by Brian Patton | Nov 22, 2020 | Backpacking, Great Divide Trail, History |
Jim Thorsell began charting a route for the Great Divide Trail while completing a trail use survey for Banff and Yoho Parks in 1967. After tweaking the original route, he published the Provisional Trail Guide and Map for the Proposed Great Divide Trail in 1970. The... by Brian Patton | Nov 4, 2020 | Banff National Park, History |
Stoney Squaw, Tunnel Mountain, Mount Eisenhower, Chinaman’s Peak. Some of the most popular short-hike destinations in the Bow Valley that experienced name changes over the past 40 years or may do so soon. Stoney Squaw renamed I can’t remember the... by Brian Patton | Oct 9, 2020 | History, Kootenay National Park |
As Kootenay National Park celebrates its centennial year, it seems an appropriate time to republish Ron Ede’s account of a long-ago summer working on the park’s trails. I first read “Cutting trail in Kootenay Park—1940” in the “The... by Brian Patton | Aug 31, 2020 | Backpacking, History, Kootenay National Park |
Kootenay National Park is celebrating its centennial with a “Kootenay Then and Now: Recreate the Photo” contest. Since we began our fieldwork on the Mountain Parks’ first comprehensive trail guide 50 years ago, I thought it would be appropriate to... by Brian Patton | Sep 9, 2016 | History, Kootenay National Park |
When we published the 2nd edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide in 1978, Jim Thorsell provided the cover photo of two park wardens in wool knickers packing from Floe Lake to Numa Pass (below). When Jim revisited Floe Lake last month, he discovered two very... by Brian Patton | Aug 12, 2016 | Books, Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, History |
Remembering Mel Hurtig, who passed away last week at age 84 after a brief illness, and a myriad of articles have been published across Canada lauding his achievements and devotion to Canada. But I also remember him as a friend and an enthusiastic walker who loved the...