Showing posts with label viva la camping!. Show all posts

jeeping through the Rockies


In light of a smattering of far-flung posts documenting this trip, and more for my own purposes than anyone else's, below: a comprehensive list of links to posts from that best of camping trips, jeeping through the Canadian Rockies. I am also including a section on LOGISTICS, for those wishing to plan a similar trip, with my tips/observations/suggestions having done so myself.



// GENERAL //
overview
flora of the Canadian Rockies

// JASPER NATIONAL PARK //
Maligne Lake
Athabasca Falls
Mount Edith Cavell, Cavell Glacier & environs, and the Columbia Icefields

// BANFF NATIONAL PARK //
Johnston Canyon
Ink Pots
Lake Minnewanka & general mountainous splendor & a visit to town
Peyto Lake via Bow Summit
Lake Louise + en route
Frost at Midnight // Lake Moraine
Lake Moraine

// KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK //
Marble Canyon
Paint Pots

// YOHO NATIONAL PARK //
Emerald Lake + environs

 . . . . 
// LOGISTICS & OBSERVATIONS //

While it is the digital age of Google maps and cell phones, when planning any sort of activity in the backcountry, it is advisable to have analog backups (and to know how to use them). My reasons are manifold:
• spotty or non-existent cell phone service in the mountains and wilderness areas
• even in areas with service, if one is camping, access to charging capabilities may be uncertain
• you might drop your phone in a lake, and then where would you be?
• unless you have exact coordinates (and even on occasion despite having such), GPS is not always reliable for reaching trailheads or campsites
• if you're traveling out of the country (Canada uses different wireless networks), your phone data may be turned off in which case you are at the mercy of local public wifi networks (again, no promises when you're camping, although we had luck with wifi at most, if not all, visitors centers in the Rockies)

My analog backups generally include a map and a copy of our itinerary and any relevant details (I also printed off confirmation of our campsite reservations. We used the previous/no-longer-needed pages as kindling :), along with more detailed instructions/directions if needed. I typically store these documents in a ziploc bag in my gear for easy reference and to avoid water damage. National Geographic makes great maps that are durable and water-resistant; they carry many of the national parks as well as numerous international destinations.

With the proliferation of Instagram and thus the casual travel blogger, destinations like the Canadian Rockies grow more and more popular, often outpacing the adequacy of their facilities. If you hope to visit, it is advisable to plan ahead—both to minimize your impact to these natural resources, as well as to ensure that you have appropriate accommodations and lodgings. I planned my trip for July and booked my campsites on the opening day for reservations in January of the same year. I wasn't sure how competitive the campsite reservations would be, but rather than risk it, I planned well in advance. It was easy to book through the sites and I had a great experience with Parks Canada. Due to the length of my trip, I also purchased a Canadian National Parks Pass—based on the duration of our trip and the number of parks we planned to visit (we visited four and camped in two of them), it ended up being much more cost-effective to purchase a pass. I ended up using my pass again later in the year during a trip to Montréal and visited Parc de la Mauricie in Québec.

Even visiting in the summer, there are ways to minimize your touristic footprint and the broader impacts on the parks and local community. Be sure to research local regulations on things like firewood, food storage, bear precautions, and more. Many areas of Alberta, Canada, provide firewood at their campsites, due to issues in recent years with invasive species from imported/non-local wood. Many locations within the park offer shuttle services between popular sites; utilizing these cuts down on air pollution from more drivers and traffic jams in the park. Plan to visit the most popular sites early in the morning—that will likely help you avoid crowds which can push people off-trail as well as cause traffic jams in the parking lots. Planning your day strategically not only minimizes the stress of your trip, but makes for a better atmosphere for all park visitors. It's also helpful to strategically pick your campsites for proximity to areas of the parks where you plan to spend the most time, rather than traversing the large parks multiple times over the course of a few days going between camp and your day's activities.

Perhaps much of this is common sense—as someone who is detail-oriented and planning-minded, much of this is second-nature for me. I realize, though, that not everyone has my patience for this kind of planning minutiae, so hopefully these tips are of benefit to you and your camping crew! ¡Viva la camping!

Canadian Rockies camping trip


My 2016 camping trip in the Canadian Rockies remains one of my very favorites, to date. Angie and Laura were the perfect camping buddies and we are arguably very overdue for a repeat adventure. Having shared many highlights of the trips in individual posts related to specific areas of the parks, I wanted to share an overview of the trip as a whole.

I've written a little more here about the philosophical differences between Parks Canada and the United States' National Parks Service. It may be less a difference in philosophy, as both organizations are conservation-minded (and colonial in their origins...), than a difference in founding philosophies that resulted in the beginnings and genesis of the respective organizations.

The photo above was taken at our Lake Louise campsite in Banff, which gave me the odd feeling like we were living in a Jurassic Park movie. The road leading into the campsite had super-sized cattle-guards, presumably to ward off bears. It was comforting, though, knowing that the campsite as a whole had so many precautions, as I hope to never encounter bears in the backcountry or otherwise. 


Our trusty Jeep rental (this rental experience forever solidified my trust in Enterprise. I always use AutoSlash for booking rental cars, and Enterprise is routinely the least expensive, and in my opinion they have the best customer service. They really helped us out of a scrape when our original rental car with a different company fell through right when we were planning to leave town) and my beloved Marmot tent. I love my tent almost as much as I love my vacuum cleaner (which is a lot) and it has served me well on many a camping trip. During this particular trip in the Rockies, we weathered several nights of heavy rain and thunderstorms, and we stayed snug, dry, and cozy. The Marmot logo on the rain fly is also reflective, so it's easy to spot your tent on a nighttime walk back from the latrine. There are many other thoughtful details I've no need to bore you with in this post, but I will say it once more: my Marmot tent has been a dream, and many other camping buddies who've stayed in it have echoed this sentiment. I bought it on an end-of-season clearance, and I highly recommend you do the same, should you be in the market.

stopping at every scenic overlook, obviously

reading in hammocks—how we spent many a light-filled summer eve, while our dinner cooked.

The scale of the Canadian Rockies was so impressive and massive. I love gaining a more complete perspective of the lay of the land throughout the continent, as I feel it adds to my understanding of the natural history and geology of the area. The glacial valleys running the lengths of the parks were beautiful areas to drive through and admire.

We pulled our best Walk-to-Remember for this iconic and obligatory photo-op at the Continental Divide. We got a few self-timer shots before some kind soul took pity on us.

pigtail braids—my M.O. when camping or spending any amount of time out-of-doors. I've found it's the only foolproof way to prevent my hair from turning into a tangled mess of impossible snarls.

On this hike in Banff, signage along the trailhead advised hiking in groups of at least 4. At certain times (I assume when rangers have issued bear sightings), the trail is closed, or the group-of-4 rule is mandatory and enforced. On this particular day, the rule was not in force, but we joined a darling mom and daughter from Minneapolis, Jessica and Ali, and hiked with them. They were the lovely, like-minded kind of people that I love to meet on outdoor adventures of this sort. And our lively meandering conversation was effective in warding off any bears, as we thankfully saw none.

I cannot ever get over the brilliant turquoise and blues of those glacial lakes. On this particular hike, we ran into a couple of friends of Laura's—WHAT ARE THE ODDS?! We hiked with them for a while and enjoyed the sunshine after so much rain earlier in the week.

fossils and geologic specimen of the Canadian Rockies—my inner childhood-aspirant-geologist was delighted.

Lake Moraine <3 <3 <3 I still feel so lucky that we visited it on two days of perfect beautiful glorious summer, full sunshine sparking those most brilliant of hues.

Peyto Lake

Never one to miss a parks-themed photo-op.
  
Nanaimo bars—when in Canada.

My narration and writing of this post has been all over the place, but suffice it to say, in this penultimate post from the Canadian Rockies, that it was one of the absolute best trips I have ever been on. Oh that every camping trip could be as wonderful as this.

flora of the Canadian Rockies


Three years ago, I went on one of the best camping trips ever—a glorious ten-day romp through the Canadian Rockies and its cluster of national parks (Jasper and Banff primarily, with day visits to Yoho and Kootenay). We saw so many amazing places and I still think of those mountains and their wonders often.

Right after returning from this trip, I had a technological scare with the SD card from my camera and another technological scare in which my phone and camera had both settled on identical naming conventions and numbers, with many photos in danger of being overwritten despite not actually being duplicates. YIKES. I blame this series of technological mishaps for the spiraling out-of-control of my personal photo management and blog backlog. This, coupled with a rigorous travel schedule for much of 2016 and 2017, brings us to the present, and leaves me in an ongoing game of catch-up which I am determined to win. I am finally taking on the herculean task of sorting through the photos on my external hard drive from the Canadian Rockies—this is one in what will eventually be a series of posts from the trip.

So without further ado: assorted wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies (Jasper, Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks). Fireweed, ferns, arctic poppies, daisies, red and white clover, mosses, paintbrush, asters, and so many more. <3

Doing Things in Aspen, CO


When Outdoor Voices opens a summer pop-up in a hip mountain town you've always wanted to visit, and it's within roadtripping range, you take the roadtrip. Alyanna, Yuki, and I spent a few days in Aspen, Colorado in summer 2017, camping just outside Aspen on BLM land (ever and always so very grateful for dispersed camping when all the fully serviced campgrounds are full at the height of camping season!). We loved exploring Aspen, trying great food, browsing the farmers market (those dahlias!), and exploring the outdoors. And it was fun to see the OV pop-up. I'm a fan of several years of their great activewear—as someone with a lot of opinions about textiles and clothing, I have so many good things to say about their clothes. Most of all, I love the ethos behind the brand—that of #DoingThings and using your outdoor voices (as opposed to indoor voices). Recreation and living an active lifestyle don't have to be glamorous, impressive things—it can be as simple as jumping rope, riding a beach cruiser, or walking a dog. Or roadtripping to Colorado. I have no regrets.


Things we ate/loved/did in Aspen:
•      farmers market eye candy
•      water-wise features and fixtures dotted across downtown
•      the most darling bookstore in a charming house on the main street—Explore Booksellers
•      a yoga class at a yoga studio we spotted on our drive in
•      the DAHLIAS at the farmers market
•      Annette's Bake Shop's pecan coconut butterscotch cookie (that combination!!)
•      Meat & Cheese Restaurant and Farm Shop - we ate dinner here upon arrival and had for dessert the cookie board with dark chocolate chip cookies, smoked sea salt, and vanilla milk (which was unequivocally incredible)
•      We had a good balance of culinary exploration in Aspen and food cooked at camp. We really upped our tinfoil dinner game with these contents: potatoes, onion, carrots, red pepper, brussels sprouts; and roasted corn on the cob.

We camped a little ways out of Aspen and the mountains on all sides were glorious. We spent a couple nights in Aspen, and our last night drove a couple hours towards home and camped at Ruedi Reservoir in the White River National Forest. The photos above are from our (dispersed camping, BLM) Aspen campsite, and those which follow are from Ruedi Reservoir. It was a beautiful area and we spent the evening out hiking and sitting by the water. Back at our campsite that night, we sat out and watched a meteor shower, including the single most incredible shooting star I have ever seen—it lasted so long and the dazzling trail lingered in the sky a moment before fully fading. I am also amazed, comparing the photos immediately below and the effect of the daylight and general sunniness on the color of the water and the general atmosphere of the reservoir. I'm glad we witnessed both states, as both were equally lovely.


Revisiting these photos and this trip from two summers ago has me very much at the ready for many more camping adventures yet to be had in the coming months. There is something I love so much about sleeping out of doors, surrounded wholly and completely by beautiful natural scenes.
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