When I first came to Kamloops in 1976 I hiked this area in the Batchelor Hills and called the area “the Barren Hills”. Coming from the forested Coastal area, the hills seemed dry and barren, but the reality is that the lower hills have very few trees, but they have a rich sagebrush grasslands environment. I have hiked this loop route, or a variation of … Continue reading →
By early March the south-facing slopes above the Thompson River Valley were dry enough for hiking and exploring. I have hiked a series of hills and ridges that rise above the west side of the Tranquille River Valley a number of times. There is an old double track for part of the route, but the rest of the route is off-trail, following the ridgeline … Continue reading →
At the start of March the trails at lower elevations in the Thompson River Valleys were mostly free of snow and mud. One of the areas has multiple trails/routes off the end of McLeod – Uplands Roads in Barnhartvale. Access starts from a small parking area to a gas line track which goes west below the steep slopes of Sunrise Mountain. Single track trails … Continue reading →
On a September day, we camped at Lake Louise before doing an ascent of Mount Temple. We got to Moraine Lake very early and we started up the Sentinel Pass Trail in the dark. We were in the meadows at first light, then continued up to Sentinel Pass. After a short break, we wound up the steep scree slopes up a ridge. … Continue reading →
There are some routes for winter hiking that climb into the hills and go through sagebrush grasslands. Many of these possible routes are used for grazing in spring and summer. Hiking them in the snow, quietly, leaving no trace (except footprints), using gates where available and respecting fences is all part of the code of conduct for these kinds of hikes. This post … Continue reading →
I hiked to Sentinel Pass for the first time in 1968. As a teenager I was very impressed, whetting my appetite for more. Since that time, we have hiked and run into the pass, up and back, run and hiked as a loop route (going out through Paradise Valley), and once on the way to the summit of Mount Temple. Its been a few years … Continue reading →
On a cold and windy February day I decided to do a shorter hike. A route I sometimes hike in winter starts at the Red Hill trailhead, and in most years I hike a longer loop around two of the larger ponds and a series of hills. On this day the biting wind discouraged a longer hike, so the route was a simple loop … Continue reading →
In mid-February it snowed overnight, but on the day of the hike, it was a sunny and cool morning. The goal was to hike around Edith Lake. I followed a trail around the north side of the lake. During cattle grazing season these gates are closed to keep cattle in and people out. On this day, I was breaking trail right around to … Continue reading →
The Kettle Valley Railway was built between 1910 and 1915. By 1916 trains were hauling freight, connecting the Kootenays with the CPR at Hope, with a number of side branches to mines and other communities. A number of challenges were met by Chief Engineer Andrew McCullough to keep the railway grade reasonable through mountainous terrain. The railway lines were closed in 1961, and now … Continue reading →
In the middle of February, most of the trails in Dallas – Barnhartvale were free of mud and ice and suitable for hiking. For this outing, I started at the lower trailhead, just off Dallas Drive, and hiked up the Pussywillow Trail to the benchland. I then went through a gate to continue southeast on the Blackwell Trails. I tried to avoid … Continue reading →
