ASCEND & WANDER

  There is a nice trailhead off highway 18 to the north of St George and one of the maps did show a complete route North south ending at the small city of Ivins. I would want to see if possible by day tripping the southern side since the topography on Gaia doesn't make the route feasible but I ran into a group of 3 older folks who said they have heard of it being done before.  GPS Red Mountain Trailhead Desert snakes freak me out every time  The top of the rim where the trail continues south to Ivins Peering through the wilderness area and West Canyon Road  Wilderness area boundary

  The Valley of Fire state pack is a good day trip from Vegas. I took it as a long route while driving to St George by connecting with highway 169 that goes north from Moapa Valley before re joining the interstate 15 Crossing paths with this biker from WA state on the Valley of Fire highway There were camped out in an RV outside the state park. Apparently a 50 mile ride today and much better weather than a couple weeks ago when it stayed above 90. Those silly American units of measurement... Herd of sheep. This would be a great place to hunt if you were allowed Dark red colour rocks I asked if one can drive through the state park to the Moapa Valley without stopping but they explained it is still a toll road in this case and you pay 10$. This is a map from the visitor center. White domes and apparently The Professionals 1966 movie site Slot canyons The prospect trail goes back to the visitor center away from everything else and would be a good route on a chill day and with a shuttl...

GPS This is another great day trip from Vegas as you suddenly leave the interstate and start hiking down into the canyon that eventually reaches the Colorado River. Some parts were pretty technical and the ropes deteriorating The trailhead off interstate 11 You are close to the Hoover dam as the crow flies but the sounds of the road quickly dissipate as you enter the canyon The hot springs It was pretty chill on a mid week day with locals from Las Vegas Nice to see clear water of the Colorado River with normal water levels  Green colours at the bottom of the canyon where it gets wet The Cruz of the climb back out  White Rock Canyon Trailhead This was actually from a different trailhead on the Arizona side of the Hoover Dam. Apparently there are hot springs here too. One of the guys at the bottom of the Nevada side to be careful not to get any of the warm water in your nose. Apparently he was right if they are posting signs about the warning Hoover Dam from the highway bridge I...

Quick skiing break along the Coquihalla driving from Vancouver to Kelowna. The food truck at Zopkios was up and running with hours 8 AM to 7 PM GPS GPX Mount Baker looking good from the highway Snow was looking pretty thin, especially at Box Canyon, on the drive up but Zopkios seemed to hold onto enough for a couple more weeks  Open and enticing flowing creeks The summit of Zupjok was our jobjective Cool view looking at the highway North to South The needle ridge and peak route Skinning and already in the Alpine  Summit of Zupjok. 1835m Looking north towards Llama and Alpaca. This route would make a great ridge ski on a nice day when the snowpack is too touchy for anything steep  Guanaco Peak at 2127 metres This saddle is a key mark on Baldwin's map. To create a cool loop from ridge north of Zupjok, you should ski to Llama and take a couple lines that drop to 1400m then you contour at that elevation before climbing again to the saddle. The ski down looked doable but also ...

  I only spent a few hours here in the zone with a late start checking out of my air bnb and having to make my 4 PM flight. I figured if I made it to the hut by 1 PM, I would be able to ski down rather quickly then drive to YXC airport, return the rental car and catch my flight considering it is a small airport. The other 2 people at the hut were very surprised by how close I was cutting it. The ski out ended up being fast. Staging area for the hut is at the junction of the Crowsnest and the Tunnel Creek FSR. There were 2 main entrances but the one at the southern side of the creek is correct Skinning along the logging road Emerging out beneath treeline The logging road switchbacks back down the mountain but you want to veer up the creek The route apparently follows an overgrown summer trail up this creek before going lookers right up to a bench   Fernie Trails Association Apparently you can participate in summer volunteer work which earns you early booking privileges for...

I had been wanting to visit Waterton Lakes National Park for a while now but getting there always included a long travel time. I was surprised it is only 2 hours from Fernie and the drive takes you over the Crowsnest Pass and through some rural Albertan towns. Few people backcountry ski here but with some quick research I had found a route and figured I would get more information at the visitor center also. Apparently in April they pave the section of road in Glacier National Park but not the road connecting Waterton to Glacier until June so you always have a few options depending on the time of year I have been driving the Crowsnest highway tons around Hope BC and few times as far as Nelson/Castlegar but this was my first time going over Crowsnest Pass itself Path to Kootenai Brown cemetery at Lower Waterton Lake Bear's Hump trailhead Visitor Center Great chat with the park staff at the front desk who also happened to be the author of the red field guide. She had extensive knowled...