground in Glacier National Park up the Asulkan Trail, upriver, through the giant trees, then up the Asulkan Brook Valley.     the trail emerges into a wide cirque below Asulkan Pass, with glaciers hanging off the mountainsides.    We hiked up to the Asulkan Cabin, then above onto the moraine ridges for views through the pass.    We have done this hike a few times and hope to return.

The Narrows

This was the first time we hiked The Narrows in Zion National Park, wading upstream in the Virgin River up to Orderville Canyon.   The water was warm for this adventure. We have since done this route 3 more times, including once from the top down (15.4 miles, mostly in the water).     Memorable moments!

Mt. Temple

We hiked and scrambled up Temple on a September day.   We started in the dark from Moraine Lake and hiked into Sentinel Pass.     From the top of the pass the rest of the way was very steep.     We managed to get over the 3 rock faces on the way to the summit ridge.     The peak stands at 11 726 feet.    A hanging glacier covers the north side of the mountain so caution is needed, but the last kilometer is just a step ridge hike.    It is a long day to hike the mountain (more info).

 

 

Mt. Assiniboine

We have backpacked into Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park three times and have enjoyed good weather, good hiking and running, and have been very impressed with the scenery of this part of the Rocky Mountains.

This photo shows lake Magog and Mt. Assiniboine from the trails, on our way to Wonder Pass.

Jedediah Island

 

We went over to Jedediah Island Provincial Park, in the Sabine Channel between Texada Island and Lasqueti Island.    We camped on Home Bay.    We hiked the trails on the island and kayaked around many of the islands of the area, landing on Lasquiti.     At the end we paddled all the way back to the Sunshine Coast, a major crossing in difficult conditions.    This photo was taken from the tent at sunset, looking out from Home Bay.