Tag: trail

Pulpit Rock Day Hike

Leave a comment

Perhaps the most well known hike near Nelson BC is Pulpit Rock. Pulpit can be seen from almost anywhere in town on the side of Elephant Mountain (real name Mt Nelson). The climb is short but steep and results in a panoramic view of the city of Nelson.

It has been a long time since I have gone on this particular hike. The trailhead used to be on private property and the trail was poorly maintained. Now it seems that great improvements have been made. There is a new trail head on the side of a public road and stairs have been installed along some of the steeper parts of the trail. I was a little overwhelmed by the steepness of the trail, something which had lessened in my recollections. Nevertheless, the trail was very enjoyable, if a little short. The view alone is certainly worth the effort.

On my way back down, the need for new footwear became readily apparent. I am trying to avoid buying new things as a part of my experimentation with minimalism. So I have been putting off purchasing new hiking shoes for a while and the tread on my current pare is rapidly deteriorating. I slipped and scraped up my hand while stopping myself from sliding all the way off the trail. Before I go on anymore hikes, I will have to buy a new pare of hiking shoes.

Hiking The Gimli Ridge Trail

Leave a comment

Today, I ascended the Gimli Ridge Trail with three others; two family friends Tim and Gary, and my grade school teacher Phil. We left early and spent an hour ascending a logging road in Tim’s 4×4. The trail itself starts of tamely. A thin track cuts straight through the trees and Mount Gimli can be seen high in the distance through the gap of the trail itself. The air in the forest was muggy, but the sky was full of clouds so the temperature was relatively low. After crossing a small creek by way of a new bridge, the trail’s incline increases. Spruce and fir trees line the switchbacks which make up the first part of the trail. We took the first half of the climb slowly which gave us the opportunity to fully take in each new vista that came into view. The Valhalla Mountains are some of the most beautiful and un-adulterated mountains in the area and they are truly wondrous to behold.

Continue reading →

Bear, Deer, and Dogs On The Slocan-Kootenay Lookout

Leave a comment

There is a website trailpeak.com that I use to search out trails in my area. Often, the trails posted to the site work out wonderfully. Sometimes not. The Slocan-Kootenay Lookout is a trail near the Playmor Junction between Nelson and Castlegar. Or so the website claims anyways.

I left town mid-morning and drove around near where the instructions said to find the red flagging which marks the trail head. I eventually found it across the street from an auto wreckers. The next piece of flagging was across a fast flowing creek, but there were plenty of rock by which I made my way across. The post which led me to this trail claims that is well flagged. That may have been true once, but it is certainly the case no longer. The remaining flags are few and far between with only bush between. It has clearly been some time since the trail was flagged as many pieces of flagging tape were no longer visible, haven fallen to the ground some time ago. So, leaning on a stick for balance, I made my way up the steep slope towards the next flag, and the next, until there were no more flags to be seen in any direction. I bush-wacked my way up the side of the mountain when I could no longer view the trail until I came upon a well trod game trail. I followed the trail until the trail level off. Continue reading →

Bicycle Camping & Meeting A Bear

Leave a comment

Two weeks ago I went for a short ride along the Nelson Salmo Great Northern Trail. The ride was beautiful and it left me wanting more, so yesterday morning, I rode to the top of mountain station road with my panniers full of camping equipment and a tent tenuously strapped on top. The plan was to bike along the trail all the way to Salmo, a distance of over 40 km, pitch my tent and stay the night before returning the next day.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I arrived at the trail head and I was already out of breath from riding my now heavy bike up the mountain. After stopping for a quick snack, I swung myself onto the bike and started peddling away. The first 4 km went by quickly enough. This part of the trail continued arrow straight for several more kilometres until the path crossed the highway and opened out next to Cottonwood Lake. Cottonwood’s waters are not exactly warm, but my feet were baking in my hiking boots so I took the opportunity to dip my toes in the lake.

Here is where I made my first mistake. Instead of following the trail directly to the lake, I had taken the shaded road next to it instead. Thus, I had missed the sign which marked this stretch of trail as being closed due to bear activity.

Continue reading →