by Brian Patton | Sep 6, 2015 | hiking, technology
“I have been one acquainted with the night. / I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. / I have outwalked the furthest city light.”—Robert Frost Every day-hiking checklist tells you to pack a headlamp or flashlight and extra batteries. I must admit, I...
by Brian Patton | Aug 15, 2014 | hiking, technology
When we published the first editions of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, we only recommended government-produced maps from the National Topographic System (NTS) 1:50,000 series. Despite the fact that trails were sometimes misplaced (or simply not shown) and bridges...
by Brian Patton | Jul 11, 2014 | hiking, technology
This week’s warm weather brought memories of a day hike last summer during similar conditions. As has been my habit, I didn’t bring enough water for the day, and by the time we were halfway through our hike, my water bottle was empty. And has been my habit over many...
by Brian Patton | Jun 22, 2014 | hiking, technology
Hiking in running shoes is nothing new. We started using Nike and Adidas runners on day hikes when we were preparing the second edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide. As they say, one pound saved on your feet equals 10 pounds in your pack. On one occasion, we...
by Brian Patton | Feb 16, 2014 | hiking, technology
I was working for Parks Canada at Lake Louise in 1994 when a phone call arrived at the Visitor Centre. A climber on the summit of Mount Temple was calling in to say he was running late and wouldn’t be checking in from his climb until later in the evening. I suppose we...
