Loki At Last!

Yesterday, we successfully climbed Mt. Loki, the tallest peak in our part of the valley. I'm not actually sure what the elevation is, but it did seem like a pretty long hike after we finally got down. Loki is named for the Norse God of Mischief and I'd have to say this god was pretty quiet yesterday. We had perfect conditions - sunny, but cool, with clouds hitting all the peaks around us on the way up. At the summit, everything was clear - not sure what direction this picture is but it's pretty much just peaks everywhere!! I didn't find the climb too difficult, although I did carry along a rope and harness because I'd heard there were a couple of "scary" bits. I felt good all the way up - the coolish temperatures helped a lot. The descent was tiresome; my knees were really feeling it ALL the way down, and the end did seem elusive. However, I feel great today so I guess I must be in some sort of condition. We're getting off and on spotty rain today, so we peaked at the right time!

Litterbugs

This morning I took a walk with the pack, along with a bag for some garbage that I'd spotted on my last bike trip into town. I walked through the woods, which were litter free, thankfully. I walked u back along the highway to "my" road, approximately 1 km and I picked up 13 beer cans, 3 pop cans, and 3 recyclable plastic bottles. I didn't pick up other garbage, mostly paper coffee cups. I've asked some of my friends out here if they remember the 1961 film, "Litterbug", starring Donald Duck. Most of them don't. I remember it quite distinctly from my childhood (I was 10 when it came out). It seems to me that I learned that littering was something that was WRONG. Why is it that 2.5 generations later, I walk along a piece of highway with this much garbage?? And I know that this piece of highway is relatively clean compared to what's really out there. Where are we going with this, humans?

Too Many Rivers to Cross??

We're considering hiking the Earl Grey Pass Trail this September. A few folks are planning to start in the East Kootenays (near Kimberley), while some of us will start in the West Kootenays, near Argenta. I wrote about the first 4 km of this trail in May because it starts off as the Hamill Creek Trail. I've started doing a bit of hiking with my pack, but my biggest issue is the river crossings. This is one of them. I believe there are four cable car crossings on the route and the next one is very high above the river. The major concerns are the crossings with NO cable car - usually the logs to cross the river are pretty skinny and with a bit of water of them could be impossible for my unwieldy balance. Have to give this trek lots of thought.

You've Come A Long Way, Baby

On my recent hike to Eva Lake I had to reflect on how far I've come when it comes to experiencing the mountains. On my very first "overnight" in the mtns. I stayed at this hut near Eva Lake in Mt. Revelstoke National Park. We borrowed hiking gear from my parents and I remember the chafing on my shoulders on a very hot day, as I walked in a cotton sleeveless summer top, running shoes, and carried an external frame pack. I think I woke with every noise that was made outside of this hut that night!

Today, I was able to hike with another couple and pretty much figure out our own route to Mt. Jardine (yes, once again) via Emerald Lake. We scouted out a route down and successfully manouvered our way around lots of rockfall to get back to the Jardine Cabin. There were bugs and heat and a very welcoming bunch of snow at one point along the trail. Another great day in the alpine.

Wild Women of the Columbias!

I just returned from a couple of days of women's camping/hiking in the Columbia Valley. We left Wednesday on a perfect summer day, set up camp at Blanket Creek Provincial Park and then hiked to Sutherland Falls and Begbie Falls. Begbie is a pretty impressive waterfall. Thursday, a group of us went to the top of Mt. Revelstoke and hiked into Eva Lake. The alpine flowers were wonderful - combinations of paintbrush, valerian, lupine, aster, arnica and mimulus. We did get a little wet on our return hike, but skies cleared for our second night at the campground and we had good chatty times around the campfire. Our return trip on Friday was a bit of a "women's day" - we stopped at Halcyon Hot Springs for a dip and then shopped at the thrift stores in Nakusp and New Denver. It wasn't really wild, but I still like to think of us as being somewhat adventurous in going off on a hiking/camping trip that we planned and enjoyed. Hurrah for the Columbia Valley and all it has to offer. Hurrah for the women of Kaslo!