Hike to Cutbank Falls

On the weekend I took a little hike with the Junior Forest Wardens club to Cutbank Falls. The trailhead is located about 45 minutes south of Grande Prairie, just after you cross the Cutbank River. We parked out vehicles in the rather large area off the highway.This is a pretty easy jaunt through the trees that follows ATV trails. The trails are pretty rutted due to the heavy use of off road vehicles. There is a rather long hill about halfway to deal with but apart from that the trail is pretty straight forward and we had and number of small children that were able to make the whole trip with no major issues.
Once at the river you are treated to a nice view as the Cutbank River splits into two separate waterfalls. On the day we went it was pretty cool with some flakes of snow blowing about in the air. In the summer I believe people come down here and go swimming in the river below the falls.
On the return trip we picked up a few bags of garbage and beer cans. I can see why quadders aren't too keen on helmet laws. Probably makes it too hard to drink while tearing through the bush.
As I said above. It was a pretty easy trek with a daypack and some sandwiches. It would be interesting to go at different times of the year to see the river in its various forms as the seasons pass.

The Foulest of Murders

The Foulest of Murders: The Story of Grande Prairie's 1918 Unsolved Murder of 6 by Wallace Lloyd Tansem

Picked up this book at the Grande Prairie Farmer's Market a few weeks ago. I am always interested in local history so when I saw this and discovered there was an unsolved murder from the early part of the 20th century I just had to read it.

The book was published after the death of the author who had been researching this topic for a number of years. It is not so much a story as a collection of facts and transcripts of legal documents, police reports and newspaper articles revolving around the murders. At the time of the murders in 1918 it was big news as it involved two incidents. The first near Clairmont in which a man and his nephew were killed and their cabin burned to the ground in an apparent attempt to hide evidence. The second incident occurred three or four miles north-west and involved the death of four trappers who were in the process of moving out of the area to seek fortunes further south.

Hike Into Willmore Wilderness: Conclusion

It was now Wednesday. After the terrific storm of the night before and the warnings we had received from other travellers about the weather possibly turning, we decided that we would
pack up our camp and move back up the Mountain Trail to the campground at Seep Creek. This would put us about 10km closer to the trail head.  Once we got there we would set up camp, spend the night and when we awoke the following morning we would evaluate the weather. If it was nice I would go on a solo hike with one of the dogs up the Seep Creek trail while Harold remained behind with the other dog whose feet were not fairing so well. If the weather was bad we decided we would just pack up camp and head back to the cars. It seemed pointless to sit in the rain all day Thursday just so we could go to bed wet and hike out on Friday.
We packed up and headed out shortly before noon. The trip was mostly uneventful. We again crossed the various creeks. We stopped again at the patrol cabin where we ran into another group of hunters on their way out on horse back. This group also had a chuck wagon. They were pretty friendly folks.
We took a break at Carson Creek campground, which is well used by outfitters and the like. It was empty while we were there but I had no doubt that it would see lots of activity over the next few weeks.
We met one fellow on his way out to hunt carrying just a backpack and a rifle. He said his pack was about 50 pounds. If he shot something his plan was he would butcher the sheep out there. Then he would stash his camping gear and walk the 20 or so km back to his vehicle with the carcass. He would then have to walk back the 20km to get his gear and then walk back to his vehicle again. He said he was used to it as he was a pretty avid hunter and a “young buck”. We wished him well and then we parted ways.
We reached Seep Creek campground. I wasn’t too impressed by this camp as it was in the trees which blocked any good views of the surrounding area. The creek was a fair walk away as well. Again the clouds were threatening. One minute it was raining the next the sun was out. the weather just could not make up its mind. We spent the evening chatting and eating, alternating between sitting by the fire pit (without a fire) and ducking for cover under the tarps. When darkness fell the clouds cleared off and the stars came out. I decided it was too early to sleep so gathered up what dry wood I could find and built a fire. We sat around for a bit then turned in.
At 3 am I was awakened by the sounds of rain on my tarp. Fed up with it all I secretly hoped it would continue so we could pack up and leave. The rest of my night was snatches of broken sleep. At one point I heard a rustling around the camp site. As I peered into the darkness with my headlamp I caught the reflection of animal eyes. It was one of the dogs who had decided to go for a walk. Once I discovered it was  the dog, I actually relaxed enough to get a few winks when I was awoken again by Harold looking for where his dog had gotten to. He then wandered off into the woods to answer the call of nature. Next time I awoke it was to the sound of Harold who had apparently gotten disoriented in the dark. I had seen his headlamp flickering around in the woods a couple of times but had just assumed he was going about his business.
Eventually 5:30am rolled around. In the gloom of morning and amid the rain, I decided to get up, put on my rain gear and have breakfast. I made some coffee.We decided we were heading home. In between showers we packed up our bags and hit the trail just as the clouds cleared off. We rolled our eyes in the sunlight and decided “Screw it, we’re leaving”.
It was actually good we did pack up when we did because not long after the clouds rolled in and a steady stream of rain fell on us the whole way back. This compounded with the muddy trail chewed up well by horse hooves
and another couple of river crossings, made for a wet slog back. Fortunately, when you know that at the end of the trail there are dry clothes and a truck with a heater your spirits stay pretty high even for 8 or 10 km.
 We got back to the vehicles about 11 am. I had a bag with some dry clothes, deodorant and running shoes. I changed quickly in the outhouse. The parking lot was full of horse trailers and vehicles. As I pulled out the Fish and Game officers were pulling in with their horse trailer. They would be in the area for a while keeping tabs on the hunters.
At Highway 40 Harold and I parted ways, he back to Edmonton and myself to Grande Prairie. I planned a stop in Grande Cache for some Chinese food but when I got there found the restaurant had just closed after the lunch hour. I found a steak house and pigged out on a cheeseburger and onion rings followed by a slice of cheesecake.
I would regret that decision later that night as I awoke in my own bed and ran to the bathroom to spend a few minutes dry heaving. It takes a bit for the stomach to re-acclimatize after eating processed / dried food I guess. While I sat in the chair recovering I flicked on the TV. On PBS there was a show called “Night of the Grizzlies” about some bear attacks that happened in a park in Montana in the 60’s.

I was glad I hadn’t seen it prior to my hiking trip.

Hike Into Willmore Wilderness Part Four

Once again we awoke to clear blue skies. I got up and ate the last bagel I had packed so it sort of marked the passing of time. I had brought along three bagels as part of my food supply and ate one each morning toasted over my MSR Pocket Rocket stove. Along with this I was having a package of instant oatmeal and some instant coffee. I enjoy starting the day off with a good breakfast. Generally when I'm hiking I have a hot breakfast and a hot supper.
Lunch is not really an official event. I like to refer to it as second breakfast or elevensies in honor of Lord of the Rings! During the day we are usually on the move so I graze on dehydrate fruit, granola bars and chocolate bars. All-Bran bars were also a staple of my diet for this week of hiking. I decided on this trip to forgo trail mix. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis earlier this year. Apparently it is aggravated further by things like nuts and seeds. Last year a bout of stomach cramps landed me in the emergency ward the night before I was to go on a three day hike. In the back of my mind I was worried about a recurrence on this trip which would have been compounded further if we were several kilometres in the bush. Thankfully I had no stomach problems. Trail mix is a good weight to calories ratio however I am not taking a chance on stomach troubles.

The plan for the day (Tuesday) was to hike to Eagle's Nest Pass and take in some of the sights. Harold said there wasn't much to see overall, but we would go anyway just to follow the Mountain Trail further into Willmore Wilderness. The trail went through the pass which was basically a couple of rock faces and then a long descent to Rock Creek where there was a small campsite where we rested. It was still early in the day so we decided to walk further along the trail until we came into a large open valley where the Starlight Range bordered to the west. We stopped here and rested again for a bit.

As we were sitting there a couple of horseback riders approached from the direction we had just come. It was a guy and his daughter on their way further into the park. Sheep hunting season was going to be starting on Saturday and they were on their way in to set up camp and scope some possible hunting sites. They were pretty friendly and they rode on. We were ready to turn back and make the hike back through the pass to camp.

As we came through the pass a rainstorm blew in, not too intense but enough to make us don our raincoats. The rain was soon over however. We ran into four more hunters on horseback as we got closer to our camp. They didn't seem as talkative so we just let them pass. By the time we gotr to camp the sun was out and hot. I washed up in the creek again and cooked up a Mister Noodles for supper along with the last of my beef jerky.
Throughout the week we had been sort of neighbors with a couple and their dog. They weren't camped with us but they were somewhere close by. As we sat by our fire the man came over and asked us if anyone had been in our camp at all. We said we didn't think so as everything was in order when we got back. He said it looked as though someone had been in theirs while they were out day hiking. There were horse prints around the site and someone had unzipped their tent door and left it open. Unfortunately when the rain had blown in earlier that day it had gotten into their tent and their stuff was wet. I thought that was very unusual to happen way out here. Most people you would think would be respectful of each other's property. You need to have a lot of trust in your fellow hikers and so on as generally you leave your camp set up when you go on your day trips. There is no place to simply lock up your gear!
Once again a thunderstorm blew in about 9pm. This was by far the most intense. A couple of mounds of hail several inches high built up at the corners of my shelter and the lightning so loud you could swear it was striking only a few metres from the camp.
The nightly bouts with nature's awesome power were becoming a little tiresome. Nothing left to do again but turn in for the night. The guy we had spoken to earlier in the shadow of the Starlight Range had told us the weather was going to turn for the worse by the end of the week.
Regardless, this was our last night at this camp as we had decided we would make our way back toward Seep Creek the following day and do a day hike from there on Thursday before heading back to the trail head on Friday.

Hike Into Willmore Wilderness Part Three

Monday morning greeted us to clear blue skies and our main goal of the day was to hike up to an unnamed lake on the ridge line above our camp. I taped up my blistered foot with some gauze and duct tape and put on a fresh pair of thick socks over top a pair of lighter ones. We would be leaving our gear at camp and travelling with light packs with only a few essentials (rain gear, snacks, water, first aid etc.).
The trail was well used by both humans and horses and the climb took us about an hour through the trees. There were countless varieties of mushrooms along the way and I took a lot of pictures. I am really interested in plant identification but I am only just getting into it. As far as mushrooms go I know absolutely nothing. I never even realized how many varieties there were until this trip! There were many I have never seen before.

We eventually broke out of the trees on to a plateau that looked toward the scree slope descending from Cathedral Mountain. From this angle we got our first glimpse of the lake that was down in a valley. There was a stream flowing over a waterfall that descended toward the lake. We skirted the ridge line that rose between the slope down to the lake on one side and on the other an alpine meadow stretched toward the base of the scree slope. We stopped to drink out of the creek and eat some food all the while taking in the magnificent view of Cathedral Mountain. In front of us the lake stretched and beyond that were more mountains in the distance.
One of the things I like to do after a good hike is lay down in the grass and let the sun beat down on me. This inevitably leads to the nap monster creeping up and so I took the opportunity to doze for a little bit.

The wind started to get a little cool so I decided to go for a walk. I followed the ridge line up for a while to get some better angles of the the lake and the valley. We had toyed with the idea of hiking down to the lake but I wasn't too keen on the idea as my foot was still a little tender. I was quite happy to take in the views. From my vantage point I could look back across the meadow toward the foot of Cathedral Mountain. A person could follow that along and get right to the base no problem. At least that's how it looked. Experience tells me that some of those easy looking routes are not so easy once you start trying to actually do them.I scanned the mountainsides looking for signs of mountain goats or big horns but saw nothing. A few falling rocks attracted my attention but nothing came of it. I did see a marmot running about on the slopes.

Dark clouds started coming over the mountain top so I made my way back to where Harold was still dozing and suggested we should head back before getting caught in the rain. Just then thunder boomed around us again. We made our way back down to camp. The rain never came until about 7 when another terrific storm blew in, this one more intense than the night before and a little hail mixed in.
Looking back I think this day hike was the highlight of the week. It was a pleasant hike and the views from the top were just reward for the effort put in. It just goes to show that: Yes, places such as Jasper and Banff offer fantastic scenery but there are so many places with equally stunning vistas.
You just have to be willing to look for them!

Book Review: Men For The Mountains

"Men for the Mountains" by Sid Marty is a recollection of his days as a warden in Canada's national parks. Sid gets his first summer gig as a patrolman. He learns the hard way about the ins and outs of horseback riding in some of the more memorable and hilarious stories from the book. He is given an area of responsibility in Yoho National Park. He lives in a small cabin heated by a wood stove and draws water from a nearby stream. As the years progress he eventually gets on as a full time warden and the book is filled with  stories about his dealings with bears, camp cooks and horses. There is a very interesting chapter on what it takes to fight a fire on a mountainside in Jasper National Park using volunteers composed mainly of hippies and Vietnam era draft dodgers. It really is amazing to see the methods that are required to bring a fire under control under such extreme circumstances and the type of men it takes to see the job through.

Throughout, there is a constant theme that the warden should not be in the townsite sitting in an office but should instead be out in the park, patrolling the back country, maintaining the trails and keeping tabs on the wildlife and the people who choose to interact with that environment. There are other stories he tells of wardens in the early days of the Park Service. Ones that spent winters holed up in patrol cabins waiting out blizzards in mountain passes. Another of a warden who falls off his horse and survives several days under a tree as grizzly bears prowl about waiting for him to die. The stories depict the life of the pre-centralization wardens. No one gets into that type job for the money, it is purely for the love of nature and the lifestyle.

Hike Into Willmore Wilderness Part Two

After we packed up on Sunday morning we continued on from Carson Creek along the Mountain Trail further in Willmore. The blister on my right foot was bugging me pretty good and I was cursing myself for having not got on it sooner. I think the new orthopedic inserts I was using in my hiking boots, which were supposed to help with my ankle problems, had raised my foot enough to find a new spot in my boot to irritate.
Harold was having a few problems with his heel so we decided that maybe we should hike the 4km to Eagles Nest Patrol Cabin and maybe plan to stay there for the night, rest up and do some day hikes the following day. Once we reached the Cabin, having to cross another creek in the process, we rested up and pulled some of our things out to dry in the sun.
It was early in the day however and it seemed a waste to seek the shelter of a cabin so early in the trip, we had not really roughed it at all yet. We decided instead to hike another couple of kilometres to a horse camp on the other side of the Wildhay River. The trail follows this river and it's tributaries so there are frequent water crossings, most of which require taking off your boots, putting on sandals and crossing the icy water. When we got to the planned camp we found that there was a couple staying there already along with their horses. They were pretty friendly and even offered us some canned food to take along with us. I decided against it as I had

Hike Into Willmore Wilderness Part One

Our original intention had been to hike from Rock Lake to Grande Cache but we had been informed by Parks services that some of the trails were washed out and we were concerned about high rivers. We decided to modify our plan and work mainly in the southern end of the park.
I left from Grande Prairie at about 7:30am to drive down to the Rock Lake Staging Area where I would meet up with Harold. We departed the trailhead at approximately 12:30pm following what is called the Mountain Trail. This is basically an old logging road from way back. Willmore is a protected area that it is off limits to vehicles. The only way to travel is by foot or on horseback.
The weather was quite hot (high 20's). The hike in was uneventful. There was the crossing of the Wildhay River which would have been mainly straight forward apart from when Harold's blind dog walked off the edge of the steep bank and ended up in the river. He had to perform a quick rescue and the dog ended up a little cold and wet but other than that she was unharmed.
At Seep Creek we again removed our hiking boots and donned sandals to wade across the shin high water. We were planning to stay at the outfitter's camp at Carson Creek for the night, approximately 12km down the Mountain Trail.  When we arrived, however it was occupied by a large group of trail riders

New Ace Doubles Added

When I was in Edmonton on the weekend happened upon a bookstore on Whyte Avenue that was selling a bunch of these. It had been a pretty expensive weekend already so I only picked up two.

I usually stick to a rule of $5.00 each but in this case I made an exception and paid $11.00! I really like the cover on this one. Nothing like the damsel in distress and it has all the imaginings of a sci-fi book published in 1960. The spaceship, the futuristic city and the weird space helmet with an antenna on the top. The image of the green woman in the background is pretty cool too.

The reverse side is "The Secret Martians". The male astronaut seems to be helping the woman astronaut figure out how to navigate a bridge over a sea of lava. Perhaps its her first time out in her new space suit.

The other one I bought for $5.00 mainly because of the title "The Ship That Sailed The Time Stream". The person who was selling these had made notes on a sticky note and stuck them to the covers. Apparently this story was nominated for a Nebula award. The reverse side of it is called "Stranger Than You Think" and is a collection of related stories published in various magazines between 1959 and 1964 by G.C Edmondson.





Check out my "Ace Doubles" page on the blog to see my full collection. If you have any of these or know of anyone looking to get rid of some please drop me a line.

Bob Dylan in Lloydminster

In August 1990 I was living in Edmonton. Bob Dylan came to town and performed at the Jubilee Auditorium with opening act Sue Medley. I remember it was very loud, Dylan had no interaction with the crowd, his lyrics were at best unintelligible and my general feeling about the whole thing was disappointment. Like many who are familiar with Dylan's most famous works, we have this picture in our head of what we think the concert should be like. Predominately we like to imagine him, alone on the stage, just a harmonica and an acoustic guitar, singing the songs of protest we have come to love. It is surprising then to realize that most of the Dylan work we are familiar with was written and made famous very early in his career. Blowing in the Wind came out in 1962 and much of his great work had been produced by about 1965, meaning that Dylan was only in his early 20's when fame came to him. With his controversial switch to electric I do not believe he ever really looked back. Those folksy roots were a very small part of his long career.

Flash forward 20 years. My wife had bought me tickets to see Bob Dylan perform in the border city of Lloydminster, Alberta. Of course I was not going to turn them down or raise a fuss. However after my previous experience I was reluctant to get my hopes up too high and decided to attend with an open mind. The first thing I had found out from some recent concert reviews was that Dylan tends to spend most of his performance at the piano. He did perform "Simple Twist of Fate" standing with the electric guitar, but there were no acoustic performances. There was no opening act.

The Grizzly Bear Part 2: Afterthoughts

After having a day or two to process the events that happened at Poboktan Creek I have a few thoughts on the whole matter.

• I have no anger toward the bear. When we choose to go into their territory it is the risk we take. We can do things to minimize those risks such as making noise and so on. I think my biggest worry is that the easy pickings he got by discovering our food bag will make him more likely to look again. This puts other hikers in danger. I don't know though. Perhaps another hiker had been in the area and left an easy meal. The warden did say it was unusual for bears to actually enter the campsites. If they are clean of garbage and offer nothing the bear would be interested in then he would have no reason to be there. They generally avoid human contact. We had only been on site maybe half an hour when it showed up.
• I am very proud of the way the kids responded to the situation. We so often see kids over exaggerating things like being sick or falling down and hurting themselves. I am just as guilty as others of wondering: Are my kids wimps? This incident proved to me that when things are really serious they were able to keep a cool head. As soon as they saw the bear they quickly but calmly left the area. They walked away and didn't shout or freeze. We had just hiked in 8 km. When we hit the trail again to get out of there we were slogging through the mud and water. We were in a dangerous situation. They didn't just stop and cry, they followed along at a good pace and we hiked 8km back. No complaining. No whining. They just did what they had to do.
• My son felt horrible for leaving his beloved teddy bear behind. My wife overheard him say that he was a "terrible parent" for doing so. I told him that what he did was right. We got out of danger so we could send someone back to save the teddy bear.
• We did the right thing by reporting the incident. We had a responsibility to let other hikers know that there was a bear in the area. It was a bear that may become aggressive given his actions. The trail was closed the next day and will remain so for at least 2 weeks.
• I am a little concerned because this was the first time we went backpacking as a family. We have hiked before but this was going to be a step up for us. I hope the kids do not get put off becase of the incident. We won't rush them though.
• I wonder about the bear. I hope this was a one off incident. I would hate to think that he may be put down for this or it may lead to more aggressive behaviour. There are between 600 and 800 grizzly bears in Alberta. They are an endangered species. Most of it is because of humans.

Looking back on the experience I have to say I am glad it turned out the way it did. We did what we needed to do. We have since been in contact with the officer who has sent us a few pictures of bears in the area he has been monitoring hoping he can find a match. So far no luck.

The Grizzly Bear Part 1: The Incident

A couple of years ago my friend and I went to Jasper National Park to try climb up to the Brazeau glacier. We had  very limited success with that trip but on the way we stayed at the Poboktan Creek back country campsite. At the time I thought that this would be an excellent trip to introduce the kids to backpacking. The trail is about 8km and well maintained. It has some uphill and downhill but nothing that is too intense. It follows Poboktan Creek and so there is plenty of water available for drinking and so on. The campsite itself is primitive but it does have a couple of picnic tables, a firepit and a food cache stand to hoist your food up into the trees. There's even a toilet! Seemed like the perfect destination.

For 2 weeks we went over our gear and did some test hikes. My wife agonized over the menu. We were only going to be gone 48 hours but there was still lots of planning involved. I called the park office and reserved our campsite for two nights and paid the back country fees.
On Thursday evening after work we hit the road. We stayed that night at Cache Campground in William A Switzer Provincial Park and then on Friday morning we continued on to Jasper. The trail head is about 45 minutes south of Jasper town site on the Icefields Parkway. We arrived, got geared up and were on the trail around 1:30 in the afternoon. I had told the kids to make as much noise as they wanted because that was the best way to let bears know we were in the area. Generally if they know you are there they will avoid you. As we went down the trail we did come across some bear sign (tracks and poop) but that is not unusual. I usually see it in any hike we have been on the in the past. Generally it just reminds you to keep making noise and stay aware. In fact in all the hiking I have done I have not so much as even SEEN a bear, not even from a distance.

The hike up the trail was pretty uneventful. We rested a few times for a drink and some snacks. There was a great little spot by the creek we rested for a while. The kids splashed in the creek and we cooled off in the breeze. Around 5:00 we arrived at the campground. I had a quick look around to make sure there was no sign of bear activity and everything was in order. We took off our packs and rested a bit. Me and my daughter took off our hiking boots and put on sandals to let the feet get a break. I showed the kids how the bear cache worked and then told them all to take whatever food they may have out of their backpacks so we could consolidate it and hoist it up into the cache later.
I hauled my pack down to the tent pad which is about 50m from the picnic tables where we would be doing our cooking and then I grabbed the tent pegs from my daughter's pack and proceeded to start setting up the tent. My wife came down with her pack and I asked her to give me a hand put the tent poles in. We were just about done when the kids came over.
"There's a bear over there," my son whispered.
"What?" I asked, shocked.

"There's a grizzly bear over there," he said again. I looked over to the picnic tables and sure enough there was a huge brown grizzly sniffing around the site! I found out later that the kids had been sitting over by the tables having some trail mix when they heard some movement. My son saw the bear's head as it came through the bush. It was chewing on some branches in the bush. They both calmly left and came over to us.
We stood in our little group and watched as the bear began nosing around where half our gear was. I luckily had my bear spray still attached to my pack so I got that ready. We decided to make it known that we were in the area. We started to speak loudly but calmly. This technique is supposed to let the bear know you are there. Sometimes it is enough to scare them away as they generally try to avoid human contact. I'm not sure if it was the sound of the creek rolling by and he couldn't hear us or what but he barely acknowledged we were there. I think he knew it. Turns out something else had piqued his interest.
"The food's on the table," my wife announced. It was. Since we were still getting unpacked and next up on the agenda was supper we had not even had the chance to get the food bags up into the trees. Generally when hiking, you stash your food when you go to bed or when you are leaving the campsite. It is not something you do the moment you get into camp! Looking back though it may have been a good thing. The bear started going through everything!
I got the kids and my wife to move as far back into the campsite as possible and we assessed the situation. It became apparent after about 15 minutes that he wasn't going to be going anywhere soon. A couple of times I lost sight of him but it turned out that he was still around. He was swatting at my daughter's backpack. I saw my son's shoe in its mouth once. We had some bagels he was munching on.
I became concerned that once he was through the buffet we had left there he may come over to our tent and start looking for more. We decided that it was best if we just left. I was concerned because all I had on my feet were sandals and socks. My hiking boots were up at the picnic table. When I saw him carry off our bright orange food bag into the bush I said:
"OK. Here's what we'll do. We'll take the two packs we have, we will follow the creek downstream until we hit the main trail and get the hell out of here."

This is where I really need to give my kids a big shout out. My son's biggest worry was that his teddy bear was up there and we would have to leave him behind. My daughter was extremely calm and cool. We hoisted the gear on our backs and off we went. It was a muddy, wet slog through the bush in sandals but that that was the least of my concerns. We got out of the area and then took a break. I was a little leery of the bushwhacking because that is how all these survival stories go. Luckily cool thinking and the kids' knowledge from a couple of years of Junior Forest Wardens gave them the confidence we needed to push on. After about a kilometre we still had not hit the trail but we took a break and assessed what we dide have. Map and compass, matches, shelter material and lots of drinking water the creek would provide. It was about this time the reality set in and the kids had a little cry. We assured them that we would be OK. We pushed on and suddenly off to the right I thought I could make out trees that had been cut down by a chainsaw. We had found the trail! We were about 2km from the campsite.
From there we bee lined it back to the trail head arriving there about 8:30pm. The adventure pretty

much over we headed back to Jasper where we got a hotel for the night, showered up and I spoke to the Warden, Steve Malcolm about what had happened. He was very understanding and told me it was very unusual for bears to enter the campsites. He said we were right in our decision to leave. He was going to head up there the next day and retrieve what he could. I told him about the teddy bear and he said they would keep a special eye out.
Later on the next day Mr. Malcolm and another officer, Barbara, showed up with our gear. I have to say I was quite grateful especially when I learned that they had hiked in. I had assumed they would go on horseback. He told me that that he was hoping to see the bear. Apparently after it left our campsite it continued up the trail to toward Waterfalls campsite another 5 km up the trail. My son's teddy bear had its head ripped off but we think it's repairable.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Hiking Prep 2012: Keeping the Batteries Charged

On the trip in August I am planning on doing some "live blogging" from the trail. I just gave up my BlackBerry phone and have joined Team Android with a Samsung Galaxy S3. This device now gives me an 8 MP camera and video capability. I also downloaded the WordPress app so I feel that once I get the hang of using the onscreen keyboard I should be in a good position to send posts from the field with a small but powerful platform.
Now the big issue: Batteries! How will I keep the batteries charged on a 6 day trip through the back country?

One option is to not worry about it! I do not know how much cell phone coverage I will even have. It will at best be spotty if we are able to get up high enough. At worst I may get some on the final day or two as we approach Grande Cache.

My plan is to record blog entries on the phone and save locally. If we get in range of a tower I should be able to upload them and set times for their publication. In this manner I would solve battery issues by only turning on the phone to type, photograph and upload.

I have considered a few of the solar chargers available through the likes of a Mountain Equipment Co-Op. These are basically a battery pack this charged by solar and then you plug your device in and charge from the battery pack.

This weekend we are doing a 2  night backpack in Jasper. I will take my phone along and do a test run.  After that I should be in a better position to make a  decision.

Hiking Prep 2012: Kleskun Hill Park

In preparation for our first family backpacking trip ever we have been using Kleskun Hill Park as our training ground. Kleskun Hills is located about 15 minutes east of Grande Prairie along Hwy 43. I like to use it as there is a nice trail going around the perimeter and a number of hills to go up and down to build up those leg muscles as well as get a good feel for the backpack and how it rides on your back.

Kleskun Hills is a protected area that is off limits to off road vehicles. Any place designated as off limits to ATV's, quads etc. is alright in my books! The unique thing about the Kleskun Hills is that they have been exposed due to weather and erosion. It reminds me of the badlands of Drumheller, Alberta though on a much smaller scale. It is very dry and cactus grows in among the hills. While we were out there some were in flower. There are also lots of Saskatoon bushes and we even found some wild raspberries and a couple of strawberries.

Hiking Prep 2012: The Bivy Bag

This year I was able to convince my mom to put togther the bivy bag that I had bought the materials for about two years ago. Originally I was going to do it myself but since my mother is always busy making quilts, knitting or some other related craft I figured it would be best to just let her have at it.

For those of you who are not familiar with what a "bivy" bag is, it is a waterproof and breathable bag that you put your sleeping bag inside of. "Bivy" is short for "bivouac". There are a number of commercially available types at stores such as Mountain Equipment Co-Op or Wholesale Sports Outfitters, practically any store that caters to the outdoorsman.

I got the pattern for this particular one off of the Internet. It is made from two fabrics that I was able to get from Fabricland: a "Gore-Tex" - like upper  and a tougher nylon material for the bottom. We included a hood that can be pulled over just in case of bad weather and cold conditions.



Bivy bags are useful for the backpacker because it protects the sleeping bag from the elements. Because of this it is possible to sleep on the ground without having to carry a tent. In inclimate conditions you can string up a tarp to keep the rain off you. Under ideal conditions you can simply roll it out and sleep on the ground under the stars. The sleeping bag is protected from dirt, light rain and dew. It also adds a layer of wind resistance ( by this I mean the outside wind, not the wind you may produce within your sleeping bag!) and another layer of warmth. The bag is lightweight as is the tarp so the reduction in weight is beneficial.

I am looking forward to trying this out!

 

Book Review: The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt is a kind of surreal western. It follows hired guns and brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters on a journey to California to kill a prospector that has done their boss wrong. A typical "road" type story, the brothers encounter adventures along the way such as troublesome horses, a strange gypsy witch-like woman, a killer bear and a few other odd ball characters.

Eli is the main character and the story is told from his point of view. His brother Charlie is a bit more prone to this type of work than Eli. Eli seems to have come to a point in his life where being a gun for hire no longer appeals to him. In fact I get the sense that he never really wanted to do it but his loyalty to his brother forced this life upon him.

The story has several humorous parts but some scenes take on a dreamlike aura and you wonder if maybe there is supposed to be a deeper meaning to the novel that I just did not get. There are two "intermissions" in the book revolving around a peculiar and homicidal little girl that seem to come out of nowhere. I am not sure what they were supposed to lend to the story.

Review: Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is the true story of a mountaineer (Mortenson) who having failed an attempt on K2 in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan was instead driven to build schools for impoverished children in that region.

The book is not not very well written in my opinion. The author, David Oliver Relin adds some background information that does not seem necessasy to the story. Various sidenotes on the history that would be interesting in and of themselves seem to pop out of nowhere and then disappear. They seem to be just thrown in as filler. I found the first half the most interesting when he begins to learn the culture of the people of Pakistan and goes through the rigamorale of raising money and acquiring the materials to build his first school. The parts to do with the Taliban are interesting but not very eye-opening. Later chapters revolve around the time of 9/11 and Mortenson was trying to extend his school building mission into Afghanistan. He was in the region when the invasion of Afghanistan began.

"H" is for: Hiking This Summer

Last summer I did not get out on a good overnight hiking adventure at all!

To make up for it this year, me and my friend Harold have set aside a full week in August for an epic journey through Willmore Wilderness area on an 80km (we think) odyssey that will begin at Rock Lake Provincial Park and end at Grande Cache, Alberta.

"N" is for: New Ace Doubles!

Put in a random bid on EBay and won a couple more Ace Doubles for my collection. Normally I don't like to buy them off EBay because it just seems too easy. What I do is just put in a low bid and the price with shipping cannot be more than $5.00 per book.

In this case I was caught by the fact that one of these is a Philip K Dick story and quite often they sell at higher prices. Suffice to say this one will not. When I got it a whole bunch of the pages had fallen out and were shoved back in, upside down and out of order. I'll never read this one it is just too fragile. On the bright side, the cover is in pretty good condition and that is what the big attraction is to me anyway.

If you haven't checked out my other pages on the site devoted to my expanding book collection, please look at the tab above. If you have any of these Ace books or know someone who wants to get rid of some, please let me know as I would be interested!

 

 

 

"J" is for: Jasper Trip

Just got back from a two day trip to Jasper, Alberta. We decided to come down here for a couple of days to get away from Grande Prairie and take a little break from things. Unfortunately as we got closer to the park, the clouds rolled in and we were under a fairly steady stream of rain and snow the entire time. We did manage a short trip down the Icefields Parkway to Athabasca Falls but other than that most of the key sights are still closed for the winter.

Athabasca Falls was a nice little trip and seeing it at this time of year with the snow and ice was very beautiful. The trails were a still snow and ice covered so I would recommend ice cleats and hiking poles if you go at this time of year. We didn't have them and though we could see everything it made some of the trail a bit treacherous.

That being said the restaurants and pubs are open so instead of blowing our money on tram rides and so on we were able to enjoy the dining instead!

"G" is for: George Orwell's 1984

"In America you watch television. In Soviet Russia television watches you!" - Yakov Smirnoff

George Orwell's book "1984" is one of those classics that I turn to every couple of years or so. It is too easy to take the book originally written in 1949 and then see how it applies to modern times. People have been doing it since, well, 1984 for sure!

The book introduced the idea of "telescreens" that were located practically everywhere including inside your own home. The screens could not be turned off and would spout off an endless supply of propaganda. In today's society it would seem you cannot go anywhere without some kind of screen being present whether it is a restaurant or even the food court at the mall, there is a television there. The rest of your time is spent looking at small screens on your computer or mobile device. I guess the only difference between us and Winston Smith is that our screens are not watching us (at least I don't think so!).

"I" is for: Images of War

 

It was 20 years ago this month that the war in the Balkans began. I did three tours in the former Yugoslavia between October of 1992 and October 1994. The first two were spent in various parts of Croatia with 3 and 2 battalion PPCLI. My final tour was in Bosnia with 1 PPCLI.

"C" is for: Croatia 1993

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Balkan War. I was deployed to Daruvar Croatia in September of 1992 on the second rotation to the Former Yugoslavia. The Canadian contingent had moved from Sarajevo, Bosnia and set up a camp in Croatia in the disputed areas. The Van Doos were the outfit we replaced. I spent 6 months there with 3 PPCLI and then when my tour was finished they were looking for volunteers to stay behind with our replacements 2 PPCLI. I decided to stay as at the time I was single, had no commitments in Canada and to tell you the truth, I loved being overseas and doing what I thought was real work as opposed to running around Wainwright and playing war. On top of that I was making an extra $1000 a month!/p pI was in 12 Platoon D Company and part of the platoon headquarters group. I primarily drove an M-113 armoured personnel carrier, but I also had been a resupply driver on my first tour, driving a "deuce and a half" all over the DMZ. I also took part in roadside checks, patrols and a few raids on Serbian or Croatian locations to capture weapons and so on.

"B" Is for Books

I began the year with a commitment to read more and so far I would say I am not doing too bad. I was going to read one fiction or online short story and then one non-fiction book. I am not sure how the non-fiction will progress but we will see. To this point I have read the following:

• The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (fiction)


• Gretzky's Tears - Stephen Brunt (non-fiction)


• A War of Gifts - Orson Scott Card (fiction short story)


• The Hammer of God - Arthur C. Clarke (Lightspeed Magazine) (fiction short story)


• Steve Jobs - Walter Isaccson (non-fiction)

I am halfway through 1984 by George Orwell as my current fiction novel. I have read this one a number of times but I like to come back to it every couple of years.

I do not have a non-fiction lined up yet, though I have Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson on the shelf.

Not too bad for the beginning of April!

"A" is for: A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012

I'm not going to officially enter this contest this year but I am going to try do it on my own. The way I see it there are 26 letters in the alphabet and 30 days in "A"pril, so here is my first post albeit one day late, that leaves me room for three other missed days.

Maybe I can make up a letter or two along the way.

Come "A"long for the ride!

Book Review: On The Road

Happy 2012 to everyone!

As I said in my last post, my motto for 2012 is "Read more, write more, walk more". So in order to kick start that mantra I will begin with a post on the iconic Jack Kerouac novel "On the Road".

Published in 1957, it was originally written around 1951 by Kerouac. It is an account of his travels across America between 1947 and 1949 with real life friend Neal Cassady. In the book Cassady is portrayed as the character "Dean Moriarty"  and Kerouac is the protaganist "Sal Paradise". It is kind of a who's who of figures from the so-called "Beat" movement of the 1950's. Kerouac is credited with coining the term "Beat Generation". Allen Ginsberg (most famous for his poem "Howl") is also featured in the character of Carlo Marx and William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) is dubbed "Old Bull Lee".