by Brian Patton | Mar 17, 2020 | Backpacking, Outdoor gear, Technology |
A veteran solo backpacker looks back to a decade of exploration on the remote trails of Banff, Jasper and the Willmore Wilderness and provides useful tips for today’s wilderness travellers. Back before there were text-enabled GPS units, solar panels with power... by Brian Patton | Mar 12, 2020 | Backpacking, Jasper National Park |
Winter is finally losing its grip on the Canadian Rockies. The first robins have made an appearance, not to mention the first grizzly bears. It won’t be long until we hear the sound of the first mosquitoes buzzing in our ears. Even if you’re not looking forward... by Brian Patton | Feb 26, 2020 | Backpacking, Banff National Park, Trip reports |
Gavin Fitch is a lawyer in Calgary, the President of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a self-described “hardcore crazy backpacker”. As an active backpacker plying the remote valleys of the mountain parks over the past decade, he has experienced... by Brian Patton | Nov 27, 2018 | Backpacking, Great Divide Trail, Jasper National Park, Trip reports |
Five intrepid backpackers celebrate the end of a hot, smoky summer with a soggy ten-day trek from the North Saskatchewan River to Maligne Lake on the Great Divide Trail. Fog, drizzle, rain, sleet, snow! Jim Shipley and his buddies did something this summer that I... by Brian Patton | Nov 16, 2018 | Backpacking, Banff National Park, Trip reports |
The old trail to Castleguard Meadows via the Alexandra and Castleguard Rivers is a tough slog. But those who make it there, either by the fading trail or over the Saskatchewan Glacier, will never forget this remarkable region. Finding the way on this remote route,... by Brian Patton | Sep 8, 2018 | Backpacking, Banff National Park, Trip reports |
Every once in awhile, one of our contributors comes up with a better itinerary than what we feature in the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide. That happened this month when Gavin Fitch sent us a report on his seven-day trip this August along Banff’s Sawback Range. We...