We have hiked, run, backcountry skied, and backpacked the Yoho Valley. Our favorite trail is the Whaleback Trail which runs from the top of Twin Falls to the Yoho Valley. This bridge crosses the creek that spills over the cliffs to form Twin Falls. Across the valley is Mt. Balfour, another peak we have explored on the Wapta Traverse. All of the trails in Yoho National Park are A+ hiking destinations.
We have hiked the Stein river Trail from the east a few times. From Lytton, we have taken the Reaction Ferry to the west side, then drove north to the access road to the park. We have backpacked in twice and we have day-hiked in and out several times. Our most recent hike was in the spring of 2024. We hiked to the pictographs wall and back, a km hike.
The trail follows the river, then climbs over the hillside at the Devil’s Staircase, then back down to the river again. There are a number of excellent places to camp, to have lunch, or just to dally by the river. A special place, one we will return to hike again.
We hiked a few trails and routes in Smithers, including a steep hike and scramble up Glacier Gulch. Hudson Bay Mountain stands above Smithers. The southeast side has a road up to ski runs and cross country trails. Above that is a good hike to the summit of the mountain. From the top I could see down into Glacier Gulch, a north-facing cirque which hosts a small glacier, surrounded by steep ridges. Snow lingered here into summer. A rugged and challenging area to explore any higher than this point.
The hike to the top of Hudson Bay Mountain on a different day was outstanding. This hike was interesting and good to do once.
These rocks are situated at the south end of Saturna Island (now part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve). A lighthouse stands on the rocky point and the rocks below face the open Strait of Georgia with prevailing winds and salt spray eroding the sandstone. There are similar formations on several exposed areas on the Gulf Islands. We recently spotted an area on the southernmost tip of Denman Island. Hiking the rocky headlands is a favourite outing while on the Coast.
A photo taken on a windy day on an exploration hike in the Barnhartvale Hills. This spot is south of Sunrise Mountain and I have been calling it GMS Hill. It is a fine viewpoint in a remote spot. The older tree is giving the space to the younger one, part of the story of the naming of the hill. I will be there again soon, back to pay respects to GMS.
We drove to Waimea Canyon on top of the island of Kauai, then continued on to the end of the road. The parking area is on the rim of the caldera with the NaPali on one side and the Alakai’i Swamp on the other. We hiked a trail along the rim of the caldera and then descended into the swamp basin. Uluhe Ferns (Dicranopteris linearis) covered the slopes on the way down to the rainforest of the massive swamp. The Alakai’i Swamp trail is a favorite, one we have done a few times.
I have portaged into Murtle Lake several times. on this paddle camp trip, I camped on Leo Island on the west arm. The next morning I paddled to the north shore of the arm and landed at the trailhead for Central Mountain. On a solo hike to this remote spot, I traversed the top of the mountain and looked down at the island from above, 3325 vertical feet below and 1.89 miles distant. I continued on to loop down into the north arm, then hiked back, a long route, before paddling back to Leo Island. Few people hike this route and the trail is overgrown and hard to follow. A once-only hike.
An older photo taken with a throw-away camera. The image was taken from Balfour Hut on the Wapta Traverse, looking up at Balfour Mountain. We had skied across the icefields from Peyto Lake to Peyto Hut. We skied down Vulture Col to the hut. The next day we were bearing south and climbing through Balfour High Col. Note the recent avalanche below the icefall. On our way up to the col, I triggered a slide and fortunately no one was caught in it. We spent the next night in a tent on the glacier.
Today we can take much better images with compact cameras and mobile phones, but the old images still bring up vivid memories/
We were hiking on the Galiano Mountain Trail in the Gulf Islands when we passed by this tree. Many of the cedars and fir trees had lichen covering the lower branches, below the canopy. This tree looked alien, with green arms outstretched.
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.