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.

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!

• Narrows from the Top

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).

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

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.

A favorite hiking destination is the Stein River Valley.    We have backpacked the trail and we have day-hiked the trails from the Fraser River end.    Although it can be a popular hiking trail, it feels like a remote wilderness area.   Wildfires have hit the area so it will be time for a return visit to see its current state.

• Stein Valley Trail (2012)
• Stein Valley Day Hike
• Stein Valley Pictographs

In Cathedral Park, we can hike from Quiniscoe Lake up to the Rim Trail.   On the south end of the rim is an area called Stone City.     Many quarts monozite boulders are piled onto the ridge.    This is part of a longer loop hike along the top of the ridges that include a series of open, rounded mountaintops.

From the end of the Great Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park, it is all rock above to get to the toe of the Illecillewaet Glacier.   In the previous century the ice came right down the valley, close to the end of the trail.    to get up to the glacier, we have to scramble up steep rock, climbing for 1.5 km.     The granite of the rock shelves has only been ice-free for a century so it is scraped and striated.     Mosses, lichens and ferns have established a foothold in this barren terrain.    This photo was taken about halfway up to the ice.

We stayed at Tyax Lodge on Tyaughton Lake and hiked trails in the South Chilcotin Ranges.    One of our hikes was up Taylor Basin into the El Dorado – Taylor Peak – Cinnamon Peak Pass.    This old cabin hails back to days when the Lucky Strike Mine was worked in these mountains.   Today it is by the trail as we hike up into this colorful area of South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park.

To get to Wave Crest Peak, we have to drive to Blue River, then go up into the mountains on the Murtle Lake Forest Service Road.    From the trailhead to Murtle Lake, we have to portage our boat and gear for 2.5 km to the lagoon launch.     The canoe or kayak has to be loaded and it is a two hour paddle up to the Strait Creek Marine Campsite.    the trailhead to Wave Crest Peak is across the creek.    We were able to ford the creek.   At high water, you can paddle up the lake and land on the shore at the trailhead.    After securing the boat it is about a 3 hour hike to this point, overlooking a tarn in the Wavy Range.    This is a remote and rugged spot, one I hope to return to hike again.