Canadian adventures
Canada has been on my bucketlist for quite a while, and last summer I finally got the chance to go there and spend 5 weeks on outdoor adventures. I am definitely not always that good at planning my trips, so when I landed in Vancouver I had only a vague idea of the country I just had landed in. It turned out that I pretty quickly learned many of the do’s and don’ts in this beautiful country.
First: climbing!
One of the things on my Canadian to-do list was climbing on some of the rock there. After some recommendations from friend and Vancouver locals, I went over to the Stawamus Chief Campground near Squamish, just an hour North of Vancouver. This campground is where climbers from all over the world gather to climb the iconic 700 m. granite wall of “The Chief” with loads of both sports and traditional climbing routes. If this Grand Wall is just a bit too intimidating, then there are also many other climbs in the area to keep one entertained for months on end. And if you need to give your arms a rest for the day, then there is loads of hiking and mountainbiking to do on the different trails in the area. The campsite itself is the coziest campsite that I have ever been too. It is, unlike many other campsites in Canada, a first-come –first-serve campsite with 47 walk-in camp pads and very basic facilities. Whereas I was only familiar to campsites that have big open field where you can park your tent basically anywhere, this and other campsites in Canada consist mainly of tent pads; big squares on which you can pitch a couple of tents. At night, people slowly come over to the picnic benches to cook up their dinners, play some games and find their climbing buddies for the next day.
Camping amongst wildlife
But even though it is so much fun there, and there are quite a few people present at all times, one of the things you can’t slack on is the way you store your food. Bears roam nearly everywhere in the country, and also near many of the campsites. Whenever food (or any food-related items and other products with a smell, such as toothpaste) is left behind unattended, a bear could just sniff its way to it. As soon as it then gets accustomed to human food, it might lose its fear of humans. At that point it is a threat to the public and will to be euthanized. And also, imagine waking up in your sleeping bag whilst a bear is eating its way through your breakfast that you forgot to take out of your tent porch.. So every time that you leave your tent or crawl into your sleeping bag, make sure that all your food is safely stowed away. On many campsites you’ll find special food bins or structures that allow you to hang your food high up in the air.
Squamish luckily only has the Black bears, which seem to be the “friendlier” variant of bears. But after 10 days of fun in Squamish, I left that behind to go on some multiple day hikes in the next state to the East, Alberta. There you will find Jasper and Banff national park, which do not only host Grizzly bears and other wildlife, but also the great sights of the Canadian Rocky mountains with countless hiking trails. Most of the campsites, both the ones near the towns and the ones on the trails will need to be booked – for some quite a long while advance. By the time that I arrived to Jasper, it was September and therefore off-season, so I was lucky enough to book myself into 3 multi-day hikes.
Hiking equipment
For these hikes, I needed a bit more equipment than on hikes I’ve been on in other countries. Being in Grizzly territory, you will want to have some bear spray at hand – and know how to use it without spraying yourself in the eyes with this strong pepper spray. It is however quite rare that one really gets to use the spray on any of the wildlife. The animals are mainly dangerous when they are surprised by humans, or when humans come too close to their young. Just remember to be quite noisy on your trip, by talking with your hiking buddies, sing, or just scream “Hey Bear!” every once in a while. Most animals will then be long gone before you come too close. And just remember to store your food away securely, and carry all (yes, also your apple core) waste out with you.
Apart from the wildlife, also water quality is something you’ll have to think about. Unfortunately you shouldn’t really drink water straight from the stream in Canada, so always carry a water filter or some purification tablets. I personally prefer the water filter, as through them you can drink the water straight away (with tablets you often have to let them work for a while) and you’ll avoid giving your water a chemical taste. I used the MSR Trailshot Microfilter, which is a small, very light and easy to use filter. The tube leading towards the water is relatively short and pumping goes rather slow, but especially for solo-hikers this is a very good choice. If you are with a bigger group, you might consider using a bigger system like the MSR guardian purifier.
Another piece of new equipment for me was a GPS device with messenger function. Phone coverage in the Canadian National parks is very small, and as a solo hiker I do find it essential to be able to send out an emergency message if necessary. Apart from being able to send out messages, also the GPS map function of some of these devices can come in handy. The trails in the national parks of Canada are usually easy to find and follow, but there is always a chance of a damaged part of the trail where you’ll have to find another way around.
Apart from those things, the other things that I needed for my multi-day hikes in Canada were pretty standard. I brought a new and very light one man tent (so sorry to leave my good old Hilleberg at home though). I also exchanged my old Prolite Plus Therm-a-Rest for the an even warmer and lighter sleeping pad; the NeoAir Xtherm from the same brand. I knew that the nights would be pretty chilly, and with an R value of 5.7, this pad should be able to keep you nice and warm in your sleeping bag. I still haven’t really decided if it is actually comfortable or not though... My cooking equipment was the MSR whisperlight. Not the lightest piece of equipment, but it will burn at cold temperatures and you’ll be able to find fuel everywhere – I knew that in case there was no outdoor store to be found anywhere, I could knock the door of a gas station and fill up my fuel bottle there. You’ll burner will burn black, but at least you will have hot food. My hiking poles definitely saved me on this trip, as did my Arcteryx down jacket. And last but not least; I have been carrying an emergency blanket around on hikes for the past 5 years, and my Canadian hiking buddy Megan finally showed me a good use for it. It keeps you very nice and warm if you wrap it around your waist under all your clothes, or you can stuff it at your feet inside your sleeping bag. It is probably some of the cheapest and lightest equipment you can buy, but it definitely does a very good job at keeping you warm.
And finally: the hikes!
So what hikes did I do? I first started on the longest of them: the Brazeau loop, which leads you over 3 amazing mountain passes over just more than 80 km of trail. Here you’ll really feel the wilderness, as apart from the campsites and trails, there is no sign of human activity and there are so many different animals around. The skyline trail was the next hike I went on, which took 3 days. This hike is probably the most popular overnight hike in Jasper national park, and so especially this one needs to be booked quite far in advance. It takes you through beautiful meadows and up onto an amazing ridge. Don’t be fooled by the popularity of this trail though – this doesn’t make it any safer. There are some windtunnels on that ridge, and when we were there, the wind blowed so hard that Megan, Vance and I had to crawl over some of the stretches. Scooting myself on my butt over a trail is definitely not my favorite form of transportation.. Also on my final multiday hike, the Tonquin valley, the weather was not my best friend as it suddenly became very cold. Where I was walking in shorts on the Brazeau loop, the Tonquin valley left me shivering in my sleeping bag, wrapped in emergency blankets. It is, however, a beautiful (but also very muddy) hike, with unforgettable views over Amethyst lake. I even spotted a grizzly bear here – luckily we were on opposite sides of the valley!
So if you do not know what to do yet this summer, make sure to book a ticket to beautiful Canada for your outdoor holiday. It is a truly amazing country – just make sure to stock up on the right gear before you go!
At night at one of the campsites of the Brazeau loop
At the second mountain pass of the Brazeau loop
Crawling over the ridge at the Skyline trail - with Megan and Vance
Chilly nights in my tiny tent at the Tonquin valley trail
The beautiful Amethyst lake
A pretty unexpected change in climate on top of the Sulphur Skyline







