Clapperton Ridge Snowshoe

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By mid-February the colder temperatures gave way to better conditions for outdoor activities.    I drove north through Lac du Bois Provincial Park to the upper end of the grasslands just south of McQueen Lake.     I snowshoed an old cart track through an open bowl, then a forested section (douglas fir and aspens), to the open grasslands of the Lac du Bois Conservation Area.    My goal for the day was to get to a viewpoint on the southwest side of Clapperton Hill. The winter sun shone bright through thin clouds as I followed stomped-in tracks to the ridge. I crested the ridge and stopped to enjoy views over the grasslands, to Mount Mara, and over to Wheeler Mountain. … Continue reading →

Haleakala Hike

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While on the Island of Maui, we hiked trails every day.    The best of these hikes was a loop route on Haleakala.    The road to the summit climbs to 10 000 feet.    From the trailhead area, the trails descend into the crater.    there are 48 km of trails in Haleakala National Park.   We chose to hike the Sliding Sands Trail through the volcanic desert, then we looped back on the Halemau’u Trail to the Holu’a Cabin, and then climbed up a steep switchback trail to the rim, for a 18.5 km hike. From the summit area we descended down the barren slopes on the Sliding Sands Trail. In the center area of the wide (12 km … Continue reading →

Insectopia to Mod Squad

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On a cool February a group of fellow snowshoers followed a route which combined a series of the Chuwhels Mountain dirtbike trails (GKMA) from Lodgepole Lake though the forests and plantations in a large loop which went over a hilltop above the whole area.    Some of the trails were stomped in, but at least half needed to be stomped in.   We followed single tracks near Lodgepole Lake to get to the Insectopia Trail, then we combined more trails (Mod Squad, Something Nasty, Roots of All Evil, Mikey Likes It, and Walloper Creek Trail) and some backcountry double tracks for an 8.5 km (4+ hour) snowshoe outing. Insectopia wound up through the hills and required extra trail-breaking. The Mod Squad … Continue reading →

Mt. Kerr Trek

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At the end of June we drove west toward Clinton, then turned west down the Kelly Lake Road, then turned north onto the Jesmond Road.   This backroad runs through a valley between the Edge Hill and Marble Range Provincial Park.    There are a number of first-rate hikes in the limestone mountains of the park.    At about 21 km, there are two bumpy secondary roads that take us to the creek running west out of the valley between Mt. Bowman and Mad Dog Mountain.   The trailhead starts there to go to the top of Bowman or Mad Dog, but also Wild Horse Ridge and Mount Kerr. The trail follows the creek for 2 km to the junction for Mt. … Continue reading →

Jacko Lake Stomp

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On a mild winter day at the end of January I decided to stomp on snowshoes into Jack Lake and back.   We can drive up the gravel road in 3 seasons to kayak the lake, but there is now a gate on the access road so no one is going in to the lake.    I checked it out a week before and there were no tracks.   When I arrived back, there was a single ski track to follow. I used snowshoes since the snow was deep enough to make hiking more difficult.   The sun was peeking through the clouds off and on during the stomp in and back. The ski track was gone after about 0.5 km, then I … Continue reading →

Spruce Canyon Stomp

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On a weekday in January I snowshoed the Stake Lake Trails.    It was a busy day with school groups and many cross country skiers enjoying the sunny, cool day.    I opted to snowshoe an out-of-the-way loop route.    First I went around the lakeshore on the Lake Snowshoe Trail to the far end of the lake. Some blue skies and intermittent clouds made the ice-and-snow-covered lake bright as I followed a well-stomped-in trail bearing south. I followed the Stadium Trail then the Cow(an) Creek Trail along the riparian areas of the stream-swamp and through the lodgepole pines. I crossed the ski trail and started up the Spruce Canyon Trail, winding up the deep gully. Above the canyon on … Continue reading →

Ross Moore Lake

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One of the lakes we look forward to paddling each summer is Ross Moore Lake.    It is a longer drive into the backcountry to get to the shores of the lake.   We can use either the Long Lake Road (from Knutsford) or the McConnell Forest Service Road (from the Lac le Jeune Road) to get to the Ross Moore Lake Road, then it is an additional bumpy 8 km route to the southeast end of Ross Moore Lake.     We can launch from the dam area or we can go to the rough track into the Ross Moore Rec Site where there is a hand launch and a small campground. A paddle around the shoreline of the lake is … Continue reading →

Hull Hill Snowshoeing

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We drove up the Lac le Jeune Road, then turned east onto the Goose Lake Road.   A short way down the road is a snowy backroad that angles southeast.    The road has a number of branch roads (some new ones), but the main branch crosses Anderson Creek, then winds up the western flank of Hull Hill.    We parked at the start of this double track.     A few people snowshoe the area so the first part of the road has been packed down and has lots of parking.    There are few tracks leading off in different directions, but we chose a single track the climbs to the south. The stomped-in track winds through thinned forests to a … Continue reading →

North Thompson Winter Beach

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When the weather gets cold and the trails become icy, I sometimes opt to hike in the valley bottom, especially if time is an issue, weather is doubtful, or if I just need some time off the snow.    There are a number of winter beaches that can be hiked for these times.     In winter the beaches are wider and since they are exposed to the sun, they are porous, and they are at the lowest elevation of our area, they have routes that are on sand or gravel, without ice or snow.    There are a number of choices, like the West Beaches, the Rivers Trail, the Confluence, Mission Flats, and others.    The North Thompson Winter Beach … Continue reading →

Eureka – The Meaning of Life

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On  a mild winter day I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road, then turned onto the Chuwhels Mountain Road on a plowed road up to Lodgepole Lake.    From the parking area at the west end of the lake, I hiked back across the lake, then turned north up into the hills, following an old snowed-in double track for the first part of the route to Eureka Lake. There had been a snowmobile track to follow for about a kilometer, but then I had to break trail for a while. At 1.5 km up the double track I turned right onto a single track motorcycle trail called Meaning of Life.     There were snowshoe tracks on to follow continuing … Continue reading →