Hi Team!

Here’s an unexpected early access video for you of a trip that we started today as a Plan B hike and ended today as a plan C.

I decided to post it because it’s a good teaching moment for some people and we got to walk through the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch buildings area. We had permission and getting through this area and seeing it up close is a very rare experience if you’re not connected with Parks Canada!

Jim ( in this video) and I were supposed to be hiking the Moose River route up to Adolphus campground on the North Boundary Trail in Jasper and then coming down the new Berg Lake Trail starting last Thursday. A combination of my car that needed repairs and some pretty horrific wildfire smoke in the area, led us to the idea of postponing that trip for a few weeks and bumping up a trip we had planned to do at the end of September to this weekend.

This would have taken us from Ya Ha Tinda Ranch up to Forbidden Creek and around to Tyrrell Pass and then back down the Red Deer River to the ranch again. A nice 3 nighter with no fees!

Unfortunately at about 5 1/2 km into the trip, Jim started feeling the urge to throw up and then did so for quite some time. Probably a good 10 minute session. It calmed down for a bit and then it resumed again. We sat and had a long break but it was very obvious that Jim needed to go back to the car. He really wanted me to continue, but in this case I thought it was super important to walk back with him.

As I talk about in the video, unlike the time Scott left us in the front ranges due to feeling lethargic, vomiting is a completely different animal. Dehydration can set in quickly as well as extreme fatigue. Jim has a bit of a history of a condition that can lead to fainting at times, so I thought it best to travel with him back to the vehicles.

At that point I had a couple of choices. I could stay overnight at the nearby bighorn campground and do the trip myself. Or, I could head back to the Canmore area, get this video out to you, and plan a solo trip starting on Tuesday somewhere in Banff. That’s currently the thinking on my end!

There are a couple of trips in the area that I’ve had in mind all summer but they are best saved for later in the season. Of course hiking solo in grizzly country this time of year requires a bit more consideration due to the fact that the bears are in – or almost in – hyperphagia. All this really means for a backpacker is that the bears are so concerned with eating, that they really don’t pay attention to much else. So you could certainly walk up on one, even if you’re calling out, and surprise it. This last thought was another reason I decided not to stay out in that more remote area but to potentially start and finish a hike in an area that may have more backpackers on the trail.

While it’s only early September, I’m certainly feeling the pressure to ramp up the days and nights on the trail for the challenge. At this point I’d honestly be super happy hitting 100 days. (Probably what I should’ve started with as a challenge in the first place as I’ve said before) There is still plenty of time for that in different parts of the country so I’m still optimistic I can get to that goal or be very very close. But the delays like I had last week with the vehicle and the smoke, and unexpected situations like today, certainly do amp up my focus to get moving!

I was always, thanks for being here and for your support! Hopefully the next time you hear from me, it will be after another long trip!

Stuart