Cortes Island
“Visit Cortes,” said the fellow in the dog park. “It’s amazing what happens once you’re more than one ferry removed from civilization.” Cortes Island is accessible by ferry via Quadra Island. I might have forgotten the strangers advice if not for our camp spot at Heriot Bay on Quadra. As we drank wine at the […]
Hiking Doi Inthanon National Park
Nicknamed the rooftop of Thailand, Doi Inthanon National Park is a 2 hour drive south east of Chang Mai. No trip to Thailand could be complete without a little trail action. The tour we bought included sight-seeing stops along the way at the Twin Pagodas, Wachirathan waterfall and lunch at the White Karen Hill tribal […]
Zion National Park, Utah
We have discovered a hikers dream. We and over 4 and a half million others that visit this park every year. Even in mid-November the place is alive with hikers. All these people are being shuttled around the park in free buses. Before the shuttle bus system was established, an estimated 5000 cars drove into […]
Bryce Canyon, Utah
10 million years ago two plateaus collided, not violently but enough to cause cracks and joints on the surface of the earth. Over the millennia, water erosion has done the rest. The result is this magnificent Bryce Canyon, filled with fantastical rock spires known as hoodoos. Windows and fins, such as the ones we saw […]
Hiking Moab, Utah
I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing Moab is the coolest town in Utah. Only an hour from the Colorado border, the Moab vibe is all about adventure. Everyone here wears hiking boots and bubble jackets, every vehicle is towing something. Thank goodness we have a bike hanging off the back of the Chevy. […]
My Mother’s Journal of the West Coast Trail circa late 1970’s
I found a treasure yesterday. My Mother’s ashes are on the West Coast Trail, because I knew she’d hiked the trail not long before her death and loved it. Ray was paging through a book yesterday and out fell a collection of small notes. Turns out it is an incomplete, and rather inaccurate journal that […]
Trail Maintenance by Helicopter on the Pinawa Trails
“Batabatabata”, the sound of the helicopter hovering around Pinawa all afternoon today, June 27 couldn’t be missed. Is there a forest fire nearby? A major tragedy calling for STARS over and over? No, just Marsha Sheppard and her team of trail maintenance volunteers spreading some gravel, by helicopter. The Problem Even the “wild and wonderful” […]
Jocelyn Hill – Gowlland Todd Provincial Park
We are hiking in Gowlland Tod Provincial Park again, this time to Jocelyn Peak via Caleb Pike. There are several ways to reach Jocelyn Peak. We are hiking the Ridge Trail. Total hiking distance is 4.4 k one way with a very partial loop. My Fitbit registers 9.4 k round trip. Getting There On a […]
Sulphur Mountain Trail – Banff Alberta
“We can handle a little elevation,” I told the fit, young park interpreter at the Banff Tourist office, even though I really can’t. He had just looked us up and down and suggested we hike the Johnson Canyon. “It’s only 2 k round trip and quite flat,” he said to sell it. I was mildly […]
McKenzie Bight Trail
Snowbirding on Vancouver Island may not be for everybody, but it sure fits me. Christmas Day had us working off a couple of perogies on the McKenzie Bight trail in Gowlland Tod Park. We were actually looking for the Jocelyn Peak Loop, but due to a lazy late start, and Ray’s lack of proper clothing […]
Sorting through a life
It looked like junk just piled up in the garage. If we’d been in a hurry there might just have been a few dump runs. But we’re not in a hurry. We have been given the entire summer to sort through four decades of our life together. Almost every dusty box reveals treasures, memories … […]