In March I hiked from Ida Road onto the Deep Lake Trails, following signed routes in a clockwise loop. The trails were dry and all was quiet. I spotted some wildflowers (sagebrush buttercups) and there were some grasslands birds along the trail. The hike was 5.3 km and took just over two hours. I will be back to hike another loop route in … Continue reading →
I recently hiked the Battle Bluff Trail from the Frederick Road in the Dewdrop Range. This was a 4.5 km hike taking about 1.75 hours. It was very windy on the way up the bluff and too windy to wear a hat on top. The views were great (as always). This was my third hike in the Dewdrop Range and more are … Continue reading →
After weeks of wind, the temperature and wind gave us a break. I paddled upriver, then back downriver, past where the Red Bridge once stood. A cool morning, but okay for early season paddling. Ducks (mostly mallards), blackbirds, magpies, and gulls on the river or the shoreline, but no one in the green corridor at the bottom of the valley.
Continue reading →The hike up to and along Dewdrop Ridge is a favorite route. We can go cross-country or we can wind our way up on single and old double tracks. Another more adventurous route is to go up and over Dewdrop Range, then scramble down to the base of the long line of basalt bluffs, then traverse to the west on a steep dirt and scree … Continue reading →
We traveled to Central Washington in a spring trip to hike routes and trails in the dry eroded hills on the east side of the Coast Ranges. We drove a loop route and camped in State Parks along the route – Osoyoos > Highway 97 South > Highway 17 East > Grand Coulee > Steamboat Rock State Park. We camped at Banks Lake and hiked … Continue reading →
Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area is situated in the open hills on the north side of Kamloops. There are multi-use trails off the Lac du Bois Road close to the City, but access to areas higher in the park is from spots along the main road. The largest lake in the grasslands is Long Lake. It lies in a valley/trench on the … Continue reading →
The south-facing lower slopes of the valley’s hills are ice and mud-free, but if we go in behind these hills, there will be some mud. With this in mind, I hiked up the Tower Classic Trail, turned onto the Naked Pistol Trail, then used the Tower Hill Road to the top. This was a good climb, but all the trails in the grasslands were … Continue reading →
On a mild early March day the route chosen for a hike was the Mara Outer Loop. This is the Mara Trail with an extended route over two hills which overlook the Tranquille River Canyon. The Pruden Pass Road is part of the route, a rough double track that goes up to a pass between Mara Mountain and Wheeler Mountain. If you hike the loop … Continue reading →
On the last day of winter, the weather was mild and there was little wind, so I brought my kayak down to the boat launch at Pioneer Park. The gate was closed so I wheeled my boat down to the shoreline. Ice bordered the river still, but I was able to lift the kayak over the ice to shallow water. The water is … Continue reading →
For many years I have been hiking Rabbit Island in early March from McArthur Island. Sometimes there is some ice to cross and there is a cold water river channel to cross. The narrowest part of the channel is about 11m across and the moving water comes just above the knee. I use a dry suit and boots, then I change on the … Continue reading →
