Crypt Lake

September 16, 2023. A beautiful day on Waterton’s most famous trail. Sooner or later, this blog was going to have a Crypt Lake post. I’ve hiked the Crypt Lake trail twice in the past, most recently just before I started writing this blog. The hike is a true gem, though, and I was bound to […]

Mount Haig and Gravenstafel Ridge

August 5, 2023. A return to Mount Haig to deal with the “unfinished business” of Gravenstafel Ridge. Almost exactly 4 years ago I climbed Mount Haig. That day I decided to return to my car by descending down to Haig Lake and following the trails out. For whatever reason I didn’t feel like ascending adjacent […]

Syncline Mountain

July 29, 2023. Tagging 2 of the 3 peaks of a distinctive mountain in the Castle Wilderness. Nugara describes the route for Syncline Mountain in More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies 3rd edition. The mountain has 3 summits, and the eastern-most is the true summit. It’s also the lowest of the three. I’m not sure […]

The West Coast Trail – Part 4: Tsusiat Falls to Pachena Bay

July 10-11, 2023. The fourth and final part of a 7-day trek along the world-famous West Coast Trail. You can read part 3 here. Day 6: Tsusiat Falls to Michigan Creek When we woke on the morning of Day 6, Anna was already gone. The sunny skies had turned cloudy and a light drizzle started […]

The West Coast Trail – Part 3: Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Falls

July 9, 2023. Part 3 of a 7-day trek along the world-famous West Coast Trail While previous posts have dealt with 2-day chunks of this trip, Part 3 will encompass only one day since it was packed with so many interesting things. You can read Part 2 here. Day 5: Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Falls […]

The West Coast Trail – Part 2: Camper Bay to Cribs Creek

July 7-8, 2023. The second part of a 7-day trek along the world-famous West Coast Trail You can read part 1 here. Day 3: Camper Bay to Walbran Creek Everyone in the group was up bright and early. Once everyone’s morning routine was complete and we’d packed up, it was time for one more thing: […]

The West Coast Trail – Part 1: Gordon River to Camper Bay

July 5-6, 2023. The first part of a 7-day trek along the world-famous West Coast Trail This past spring, out of the blue, I was offered the chance to hike the West Coast Trail. This wasn’t something that was ever on my radar, being a Rockies hiker and scrambler. A 7 day long coastal trek […]

Ninastako (Chief Mountain)

June 17, 2023. An ascent of the most iconic peak in Blackfoot Territory. The flat mountaintop could be seen from many locations, and it became one of the main landmarks Jerry Potts used to confirm his bearings as he travelled the prairie. He, like many Blood warriors, had climbed the slopes and rested his head […]

Deadman Peak

June 7, 2023. Scrambling on a clear day to an impressive peak in the Crowsnest Pass Deadman Peak is an unofficial summit that’s described by Nugara in More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies 3rd ed. Dave McMurray and So Nakagawa seem to have pioneered this trip in the scrambling blogosphere and their reports remain useful […]

Bertha Peak – “Gullies” route

June 3, 2023. Route finding and moderate scrambling to the top of Bertha Peak. Alan Kane’s Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies describes a route to the summit of Bertha Peak which involves scrambling up gullies on the east face beginning at a spot somewhere behind the backcountry campground. On previous visits to the lake I’ve […]