Outdoor Year 2016 Summary

Looking at the list of hikes and activities I can't believe the scale of this year. We didn't have a skiing season pass this year so we cross country skied more and discovered new trails, rivers and lakes in winter. We were followed by wolves on Alexandra River and had to retrieve back to the car, crossing the river totally tired with ski boots on. We discovered amazing Coastal Ranges in Bella Coola, BC during our float plane/canoe trip on Turner Lakes. I caught many beautiful fish during the year and got definitely better at trout fishing. It was amazing to raft down the Kootenay River with my parents and show them how great the multi day river trips can be. We explored new places and scratched a couple of the trip ideas from the bucket list. I would call the Hector Lake paddle and hike to the glacier in back of the valley one of the top trips in Canadian Rockies. I did together 13 hunting trips lasting from 1-4 days and learn so much about wildlife, nature and also myself. I gained more comfort, more control over my fears while being surrounded by animals and nature regularly. Going through suffering from elements, huge disappointments, successes of getting my own food, long and cold nights, a night in the tent with a nearby howling wolf, close encounters with animals on my own have been one of the deepest experiences of my life. Our return to Hawaii brought new perspectives as the northern most islands of Kauai and Oahu are very different to Big Island that we visited in 2015. I am so glad we could see and swim with the Hawaian Monk Seals. I saw a lot of turtles and spent a night in jungle with private waterfall and screaming wild pigs in the night on the Napali Coast. I also have to mention a fall hike to Lake O'Hara and watching the Mountain Goats moving in their natural environment in very steep cliffs.

SKIING TRIPS

- Sundance Canyon to Vermilion Lakes via marshes, offtrail

- Boom Lake, Kootenay, with Eva and Miso

- Hector Lake, with Zuzka and Mireya

- Brewster Creek

- Moraine Lake road with Miso and Maja

- Banff Golf Coarse (coyote)

- Spray Creek Ice and loop (2x)

- Sundance Meadows, Banff

- Mt.Shark Trails, Spray Lake

- Cascade River, Minewanka (2x)

- Howse River, Sask. Crossing

- Stanley Glacier Valley, Kootenay

- Mistaya Lake, Icefields Parkway

- Downhill skiing on Sunshine, Lake Louise, Norquay and Revelstoke

- 1A trails by Baker Creek Lodge

- Alexandra River, Icefields Parkway, wolves

- North Saskatchewan glacier with Maja and Miso

- Burstal Lakes, Spray road 2x (1x in -30C!)

- Bow Lake, under the Crowfoot Glacier

 

HIKING AND BIKING TRIPS

- Around Tunnel Mountain

- Around Tunnel and walk on frozen river channel to hoodoos

- Grotto Trails, Canmore

- Minewanka, on frozen lake to Sheep Point

- Wasootch Ridge, Kananaskis

- Ice Cave at Athabasca Glacier with Maja and Miso

- Revelstoke, Columbia Lake

- Tunnel Mountain

- Cascade River offtrail between Hwy 1 and Bow River

- Ridge walk by highway on the way to Canmore

- Bike Golf Coarse and Cave and Basin

- Bike Spilimacheen Valley, BC

- Cougar Canyon, Canmore

- Grassi Lakes, Canmore

- Lake Assinboine, BC

- Natural Bridge trails, cross river, bc

- Mitchel Creek, BC

- Stewart Canyon, Minewanka

- Canyon Creek, Golden, BC (mountain goats, black bears)

- Bike Blaeberry Valley, 40km, Golden, BC

- Sulphur Mountain, front side, Banff

- Taylor Lake day hike

- Hotnarko Canyon, Nimpo Lake, BC

- Ptarmigan Lake Alpine, Turner Lake, BC

- Hike Out, Turner Lakes, Tote Road 27km!, Bella Coola, BC

- McGur Lake, alpine, Bella Coola, BC

- Ape Lake lookout, Bella Coola, BC

- Ink Pots, Banff

- Commonwealth Pass, Spray Road/Burstal Valley, bike and hike

- Ross Lake bike, Lake Louise

- Jasper Tramway summit hike

- Maligne Canyon, Jasper with parents

- Sunwapta lower falls with parents, Jasper

- Edith Cavel Lake with Parents, Jasper

- Kananaskis Pass, Turbine Canyon, 2 nights, fishing with mountain goats

- Baker Lake, Lake Louise 2 nights, bear at the food pole with headlamp, Oyster and Ptarmigan Summits, fishing good

- Observation Peak, Icefields Parkway

- Avalanche path offtrail under Bourgeou, Sunshine Road, brown bear and sheep

- Hector Lake, Balfour Glacier, 2 nights, kayak and hike, Elk in Bow River, canoe fishing

- Mt.McArtur, Iceline trail, 2 nights, Yoho Valley

- Bow RIver fishing, 2-3km under Golf course, beavers around

- Mt. Bell, 2 nights, Taylor Lake, Mountain Goats on the ridge

- Pageon peak, wapta lake, Yoho

- Lake O'hara, 2 nights, Opabin Plateau, Cathedral Basin, mountain goats watching

- Napali Coast, 2 nights, Hawai

- Sentinel Pass, Lake Louise

- Tokumn Creek, in snow

- Stanley Glacier Valley, in snow

- Ice Skating, Johnson Lake

- around Tunnel with staff

CLIMBING

Blackbend - Tunnel Mountain

Shoe - Tunnel Mountain

Spillimacheen, BC

Cougar Creek, Canmore

Sunshine Rock

KAYAK, CANOE, RAFT 2016

- upper Kananaskis River

- Bow River, Johnston Canyon to Muleshoe, came in dark with Zuzka, Banff

- Bow River, falls to golf coarse with Zuzka, Banff

- Cross River, BC plant to kilometer 31 on dirt road, Kootenay BC

- Vermilion River, Paint Pots to Numa falls, Kootenay

- Blaeberry River, K2 with Zuzka, bridge to split creek, Golden, BC

- Kickinghorse River, Rec Site to Bridge, cooold bike, K2 with Zuzka, a lot of wood

- Kootenay River, Hector Gorge, K2 with Zuzka, black bear on beach

- Canoe Trip, Turner Lakes, Coastal Mountains, BC, 4 days, bear on beach, moose with calf swimming, float plane, fishing, portages, cabin, tent, waterfall

- Bella Coola river, strong headwind and rain, cold, K2 with Zuzka, BC

- Bow River, Banff to Canmore with Zuzka

- Moraine Lake

- Kootenay River, rafting, 3 days with parents and Zuzka, Campground in NP to Canal Flats, bear on shore, storng headwinds and storm last day, lots of whitetail deer

- Maligne Lake canoe, with parents and Zuzka

- Whirpool and Athabasca River, Jasper

- North Sask. River, bridge to road, K2 with Zuzka

- Hector Lake Canoe

- Bow River to Hector, + Hector to put in above canyon, muti day 2 nights with hike

- SUP, Kauai

HUNTING TRIPS

- 412, Ghost, Blackrock Mountain, Orient Mountain Alpine Meadows w Z., 2 nights

- 406, Canyon Creek Ridge, 1 night

- 412, with Palo, saw coyote through binoculars, wild horses, 2 nights

- 328, 426, North, Blackstone, 4 nights,biggest fail didn't see an animal for 5 days, walked to rivers, early morning cold

- 412, 1 night, saw mule deer resting just down the ridge over the Ghost river

- 412, 1 night, with Zuzka, saw lot of WT and Mule, coyote 10m came from the horizon

- 326 baseline, north, saw wild horses, moose, deer, 2 nights, 2nd night heavy snowfall woke me up

- 412, first whitetail buck, lot of work after, soar muscles for 3 days after, excellent meat for many weeks, so thankful for this opportunity to harvest my own food

-412, morning with Palo, saw WT buck

- 316, 1night in tent, backcountry, wolf howling from 3:30 to sunrise, long night, closest maybe 150m from tent, wildhorses, second night in 412 in car

- 408, Wasootch Forest, -25C

- 406, Sibbald Area, -30C

- 412, Ghost, snow, winter walk, found hide from deer
 

BEAR SIGHTINGS 

- Grizlly, 30m,HWY1 to Canmore, car

- Grizzly, 70m, 1A exit by bridge, bear on railway tracks, car parked

- BB, 20m, 93s, kootenay, car

- BB, 20m, 93S, kootenay, car

- BB+2 cubs, 20m, hike, Golden, BC, canyon creek

- BB+1 cub, 93S, 25m, kootenay car

- BB+1 cub, 93S, 25m, kootenay, car

- BB, on beach in Hector Gorge, kayak, beach with Zuzka, 200m, bear swam across river

- BB, 5m, Kootenay, car

- BB, 10m, Gondola Road, car

- BB, 20m, Nimpo Lake, dirtroad, car, BC

- BB, 50m, swim in Lake and beached out, canoe, Turner Lake, BC

- BB+3 cubs, hill, Bella Coola, 15m, car, BC

- BB, 15m, fishing, Otnarko River, Bella Coola, BC, young bear ran behind me

- BB, HWY1, creek from Norquay, car, 200m

- BB, 30m, raft, with parents, Kootenay River, BC

- BB, 15m, Icefields pkw, with parents

- Grizzly, 2m, Upper Kananaskis Lake, car

- Grizzly?BB?, in dark saw only eyes reflecting, Baker Lake Backcountry campsite, Lake Louise, hike, bear was by the food storage area

- BB, 20m , Icefields pkw, car

- BB, brown color, 20m, Sunshine Road, car

- BB, 20m, Icefields pkw, car

-Grizzly, 20m, Icefields Pkw, car

- BB, 20, Icefields Pkw