Massasauga Provincial Park - Day 4

Peter, Cynara and I woke relatively early on Monday morning. At about 6:30 we took to the canoes and paddled out onto Captain Allan Strait and headed eastward into the mist.

As well as getting some good shots of the sun rising over the water, we got a number of decent shots of Cynara paddling around too. Peter said there was less mist compared to the day before. Still it was fine.

When everyone else woke up we made breakfast and finished up most of the rest of the food. Mostly eggs and bacon again. Yummy. Then we put our bathing suits on and jumped in the water by our campsite.

Being a Monday it was much quieter. A lot of the other campers had left so the motorboat traffic in front of our site was greatly reduced. Our site was actually situated on one of the busier points in the park. Captain Allan Strait leads out to the open waters of Georgian Bay.

The water seemed a little chillier in front of our site than other places we had swum at. I put my PFD on and floated around a bit. Then I took it off and sat on the rocks in the water by the shore. The water covered my shoulders. I only kept my head out.

After sitting for awhile I felt a gentle poking around my back. Peter was sitting in the water behind me, so I thought it was him. In fact a small fish was sampling me it seems. I had sat still enough that it didn't feel threatened in approaching me. Another one swam between my outstretched legs in the water too. They couldn't have been more than 2-4 inches in length.

On our way back to the city after dropping off the rental canoes we stopped in Barrie for ice cream at Kawartha Dairy. Instead of the usual cone, Peter and I decided to split a prepackaged 1.5 litre tub of Black Cherry ice cream. A regular cone is nearly $5, while the tub was $6.30 after tax. Less expensive and you get more. The tub was too large even for the both of us, so we shared it with the others.

After that we went to Chaopaya Thai Restaurant on Dunlop Street for dinner. Peter and I split some chicken fried rice with basil, and beef with red curry. A bit on the spicy side for me, but very tasty indeed.

Massasauga Provincial Park - Day 3

Jess, Eric, Lily; Me, Peter, Cynara and Jonathan and Chris.

Peter awoke early on the third morning. He went out to take sunrise shots with the mist on the water. Cynara suggested going out the night before, but slept in. Oh well.

Today we planned on hiking the nearby Moon Island Trail. It's right across the strait from our campsite (though the trailhead is on the opposite side of the island). A 20 minute paddle perhaps. We had to wait for Eric's group to arrive though because we thought they wanted to do the hike too.

After breakfast Peter and I went out for a short paddle. I don't remember exactly where we went. Maybe up and down Captain Allan Strait in front of our campsite. After awhile we came back and relaxed.

Jonathan decided to take a canoe out on his own to go fishing. Eric had left his rod there and Jonathan thought he might try it. A short time later he came back completely soaked. The canoe had flipped and he had lost Eric's rod and reel.

It wasn't far from where our campsite was, so Peter and I donned our PFDs and swam over. Cynara and Jonathan paddled there. Jonathan and I searched the riverbed while Peter and Cynara observed.

Jonathan hadn't flipped too far from shore, so we thought we were in the right area. He carried heavy rocks (which weighed him down) and searched the bottom with his feet, while I dove down headfirst and searched with my hands.

The bottom was murkier the deeper you got. In some parts there was seaweed growing from the bottom too. So the view was obscured. We searched a fairly large area for quite a long time but never found it. Too bad.

It was around the end of our search when we saw Eric's canoe coming in. There were four of them in it - Eric, Chris, Jess and Lily. As well we saw what we thought was a dog swimming in the water around them. We thought it might have belonged to them (who we didn't recognize at first) or to a motorized boat nearby. It was only when the "dog" got out of the water and scrambled up the rocks by our campsite that we realized it was a bear cub. No one got any photos unfortunately.

After Eric's group got resettled (and we broke the bad news to him), we split up to do different activities. Jonathan and Jess took a canoe to paddle to the LCBO at Moon River Marine to get some beverages while Eric, Lily, Cynara, Peter and I took the other two to Moon Island to do the 4 kilometre hike there. Chris stayed at the campsite to rest up.

Eric, Chris and Jess had actually gone over to Moon Island to hike when they were here earlier. But somehow they got lost and ended up wandering around off trail. They never actually completed it. So it would be mostly new for him too.

After hiking we made dinner. Eric's group brought some new food like wild salmon and cheap steak. They tried cooking it over the campfire first, but it didn't turn out so well. So Peter re-cooked everything in the skillet which turned out well. No one wanted to eat the salmon still, so I finished it off.

More star shots after eating. No more Northern Lights. With the extra bodies, there wasn't enough space in the tents. So Chris and Jess slept on the rocks under the stars.

Massasauga Provincial Park - Day 2

Cynara jumping off the dock at Calhoun Lodge by the Baker Trail.

Saturday started off at a relaxing pace. I woke up around 10:00. I think Cynara was up first. Peter and Jonathan soon followed. We had eggs and bacon for breakfast. The night before we ate sausages and ramen noodles.

In the early afternoon we paddle out to do the Baker Trail by Calhoun Lodge. It's a little northwest of Pete's Place. But, even with Peter's GPS, we still got lost again. It didn't help that he entered the wrong coordinates. Still, we were in no rush. It gave us a chance to paddle around more.

There weren't many boats at the dock by Calhoun Lodge when we arrived. I was a bit surprised at that. I thought more people might want to get out for a hike. Perhaps, at this particular park, water sports are more highly favoured. We noticed a lot of people in motorboats with their fishing gear.

The hike around the island wasn't too long. Only 5.5 kilometres. It shouldn't have taken us too long. But, of course, with Peter and I taking pictures things tend to drag a bit. We completed it in a little under 3 hours. The scenery was fine. Nothing spectacular. All of us had our bathing suits. So we jumped into the water for a quick dip.

Dinner was more of the same from last night. We added one of Eric's Kraft Dinners for variety. Afterwards Peter and I tried taking more night shots. The Northern Lights weren't so bright this evening. We all chilled around the campfire again. This time we built one out on the rocks.

Massasauga Provincial Park - Day 1

Northern Lights over Moon Island at Massasauga Provincial Park.

Cynara's friend, Eric, organized a camping trip to Massasauga Provincial Park over the Labour Day long weekend. Along with three of his friends - Chris, Jess and Lily; Jonathan, Peter and I went.

Eric, Chris and Jess went first on Thursday. Cynara and Jonathan and Peter and I drove up Friday. Eric and his group had to come back early on Friday evening because he forgot he had to shoot a wedding the next day (Saturday). They would all return with Lily on Sunday.

Peter and I met Cynara and Jonathan at Swift Canoe and Kayak rentals at their Georgian Bay location off Highway 400, north of Barrie Friday afternoon. Eric had arranged canoes for us up there. After affixing them to the roofs of our cars we drove an hour further north to the park.

For our particular campsite (#406) you'd normally launch your boat out of Pete's Place after registering. But they only allow parking for one car per campsite there. So the girl there told us to go down the road to one of the marinas and find private parking there. We found a place near Moon River Marine that charged $8 a day and launched our canoes from there.

Eric's group tried to wait for us before returning to Toronto, but we arrived at the campsite a little late. Even with Peter's GPS we made a few wrong turns and ended up in dead end bays at one point. Ideally we would have come counter-clockwise around Marion Island and bump into them on their way paddling out, but we came in on Captain Allan Strait from the east side.

It was around 8:00 p.m. by the time we got to the campsite. My tent (which I had lent Eric) was still there along with all their other gear. But they were long gone. Peter and I and Cynara and Jonathan set our stuff up and prepared dinner. We had bought three bags of wood from the camp store (at Pete's Place). As well, Peter brought his portable stove.

After eating we went out onto the rocks by our site (which overlooks Captain Allan Strait looking northward to Moon Island and Woods Bay) and started taking night pics. The skies were pretty dark when we began shooting. That's great for seeing the stars. I did notice what I thought was light pollution on the horizon at one point. Then Peter figured out it was the Northern Lights as it got brighter.

I was surprised to see them at this time of the year and so far south. Nevertheless we got some pretty decent shots of it as well as the Milky Way. They started to dim by 1:00 a.m. which is when we turned in for the night.

Canoeing at Killarney - Day 3

Day three started off nicely. But, unlike the day before, it stayed nice. Brian and Emily #2 were up first. We heard them in the water swimming and Peter and I decided to join in. Since Emily #1 couldn't swim she stayed by the shore.

Like I mentioned before, the water was relatively warm. And, since there were only four campsites on Grey Lake, it was even more quiet and peaceful than Bell Lake. While in the water Peter and I even saw a loon swim unhurriedly by.

It was magical swimming/floating on our backs looking up at the pine trees and sky above. Just so relaxing. A brief while later I got the idea of wearing our life jackets in the water and floating around. This would allow Emily to join us (which she did). We bobbed up and down in the water for a good part of the morning. It was wonderful.

We packed and headed back to the parking lot shortly after 1:00 p.m. It didn't take us too long to get there. We did our last portage and were attacked by mosquitoes once again.

After returning their canoe to the outfitters, Emily #2 and Brian hit the road. We had to lash ours to the top of Peter's M3 before heading off.

We stopped at Burger Priest in Barrie for dinner. Before that we grabbed milkshakes at Kawartha Dairy to drink. Yummy, yummy.

The traffic was still pretty bad going south on the 400. Even at that time in the evening. I don't believe we got home until after 11:00 p.m. after dropping the canoe off at Peter's friend's place in Etobicoke.

The trips had its ups and downs. It was mostly the mosquitoes that annoyed us. So many bites. The canoeing was amazing. Just being on, or even in, the water was great. I'd surely do it again. Especially in a place like Killarney. So pleasant, so serene.

Canoeing at Killarney - Day 2

Our second day at Killarney started off well. The sun was shining and the skies clear. We took our time with breakfast and just hanging out before heading over to our next campsite at nearby Grey Lake. It was a short paddle to the 530-540 metre portage point from our first site.

At the beginning of the portage I thought I'd try carrying our canoe solo. It was Kevlar after all, so it's not as heavy as the ones from the olden days. Still, two-thirds the way through, I was dying. Dyyyying.

The paddle to our campsite on Grey Lake was pretty easy. It's no more than a kilometre and a half long. After passing on the first site we saw, we found a decent one around a kilometre from the end of the portage. We set up our tents and headed back out for a hike. We were going to Silver Peak.

It was a long day. Unfortunately we had to do the portage again since the beginning of the Silver Peak hike was at the far west end of Bell Lake. In total I believe we paddle around 10 kilometres (5 each way) and hiked about 8 kilometres (4 each way up and down the hill).

By the time we started the hike the skies had clouded over. When we reached the peak we could see rain in the distance. It caught up with us maybe an hour or so before we got back to the canoes. We pretty much paddled most of the way back to our Grey Lake campsite in the rain. Yuck.

The views from Silver Peak were decent. Besides the rain, the hike wasn't too bad either. Especially after doing Alberta last summer. Nothing here can compete with the steepness or the rocky terrain there. The third time doing the portage was pretty tiring. The mosquitoes along the way were relentless. As well, back at the campsite, they were ready to feast. It was miserable.

Brian and Emily #2 prepared Shepherd's Pie using mashed potato mix from Bulk Barn. We were pretty much famished from our daily activities that we happily wolfed it down. Afterwards Peter, Emily and I went for a quick paddle to catch the fleeting sunset before bedding down. This time we put the tent flies on turning them into sweaty saunas. So uncomfortable.

Cyprus Lake Camping - Day 2

Little Cove at Kilometre 157.3 of the Bruce Trail.

I have to say, the sleep overnight was quite chilly. The temperature dropped to around 7C. Though I brought enough warm clothes, I didn't put them all on. I wouldn't repeat that mistake this evening.

After breakfast we headed back up to the visitor centre parking lot in Tobermory. Today we'd be attempting the 19 kilometre hike from the Northern Terminus of the Bruce Trail back to the Cyprus Lake campsite at Bruce Peninsula National Park.

The starting point is actually in town before heading back to Fathom Five National Marine Park. We didn't get very far, only 2.5 kilometres about half an hour in, before we hit our first road block - a detour where the trail runs through private property.

We'd have to head back out to Highway 6 and walk 3 kilometres out of Tobermory to Little Cove Road. At the corner we'd stop for oatmeal raisin cookies and butter tarts at the bakery at the corner. From there we'd walk another 2.5 kilometres to Little Cove (part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park). Back on the trail!

Like the day before at Little Dunks Bay, the scenery at Little Cove was absolutely lovely. Though, instead of being solid rock, Little Cove's "beach" was made up of white stones. After taking a short break for photos we headed east along the rocky shore before heading back into the forested area.

Over the course of the hike the trail went into the forested area and came out to spectacular views of Georgian Bay. Sometimes you'd see it from above atop a cliff; other times you'd be down at sea level on a rocky beach. Either way it was impressive.

In the end we ended up hiking a total of 21.43 kilometres over 9 hours. The detour added a bit of extra time and distance to the original 19 kilometre hike. As did the fact that we went off course once or twice. We managed to see Overhanging Point, but it was a bit too late in the day to go to The Grotto. We would hit it the next day.

We finished the day off with the remainder of the lamb that Peter brought and chicken wings from Cynara before hitting the sack. This time I made sure to wear everything I packed to make sure I stayed warm at night.

Murphy's Point Provincial Park

Murphy's Point Provincial Park.

On the first weekend of August we went camping at Murphy's Point Provincial Park. It's located about 4 hours east-north-east of Toronto not far from Perth.

On Friday night I slept over at Peter's. Emily and Ken and Ken's two friends came by on Saturday morning. Our first stop would be breakfast at Stockyards on St. Clair, west of Bathurst.

We got there right around the time they were supposed to open, but they were a bit short on staff so they asked us along with the other few customers that were there to wait a bit longer before letting us in.

Once inside the place is pretty nice looking. The kitchen is open so the guests facing it can watch as their food is being prepared.

We ordered a variety of items from their breakfast menu. Emily had their Stockyard Sandwich. It's a deep fried poached egg w/stockyards bacon or county sage sausage, and aged cheddar on a buttermilk biscuit - $8.

I had the Biscuits W/Sausage Gravy. It's a couple of house baked buttermilk biscuits, smothered with house sage sausage, black pepper pan gravy, soft scrambled eggs. - $11. I thought it was so-so. The sage sausage was ground up with sauce that seemed a bit thin/runny.

Peter had the Fried Chicken & Waffles. It's simply fried chicken over Belgian waffles w/chili maple molasses citrus glaze - 4-pieces $16. I thought the sauce was a little spicy. I never really understood the appeal of the chicken and waffle combination. Not my cup of tea.

As usual we made a stop at the Big Apple on our way east along the 401. It was the first time there for Ken's friends. It's become old hat for the rest of us.

We got to the park a bit before 3:00. After checking in we got organized, set our tents up, bought some firewood for later that evening then headed out for a hike.

The bugs weren't too bad. Maybe a 1 or 2 out of 5. I wore my bug jacket just in case though. In certain areas you needed it.

What we needed more was our raincoats though. The skies had been threatening rain ever since we got there.

The first trail, the Sylvan Trail, we tried was a short one at 2.5 kilometres. We completed it in under an hour.

We then tried to find the Point Trail. Like the Sylvan Trail it's a loop trail. But this one was longer at 5.5 kilometres.

During both our hikes we heard huge thunderclaps. It was like the storm was right upon us. We were lucky enough not to get rained on until part way through the Point Trail. It wasn't overly heavy so we trudged on.

By the time we finished the hike and returned to our campsite it had, thankfully, stopped. This afforded us the luxury of not having to cook in the rain.

Dinner was good. Peter had marinated lamb the night before. It was really tasty. Along with the lamb, we tossed some corn on the cob and sweet potatoes wrapped in tinfoil into the fire to cook. As well we boiled some water on our camp stoves for cup noodles.

We finished the meal off with S'mores (though I just toasted some marshmallows for myself) and then hit the sack.

Peter and I left at around 10:00 the next morning. I had to go to the boarding home in the afternoon. We made one stop at the Narrows Lock along the Rideau Canal to take some shots along the way.

Alberta Trip - Day 10 - Moraine Lake, Eiffel Lake Hike

Moraine Lake, Valley of the Ten Peaks.

On our last full day in Alberta we visited Moraine Lake. Similarly to the day before when we were at Lake Louise, we got a late start, and, as a result, ended up parking way down the road because the lot was full.

Unlike the previous day where we hiked first, we started off taking pictures around the lake. The striking blue water is incredibly beautiful. Really amazing.

We decided to do the Eiffel Lake hike out of Moraine Lake. The trail splits off from the Larch Valley trail and takes you to a glorious alpine lake with a panoramic view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. It’s 5.6 kilometres one way with an elevation gain of 370 metres. I think we went a bit further than that though.

Some of the guys weren't really keen on going on this hike. It was near the end of our trip and we had done some tough hikes (either distance-wise or in steepness). People were tired. Really tired. But it was our last day and we'd have plenty of time to recover after we returned home. So I suggested we go for it.

Compared to the other hikes we did this one was relatively easy. We started off going uphill before it levelled out. For the most part the middle of the hike was relatively flat going through the Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Since it's pretty much open there you get a wonderful view of the mountains and wildflowers. It's really lovely.

2-1/2 hours into our hike the others wanted to turn back. We were so near our destination of Eiffel Lake I wanted to push on. So I said I'd run on ahead and catch back up with them on the way back.

The final run along the trail was further than I thought it would be. I was hot, tired and sweaty by the time I got to the point along the trail just past the lake I wanted to get to.

I started snapping pictures of Eiffel Lake with the Valley of the Ten Peaks in the background. Fifteen minutes later Peter, Emily and Gabe showed up. They had decided to follow.

Again they were glad they had come. The pictures we snapped from our vantage point behind the lake were great. We met up with Yvonne and Lewis shortly after. They were waiting patiently for us to come back.

Dinner was early at 5:30 p.m. We took a suggestion from Adrian Lee who posted on Facebook that we should try the nearby Baker Creek Bistro on Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A). It's less than 15 kilometres (20 minutes) from the Lake Louise Campground where we were staying. There's a lodge at Baker Creek if you need accommodations too.

The food at the restaurant was a bit pricey. The mains ranged from the mid to high $30's. Since I had steak the night before I opted for Bison Short Ribs for $34. This time the entrées were served with vegetables sides. The others ordered the 10 oz. Rib Eye Steak and Bison Stroganoff. I have to say my Bison Short Ribs were amazingly tasty.

Back at our campsite after dinner we started a campfire. There were piles of free wood scattered around the campground. I noticed our new neighbours on the next site sitting at their picnic table in the dark with only candles lit. So I went over and mentioned about the wood. They said they didn't want to pay $8 a day for it. I walked back to our site without saying much. I had no idea we were supposed to pay for the wood. They never said anything about it to us when we checked in. How embarrassing.

Anyway, back at our site we brought out the Grizzly Paw beer we bought the evening before in Banff and Lewis, Gabe, Em and I sat around our picnic table to play the card game she brought along. I don't remember what it's called, but there are two sets of cards that range from 1 to 100. The number 1 cards and number 100 cards are placed on the table.

Each player is dealt five cards and has to play at least two each turn by placing them in either ascending order from 1 up or descending order from 100 down. You pick up as many cards as you play then it's the next player's turn. The idea is for everyone to try to get rid of their cards. You win if everyone has less than 10 cards left over in total.

After playing a bunch of times over the duration of our trip this was the only time we succeeded (with 7 cards left unplayed). Of course we took a souvenir photo.

Alberta Trip - Day 9 - Lake Louise, Fairview Mountain Hike

Gabe at Fairview Mountain, Lake Louise.

On our second last day in Alberta we did our toughest climb. This was up Fairview Mountain from the Lake Louise parking lot. We started relatively late so, of course, the parking lot was full. We had to park way down the road on the shoulder with all the other late comers.

The Fairview Mountain hike is over 10 kilometres long (return) with an elevation gain of 1013 metres. That's almost twice as tall as the C.N. Tower (at 553 metres).

Like the Sulphur Skyline hike in Jasper it starts in the trees. An hour to an hour and a half in the trail starts to open up as you pass the tree line. Shortly after, at 3.7 kilometres, you hit Saddleback Pass. That's where we took our first break.

After Saddleback Pass the trail goes seemingly straight up for the next 1.4 kilometres. It's very difficult with loose rock and steep slopes. Sometimes you even lose sight of the trail. We passed a group of four girls who threw in the towel part way up and headed back. Yeah, it's that hard.

We reached the summit around an hour later. The view from the top is incredible. You can see the surrounding mountain peaks including the ones that lead down to Lake Louise below.

As with our Sulphur Skyline hike we saw a rogue chipmunk up top looking for snacks. The little critters are everywhere.

Though I don't quite remember now, I'm assuming we snacked up top because we spent over an hour there. I'm sure we weren't taking pictures the whole time.

The trip down took a little under 2 hours. At around 6:00 p.m. the sun was getting low in the sky. Still we hung around Lake Louise a little longer taking pictures of the lake and famous hotel. Little known fact - Lake Louise is named after Queen Victoria's fourth daughter, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. As well, and quite obviously, the province of Alberta is named after her.

For dinner we headed down to Banff, some 40 minutes southeast on Highway 1. We decided to eat at Saltlik a steakhouse on Bear Street not far from Wild Flour where we had breakfast a few days earlier.

At Saltlik we all opted for beef, delicious Alberta beef. I had the Certified Angus Beef 10 oz. prime sirloin while some of the others chose the 10 oz. Blue Cheese California cut striploin. There are no bad choices here.

None of the dishes come with sides. You have to order them separately. We chose the scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese and mixed veggies to share. All in all a great way to end the day.

Alberta Trip - Day 8 - Town of Banff and Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake, Banff National Park.

Today was a relatively slow day for us. We spent the morning doing laundry at the town laundromat. While we waited we had breakfast at Wild Flour Bakery on Bear Street. They have such cute names for streets in Banff.

After finishing our laundry we decided to walk around town. Of course we had ice cream when we passed the COWS ice cream shop on Banff Avenue. It's a bit pricey at $6 for two scoops. But with 16% butterfat it's really tasty.

We walked along the Bow River towards Bow Falls next. The mosquito situation was really bad there. There were more mosquitos here than when we were in the back country for some reason. Weird.

At the falls you had a decent look at the iconic Banff Springs Hotel which overlooked it. We didn't go in. We just admired it from afar.

After spending some time by the falls we headed back to our vehicle which, by this time, had a $30 parking ticket on it. Technically we were only supposed to park for two hours. We were there five. No excuses. Our next destination would be Peyto Lake an hour north on Highway 1 and 93.

Peyto Lake is a bright, blue-green, glacier fed lake in Banff National Park. Like all glacier fed lakes it gets its colour from "rock flour". Rock flour consists of fine-grained, silt-sized particles of rock, generated by grinding of bedrock by glacial erosion.

On the day we went it was threatening rain in the afternoon. So the colour of the water was muted. The viewing platform is only a 10-minute walk from the parking lot. Very close. But not much of a hike if that's what you were looking for.

We left Peyto Lake by around 7:30 and got back to Lake Louise Campground (where we were scheduled to spend the next three nights) 40-minutes later.

I can't remember if we checked in and set up our tents first or if we grabbed dinner. We were pretty hungry and at a loss of where to go to eat. Lake Louise Village was nearby. So we decided to go there. It's not really a village, but a small strip mall. It seemed to have only one restaurant the Lake Louise Village Grill & Bar, so we went there.

The restaurant was kind of run down. It's run by Chinese people which is kind of odd for that area. Their website says they offer an affordable alternative to other eating establishments in the area, but I can't quite agree with that. A simple 5-ounce burger starts at $10.95 and goes up from there. A plate of chicken fried rice goes for $15.95. You could get something similar in Toronto for 1/3 the price.

Later, at our campsite, we faced a bit of a predicament. Technically we were only allowed to set up two tents. Up until that point the six of us had been sharing three. Emily and Lewis slept in the van.

Alberta Trip - Day 7 - Sulphur Skyline Hike, Jasper

Sulphur Skyline trail at Miette Hot Springs, Jasper National Park.

After a restful sleep we met up for breakfast in the main lodge at the Mountain River Lodge just outside the entrance of Mount Robson Provincial Park in B.C. Like I mentioned, breakfast was included for Gabe and I who stayed in a room at the lodge, but the others had to dip into our collective fund ($15 each) to have theirs.

They had two different appetizers. I had a delicious poached pear with a biscuit while I believe the others had something (can't remember what) topped with berries. Then we were served two poached eggs wrapped in bacon on top of English muffins with pieces of pineapple and honeydew on the side. They were tasty. Our beverages consisted of coffee and orange juice.

We sat at a large table in the dining room along with a few other guests. There was an older couple from the U.S. and another couple from Australia. It was nice to have a chance to chat with them about their experiences to this point.

After eating I walked out onto the large porch surrounding the main lodge to find a number of hummingbirds buzzing around the feeders they had out there. There were so many of them. We quickly fetched our cameras to take photos and videos of them. It was incredible. I've never seen so many in my life.

We hit the road before 11:00 heading east along Highway 16 towards Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park. Along the way we stopped for pictures of course. We got there around 2:00 p.m. local time (losing one hour after crossing the border from B.C. back into Alberta).

We had considered visiting the hot springs, but decided to do the Sulphur Skyline hike instead. The hot springs just looked like a crowded outdoor swimming pool.

The hike would cover 8 kilometres round trip with an elevation gain of 700 metres. From the top you can see the Fiddle River, Utopia Mountain and Ashlar Ridge (according to the sign at the trailhead).

For the first 1-1/2 hours you're hiking below the tree line. After that it opens up and you can see more of the natural surroundings. This is where you'll see an oddly placed large white boulder and when the climb truly starts in earnest. From this point on it takes another hour to the top.

The view from the top is spectacular. You get a 360º view of the surrounding mountains. On the day we went the skies were blue and dotted with fluffy white clouds. Incredible.

We had lunch at the top eating the sub sandwiches we bought earlier. I had strapped my sandwich to the outside of my camera bag. While I was taking pictures, a rascally chipmunk attacked it after I left it sitting on the ground. He didn't get much mostly chewing through the saran wrap only.

It's funny how there are chipmunks everywhere. Even places above the tree line where no vegetation grows. I guess they rely on hikers who willingly or, in my case, unwillingly feed them.

Our second case of "lost and found" happened on the mountain. We had been on the mountain top briefly when another group of hikers joined us. They were visiting from the Czech Republic. On the way up they had found Emily's smart phone which she had dropped. She was understandably happy to get it back.

Earlier in the trip Lewis had lost his new iPhone at the Vancouver airport. Someone found it and was going to ship it back to him.

I guess there were two more incidents regarding lost and found hats too. I had dropped mine along the trail from Whitehorn to Rearguard along the Berg Lake trail and had to backtrack to find it. And I had found and returned a gentleman's hiking hat along the Snowbird Pass trail when we hiked that.

On our way down the Sulphur Skyline trail we encountered a couple of groups of young big horn sheep. One group avoided us, but seven others walked right by so close you could touch them. This was around the big white boulder. Of course we snapped away like crazy with our cameras.

We finished the hike around 6:30. After that we hopped back on Highway 16 for the 1-hour drive to Jasper for dinner. Along the way we saw a few elk munching grass along the side of the road. Of course we stopped to take pictures before hopping back into our vehicle and continuing on.

In Jasper we tried Famoso again. If you remember we tried going there before, but they were busy so we ended up at Earls Kitchen + Bar across the street. This time they had tables available. We split five pizzas between the six of us. That was enough to satisfy our hunger.

Leaving at close to 10:00 we had a long drive ahead of us. We had booked a loft-suite at the Banff Inn (in Banff of course) some 4-hours away. We'd be taking the Icefields Parkway 93 and Highway 1 back. All in complete darkness. So, obviously, we couldn't drive as quickly as during the day.

Bedtime was late. The six of us had to share one bathroom and everyone had to shower. Unfortunately we couldn't sleep in because they had a firm check out time of 11:00 a.m. Tomorrow would be a slow day.

Alberta Trip - Day 6 - Rearguard Out

Emperor Falls, Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park.

After a late night of trying to shoot the stars we packed and left Rearguard the next morning. We'd be hiking the whole way back to the parking lot in one go - 22 kilometres with all our gear.

We left at 10:00 in the morning. It was a bright, sunny day. Beautiful.

I didn't take as many pictures on the way out as on the way in. The gear was weighing me down and I didn't want to keep taking my camera out and putting it away.

It was a tough slog. The trip, mostly downhill, was killing my toes which repeated hit the inside of my hiking shoes. As well, the extra weight of my pack walking on the uneven ground was really doing a number on my ankles.

Our first break was at Emperor Falls, 6 kilometres and 2-1/2 hours in. We had a sit down and a small snack and were back on the trail.

The worst of the downhill trek was next, from Emperor Falls to Kinney Lake where it drops over 600 metres in 9 kilometres. We stopped for lunch here eating whatever food we had leftover.

I had a chance to talk with a ranger here. I was curious as to how often they had to rescue hikers/campers. She told me they did an average of 2 helicopter evacuations every shift. I actually never asked her how long a shift was though.

She mentioned that helicopter evacuations cost $1900 per hour and that the provincial government covered the costs if you were a B.C. resident. They could fly you out for something as seemingly trivial as a sprained ankle. Of course if you were stuck 20 kilometres in you'd never be able to hike out.

I think I also asked about bear encounters. She said they weren't uncommon. But that attacks on humans rarely happened.

After our break we hit the trail one last time. The last leg would be 11 kilometres long. It never seemed to end.

I believe we made it out by around 7:30 p.m. We were hungry and tired. The café at Mount Robson Visitor Centre was closed so we got ice cream bars from the gas station there. The closest village was Valemount. We headed there to try and grab dinner.

Valemount is tiny. Located 1/2 hour south of the park on Southern Yellowhead Highway (5) it's population barely breaks a thousand. The choice of restaurants is slim. The choice of open restaurants at 8:30 at night even slimmer.

The first place we tried was a pizza joint. It didn't look very inviting. And, as it turns out, it wasn't. After we walked through the door they said, we're closed (even though the sign out front stated they were open until 9:00).

So we walked across the street to a Korean restaurant, called appropriately enough, Korean and Japanese Restaurant. I know... a Korean restaurant in a town of 1,000? There wasn't much else that looked appealing.

I ordered Japchae with beef. It was tasty, but I believe, a bit over-priced at around $18 or so. Emily had fried rice which came in around $17 (before tax and tip). We were hungry so we couldn't afford to be picky.

It was nearly 10:00 p.m. by the time we self-checked in at the Mountain River Lodge (back on Highway 16) close to the park entrance. After three days in the bush we decided to pamper ourselves a little.

Emily had booked a small cabin for four there, plus a room for two at the main lodge. Gabe and I took the room while the others shared the cabin.

After a hot, relaxing shower to wash away the grime we visited the others before hitting the sack at around 11:30.

Alberta Trip - Day 5 - Snowbird Pass Trail

 Reef Icefield, Mount Robson Provincial Park.

After enduring a rainy night we woke to blue skies. We would be spending two nights at the Rearguard campground, so we didn't need to pack our tents which was great.

Today we would be attempting the Snowbird Pass Trail. That is, if we were allowed on it. It's closed until July 1st because the caribou have their calves in the area that the trail goes through. Fortunately today was July 1st, Canada Day.

At the start of the trail we were met by a sign that said "Snowbird Pass Trail will be close until July 1st" and underneath on duct tape "The trail is open to toe of glacier (Robson Glacier), approx. 3 km from here". We headed out unsure of how far we'd get.

I can't really describe the hike other than it was long and the scenery along the way was incredible. We followed the river that flowed from Robson Lake behind Rearguard Mountain. It's fed by the magnificent Robson Glacier that comes off the back of Mount Robson. Thankfully, when we got there, the trail was still open. We continued on.

The trail is pretty much flat and level at the beginning. But near the glacier it goes up and through some narrow, loose rocky areas. You really have to be careful.

The views as you walk are wonderful. Besides the mountains and glacier you see small waterfalls and, if you're lucky, wildlife.

Of course there are a number of marmots along the way. We saw a few mountain goats in the distance on the side of a mountain. That was pretty neat.

We arrived at Reef Icefield some 12.5 kilometres away around 6 hours after starting. It's a huge 25 square kilometre glacier separating B.C. and Alberta. Very impressive.

Since the sun was starting to set we hurried back towards our campsite completing the journey in just over half the time it took us to trek out. A little less dawdling and stopping to take photos. And we were trying to keep up with Gabe who took off like a flash. Maybe he wanted to get back early to eat.

After dinner Peter and I headed out again. This time only as far as the Berg Lake campground. We wanted to take night shots with stars in the skies. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out.

One reason is that it stays light until really late out west. Another was because of the bright full moon. It lit the sky behind Mount Robson which was pretty neat looking. But it kept the skies fairly bright even past 1:00 in the morning when we finally decided to pack it in.

Alberta Trip - Day 4 - Whitehorn to Rearguard

Berg Glacier coming off Mount Robson.

Day 4 started off wet. It was grey and overcast. After breakfast we packed camp at Whitehorn and continued along the Berg Lake Trail towards Rearguard.

This hike would also be 11 kilometres long. But, unlike the first day, we'd be climbing more. Especially at the beginning. We'd immediately be hiking past three waterfalls - White Falls, Falls of the Pool and Emperor Falls.

We started hiking at 8:30 a.m. By 12 noon we had made it to Emperor Falls 5 kilometres away. This is where we took a much needed break. Over that distance we had climbed 518 metres in elevation all with our packs on.

After 20 minutes of snacking and taking pictures we hit the trail again.

The skies started clearing 1-1/2 hours later. By the time we hit the southern tip of Berg Lake at 2:30 p.m. the sun was shining through the scattered clouds again. It really brought the blue-green colour out of the lake.

The water looked so inviting we decided to test it. Gabe went first taking his shoes off and wading in. The rest of us followed. Being glacial melt water it was extremely cold. We didn't last too long before dashing out.

Along the way we saw some cute Marmots by the aptly named Marmot campsite. The Berg Lake campsite would be next with 26 camp pads. We headed on to the more secluded Rearguard campsite 22 kilometres in (from the parking lot). By the time we arrived thunder clouds had quickly moved in.

We set our tents up as fast as possible barely finishing before the rain came down. And it came down hard.

We boiled water in the rain and ate our freeze-dried meals from Mountain Equipment Co-op. The thunderstorm had passed, but a steady rain continued. We called it an early night and headed to bed.

Alberta Trip - Day 3 - Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park

Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park

After spending an evening at Mount Robson Lodge we headed to nearby Mount Robson Provincial Park. Before our backcountry hike we had breakfast at the café there.

Our plan was to hike and camp along the Berg Lake Trail. We'd break the inbound trip into two halves. Our first day we'd hike past Kinney Lake to Whitehorn 11 kilometres in before setting up camp. The next day we'd go from Whitehorn to Rearguard (just beyond Berg Lake) campground a further 11 kilometres away.

We'd camp two nights at Rearguard throwing in a 25 kilometre hike along the Snowbird Pass to see the Reef Icefield before heading back the whole 22 kilometres from Rearguard to the trailhead on our last day.

It was slightly overcast when we started. You couldn't quite see the top of Mount Robson from the visitor centre. After obtaining our permits there we drove a further 2 kilometres to the trailhead and headed off.

It wasn't long before we encountered our first obstacle. The Robson River, which follows the path, had overflowed its banks and partially covered the trail for some 15-20 metres.

The water wasn't deep so I took off my hiking shoes and waded in. Though it wasn't deep, it certainly was cold. Most of the water around here comes from glacier melt.

The others decided not to follow my lead and went over the large boulders to the side of the path and made it keeping dry.

We made it to Kinney Lake 2-1/2 hours later. The trail is relatively flat for the first 11-12 kilometres.

After a short break for snacks and to take pictures we headed on. In 20 minutes we hit the bike racks. It's the place where the trail splits. You can take the main trail up through the forested area or you can take the flats. Either way, no bikes are allowed.

We chose the flats. While that might sound like the automatic first choice there is one disadvantage of going that way - parts of the trail are covered in water.

Now there are a number of small bridges which allow you safe, dry passage. Most of the time. But there were some points where you might get your shoes/boots wet. The downside of the flat path.

We hit Whitehorn campground about 2 hours after leaving Kinney Lake. The hike had been relatively easy. Even while carrying our packs.

We found empty camping pads and set up our tents. Then we gathered all our food and other items with scents (like toothpaste and soap) and put them in the bear boxes. They're sturdy metal boxes where all campers are supposed to store their food for safety purposes.

After that we took a short hike to White Falls just to check out the surroundings. It was along the way to our next destination, Rearguard. The sun poked its head out briefly which was nice. It had been grey most of the day.

We had dinner along the riverbank, boiling water on our camp stoves to use with our freeze-dried dinners from MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op), before settling down for the night.

Alberta Trip - Day 2 - Icefields Parkway

Athabasca Glacier

Day 2 started early for me. The call of nature woke me shortly after sunrise. And what a wonderful sunrise it was.

After relieving myself I quickly got my camera out and started shooting pictures. First I went to the nearby banks of the Bow River across from our campsite and took a few pictures of the morning rays kissing what I believe to be Grotto Mountain in the distance.

Next I walked the camp road out to Middle Lake. No mosquitos at this time of the day, only beautiful scenery.

We had breakfast, packed up camp and hit the road by 9:00. We'd be taking Highway 1A (Bow Valley Parkway) to the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 North) and up to our final destination outside Mount Robson Provincial Park in B.C. (just across the Alberta border).

The Bow Valley Parkway runs parallel to Highway 1 (the Trans Canada Highway) between Banff and Lake Louise. It's smaller (two lanes), slower and affords a better chance of seeing wildlife by the side of the road.

We were rewarded for our decision to take this more scenic route with a black bear sighting. It's not hard to find wildlife along the highway. Just look for a ton of cars stopped on the shoulder of the road and that's where they'll be.

Just north of Lake Louise Highway 1/1A heads west. Take Highway 93 North (Icefields Parkway) and you'll head towards Jasper National Park and the Columbia Icefield/Athabasca Glacier.

We stopped at a number of places along the highway to take pictures - at Crowfoot Lookout (to see Crowfoot Glacier) and Bow Lake. We all took our shoes off and stepped into the lake to test the waters. It was freezing! Glacier meltwater is so cold!

Though Peyto Lake was nearby we headed up to the Columbia Icefield afterwards because we were short on time. While there we went on a short tour of the Athabasca Glacier. For $54.95 you can take an Ice Explorer half way up the glacier where they'll let you walk around for 15 minutes.

If you're a CAA member you can get 20% off the price. Technically they were only supposed to give us a discount on the member ticket and one guest. But they were kind enough to give us a discount on all our adult tickets.

Walking on the glacier was neat. Though, it would have been nice to get a little more time up there. I guess the longer you stay there the more trouble you're apt to get into. It can be very dangerous on the glacier if you're not careful.

We finished our tour of the glacier at quarter to six. After that we headed up to Jasper 1-1/2 hours away to grab dinner.

Our first choice was Famoso the pizza chain on Patricia Street, but they were a bit busy so we walked across the street to Earls Kitchen + Bar. Between the six of us we had three Field Mushroom Fettuccinis and three Mediterranean Linguinis. Not very original are we?

After dinner we hit the road again. The Icefields Parkway ends in Jasper. From there we headed west on Highway 16 for a 1-1/2 hour drive to Mount Robson Lodge just past the park entrance (in Valemount, B.C.). We arrived at 10:00 p.m. to a swarm of mosquitoes.

In preparation for our intensive backcountry hike the following day we repacked our gear and redistributed the food before hitting the sack.

Alberta Trip - Day 1 - Bow Valley Provincial Park

Middle Lake, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Alberta.

My friends and I took a trip out west to Alberta to see the Rockies. Our plan was to stay 10 days and do a combination of backcountry camping, car camping and staying at motels and lodges.

We flew into Calgary on the morning of the 27th of June. Emily borrowed her brother's SUV and picked me up at Peter's place (where I had spent the night). We then picked up Gabe and headed to the airport Park'N Fly. The plan was to park there for one night and have Emily's mom pick up the vehicle the next day when she returned from out of town.

The flight was uneventful. I slept most of the way (which I usually do). I didn't sit with the others since we all checked in early online. I took whatever seat they assigned me.

Upon arrival at YYC we met up with Peter's wife, Yvonne, and nephew, Lewis. They had come from Hong Kong, via Vancouver.

Emily and I took the Allied Limousine van service into town to pick up our minivan which I had reserved from Enterprise. They were supposed to drop us off at a nearby hotel, but the lady driver was nice enough to drop us off right at the car rental place.

After doing the required paperwork we took the Chrysler Town & Country van to the airport and loaded everyone up. It was surprisingly roomy fitting all our luggage and camping gear and all six passengers in. We had a lot of stuff.

We headed into town to grab supplies at the local MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) before grabbing lunch at the burger joint across the street (I believe it was the Holy Grill). We ate inside because it was too hot and sunny outside.

After lunch we hit the road taking Highway 1 out of Calgary to our campsite at Bow Valley Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country some 80 kilometres away.

We had two places to set up our three tents. Technically we were only supposed to have one tent per place. So they charged us and extra $27 or so.

We then spent the rest of the day hiking the trails of the park. Most were relatively short and flat. A good warm up for the rest of the trip.

Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve

My friends and I went hiking at Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve near Gravenhurst last Saturday. Three of us actually planned on camping overnight so we could take star photos.

All through the week we monitored the weather conditions to see if they would be ideal. It turned out there wouldn't be any rain, but as for clear skies... that was another story.

We took two cars up. Gabe drove Roger and Pasty and their neighbour (I can't remember his name). I drove Peter and Emily. We were the three that originally planned on staying overnight.

We met at 10:00 and headed up to Barrie for lunch. Just off the 400 at Dunlop Street there's a restaurant called Big Chris BBQ Smokehouse that Peter heard about.

We went in and the seven of us split a dinner for four. It consisted of 2-racks of ribs, a large Caesar salad, 4-corn bread muffins, 2-lbs of wings and an additional large side (we picked the poutine) for $64.95 plus tax.

After lunch we drove an hour further up Highway 11 before getting off at Highway 13 which took us to the park (you can also go up 11 to Highway 19/13 too).

I have to say this is the most basic of parks. All there is is a couple of signs telling you about the park and one lonely outhouse. There are signs indicating the trails and markers along the way. But that's pretty much it.

As soon as we pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car we knew this could be an unpleasant walk. That's because we were instantaneously swarmed by deer flies. I quickly put on my mesh bug jacket and hat. The others sprayed themselves with bug repellent.

We started hiking immediately. Within the first 1/2 hour we found a spot that looked decent enough to camp at. So each of us (Peter, Emily and I) set up our tents. I know it sounds odd to have one tent per person, but we all wanted to try out our tents before the big trip out west.

After setting up our tents while being assailed by deer flies we left our large backpacks inside to weigh them down. The tents were on solid rock, so we couldn't put any pegs in to hold them in place.

We hiked half the Main Trail before coming upon a fork in the trail that split to either the Barrens Extension or Pine Ridge Loop Trail. We decided to do the latter.

The scenery was decent. It's mostly granite with some grass, trees and small lakes. The blue skies with lovely white clouds were a beautiful backdrop. We even saw a baby Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (which is a threatened species). About a foot long, it was lying on a rock along the trail. After surrounding it taking photos, it because agitated and rattled its little tail.

In the end we hiked 9 kilometres. All the while being constantly harassed by deer flies and mosquitos which incessantly buzzed around our heads. For that reason we headed back to the Big Smoke. No camping or nighttime photos this time. That will have to wait until later in the season when all the "buzz" has died down.

Letchworth State Park pt. 3

The Prospector Restaurant, Attica, NY.

We didn't really spend too much time in the park on our last day. After waking we took our time with breakfast and lit our last campfire (to use up our remaining wood). Then we packed our gear and took down our tents and headed off.

Our first idea was to go to Mount Morris Dam just outside the park. But after getting gas and realizing it was kind of hot outside, we passed. We were still recovering from the 22 kilometre hike the day before and it was running late.

Next we thought we'd visit the nearby town of Perry 13 kilometres away. We had seen some Perry's Ice Cream advertisements on the walls of the convenience stores in the park and thought we'd try some.

The town was easy to find. It's pretty small though. We drove around looking for the ice cream factory and couldn't find it. We didn't even see any advertising in any of the town shop windows. We thought it was strange. After driving around for a little while we gave up and headed out to look for a place for lunch.

There was a steak restaurant somewhere that Peter had heard about and wanted to try. Though he couldn't remember the name (or exactly where it was located). It could have been in Buffalo or in Niagara Falls, New York. We wanted find a spot with Wi-Fi and do a search for it.

I thought we should drive an hour towards Niagara Falls/Buffalo to look for it, but the guys were too hungry. We searched for nearby restaurants on the GPS in Peter's car and headed off.

I can't remember which restaurant in which small town we went to, but it didn't look very good so we hopped back in the car and  hit up the GPS again to look for another place. This time it took us to Nino's Pizzeria in Attica.

When we arrive we found it too was a pretty rundown establishment. No luck again. We drove around Attica a bit and noticed a Burger King. Since Peter and Gabe wanted to eat soon we decided we'd go there if we couldn't find anything else. Though we really didn't want to because we wanted to try something new.

Across the street we saw this small restaurant called The Prospector. We thought we'd give it a try. It was run by a nice middle-aged lady and served things like burgers and fries etc. As well, I saw a sign for Perry's Ice Cream on the outside wall of the building.

Peter and I both ordered a burger with fries. Gabe had the meatloaf sandwich. They had Pepsis with their lunch. I thought I'd be a good boy and ordered a glass of milk.

We all topped it off with a Perry's soft serve cone. Gabe and I had the vanilla/chocolate twist, while Peter had vanilla. They were much better than the soft serve cones you get here (at McDonalds or from the ice cream truck). These ones were much creamier. Very good.

We also found out from the patrons there (most of whom were middle age to elderly) that the Perry ice cream plant isn't located in Perry, but in Akron, New York. They were a chatty bunch. I'm sure we were the first foreigners to poke our heads into their semi-out of the way restaurant in a long time.

Another neat thing about the restaurant is that they had these really cool tables from the 50's, 60's and 70's. I think the owner and other patrons were amused at my fascination with them. I took photos of quite a few of them.

The owner asked if we wanted to take any home with us because they were moving locations and she wasn't bringing them along. If I had the means I would have taken some for sure. They looked so cool.

Once again we hit the Rainbow Bridge on our way back over the border. The wait was a very respectable 1/2 hour.

We didn't do anything upon our arrival home. We just parted ways to meet again another day.