https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty daily 0.75 2022-10-13 https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/Blog Post Title One-rprfy monthly 0.5 2021-07-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626020838493-8SNSYZUFDNKLAJ07ALFW/20210710_170141.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary - Make it stand out having never seen the endless flatness of the prairies we where glued to the window looking on at the picturesque chessboard made out of countless square fields. kind-of glad we ended flying instead of driving through them, I think the flatlands would have been interesting the first few hours but after 3 days it would have gotten old haha. arriving close to Calgary we flew over Drumheller a small town that Dylan told us about that has a huge canyon going through it where archeologists found dinosaur remains (we will have to go check that out up close!). it really looked like a crack on the floor looking from above, truly a cool sight to see! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626020136792-7CA1ORFFEGR91NT1PULK/IMG_5339.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary - a nice send off after a nice reunion. after saying our goodbye’s to Josée and Kyle (Marty’s sister and her boyfriend) they drove us to the Ottawa airport where we would board our flight and start our epic journey out west! the flight itself wasn’t half bad actually, for the record breaking low price we got with flair air (275$ ROUND TRIP.) We where expecting it to be packed like sardines with no seating but thankfully we had seats that weren’t uncomfortable and a great view out of the window. We where also lucky enough to have great company sitting next to use as we met Dylan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626021210414-SFSVDP3QDMRFFQJT1GLC/_MG_1930.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary - marty the mountain fangirl Finally arriving in Calgary we could see the looming shadows of the Rockies in the distance to say that we where fangirls at that moment would be an understatement as we have both never seen them before. after landing at the airport we went to go pick up our mini rental car that we will call home for the next month but to our great surprise we got upgraded to a Hyundai Kona instead of the Chevy spark we reserved, this is absolutely great news! eager to see and explore the city we headed off to go walk downtown and attend the Calgary stampede as its this weekend! sadly we couldn’t attend any of the shows because it costs and arm and a leg but the atmosphere was nice and finally being able to see crowds acting normally was a strange but welcomed sight. after that we had a fun getting lost trying to find our car, as we wanted to see the sunset falling over the mountains. we ended up going a bit out of town in the suburbs to find a nice walking park atop a hill where we could see the valley in front of us and the Rockies out in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626121968959-O1LS3ELMM7VXNDB5JBHV/_MG_1882.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626121981719-3B32IDVV1L62U6AIMM44/_MG_1924.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626121965412-XD713WFFLQ1YXQ81NIS4/_MG_1912.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626121974529-UWGKZJCWDBEXL4S1MBSU/20210710_185244.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626122174019-UXNF4LBKLX4JLV1OQX5I/20210710_194736.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626122306313-XL3RM5FUUH6EQRRAZYWF/20210710_200004.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626122305794-YZZ39RRWF85N2D4YBG7V/20210710_200634.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 1 - Arriving in Calgary https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/5mr3qqakfmmr6agcn9y712ceubzl59 monthly 0.5 2021-07-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626127919306-MMFPAFZNH5K2TEY4SDXM/_MG_2133.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands - night in the canyons realizing that we didn’t know where to sleep we started our little vagabond research and ended up finding a little place out of town called horse thief canyon. probably the best decision we could have ever made, with clear skies and jaw dropping scenery, we were able to set up our camp and assist to one of the most beautiful sunset in the world. ft. Marty atop his little corner of nowhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129560771-2CKRWRN7KH3F9K87S3SQ/_MG_1996.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129558108-CQZJN2XQXT279KS9EVOA/_MG_1997.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129612347-JB0OQBJKKWOSJL6LFIKC/_MG_2108.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129612103-CV4INPH59K1Y70LRB5IS/_MG_2111.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129656895-JH1LINOMEXTMQU85WCJP/_MG_2148.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129742490-VXJ1E7AWHNLH14G09UXG/_MG_2121.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129765041-C8RPE63DX5T9GMC30183/_MG_2159.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129775138-FVQUGIDGWHHMDMYPUQ7A/_MG_2196.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129696680-HPOYGPRWTWSFTUNHXOPA/_MG_2167.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626129706748-7MPSEIDOABB11BI7DLR9/_MG_2196.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626127173503-4CQPYO4UCT1YGQ4VOP6I/IMG_4160.JPG Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands - the wild wild west Deep in the badlands of Alberta, we arrived in Drumheller a small town with its surroundings straight out of a wild west movie deep in the canyons, famous for its dinosaurs and absolutely jaw dropping scenery. this place feels like Radiator Springs from Cars with the huge walls and pillars of sandstone surrounding the valley, we never imagined seeing something like this in Canada! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626127650501-XG6S2IXHF3OGXM37GNYH/_MG_2049.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands - flashback to the jurrasic age after taking in the views we headed over to the royal Tyrrell museum to see real dinosaur bones and cool fossils. although unsure in the beginning this place blew me away! we where able to see full dinosaur fossils and we learned a lot about the different ages and how we came to be! apparently Alberta and BC are one of the most fossil rich places on earth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626126883922-Q1A26UVRAJQL807DAE5M/_MG_1971.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands - into the prairies we go! After our little shopping spree we started heading over to Drumheller, a small town we previously didn’t even know existed that was suggested by our airplane friend Dylan. to get there we took what seamed to be the longest straight road in Canada, its baffling how different the scenery is here compared to the east coast, huge rolling hills turned into flat fields stretching out over the endless horizon with roads slicing the landscape in mile long squares. absolutely stunning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626126586092-ZGXAFVYG3S1JHK8BUEL4/IMG_4146.JPG Out west with Marty - Day 2: Into The Badlands - setting ourselves up for succes! Today’s plan was to try and get most of our supplies for the next month. we started off by heading over to MEC to get a few things such as: a head lamp for Marty, bear repellent and a new trophy bottle. totally forgetting about the camp stove fuel… guess we’ll have to go without coffee tomorrow… but thankfully we had more success at Costco witch to my knowledge we didn’t forget anything meaning that we should be good for food for the next month! ft. Tim and our little home on 4 wheels. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-3-down-and-up-to-the-rockies monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626287935679-NUAPVK3UD9P8V0505WZ7/_MG_2398.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies - Disaster Struck Like all adventure that ever adventured things tend to go wrong at one point or another. with the dust of the badlands settling in, disaster struck when Tim’s camera body decided to fail as the shutter crumbled away. Pictured to the left is the last picture ever taken with my trusty Canon 80D. You can clearly see the dust speck on the sensor which ended up being the cause of its demise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288952936-AFDBQTNW6K5ACXN6JWUY/_MG_2281.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies - the continual question of where to sleep we made it a point of this trip to try and minimize all unnecessary spending and a place to sleep is one of them! why pay for a hotel or camping when we have tents on our backs and endless wilderness surrounding us. after a few hours looking around and learning the incredibly complicated policies of public land camping in Kananaskis we ended up finding a nice trail off the highway with back country camping spaces, although still unsure of the legality of our stay it was a really really nice one out in the valley looking on at heart mountain towering over us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626287319348-1WW6P54GX15IXMNXF9WR/IMG_2584.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies - Every cloud has a silver lining. Although very unfortunate, it means an upgrade is on the horizon! mixed emotion from sadness to excitement came about when we drove out to a BestBuy in Calgary to get a new and improved camera body, (the old one can hopefully still be repaired and sold) so at the end of the day life is good! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626286834595-ULB8NDZQAU5Q6YFT624M/_MG_2302.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies - The Hoodoos after leaving our questionably legal camp site we headed off to hike and explore the Hoodoos. These natural structures are flat rocks sitting on top of sand stone pillars. a very weird sight to see… but it fits with the beauty of the surrounding sandstone cliffs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626286630899-DB2FUHDRLN9HE7LIK7CG/IMG_2495.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies - speaking of the end of the day. we decided it was finally time to head out to the Rockies. took highway 1a westward bound and wow… i’m struggling to find the words to describe the feeling of seeing the Rockies slowly approaching in the distence for the first time. before weknew it we where hunched over looking at the towering mountains arround us. never have i seen something as massive, imposing and beautifull. we where utterly enthralled in this foreign beauty https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288194772-IR0588NQJ7AA6WW8QEZ5/_MG_2236.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288328208-7H0FIWPG0P4Q9277USAJ/_MG_2278.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288308116-XXY4YAXNIZJJMURAP9RI/_MG_2286.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288429279-K4ISD005JGV12PRKPO0U/_MG_2326.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288467954-UPB2XG1KGMS4281Q29K7/_MG_2357.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626288546582-S2ROEZNYLTV3S0OBV3JY/_MG_2369.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626289051064-LYK57P9VROHNZGU5EJOU/IMG_2523.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626289069025-T9W100HPR9T1W19B9OBT/IMG_2547.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626289086218-2XS299UXZTPR3PIFH8WH/IMG_2562.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626289345183-5S4WAO0J187BFCBU30JE/IMG_2511.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 3: down and up to the Rockies https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-4-random-alpineering monthly 0.5 2021-07-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435546025-5ICQ5PLW2WDYZL0T0S9V/20210713_214838.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435527598-ZKJ7JIQR7MLJVNWJ2ZDH/IMG_2590.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435548066-9NL9RCOFGWUNAGZQYMVX/IMG_2601.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435551082-1KFMW6ZIJA6ZAZ9S8IVW/IMG_2606.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435560112-TB4STKQP4U8YXTXPTAXW/IMG_2608.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435565836-OFXS2A0GV6BOAPRQ4FED/IMG_2620.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435589064-0NORGYC65DDMDCDAHLI7/IMG_2701.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435583273-UZF42E0HOC0XV8MUPE1R/IMG_2703.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435603180-YJX7YYEZJ4ZWP2GLP8D6/IMG_2706.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435602554-0HCM61BTEUN7CDVG25HC/IMG_2713.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435620877-C1B82MZBBG30OOJJJSR8/IMG_2716.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435615854-XFX8GT5PK9JQN59J4S9T/IMG_2719.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435634881-ANT2DISQ5Q7B15RMVU0F/IMG_2724.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435638852-8MEMKCXDO0KEZP97D6XS/IMG_2727.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435660147-A4GSCV6RXSTO2RLUIE9K/IMG_2729.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435652006-E6ME7UCB4IFAJ4VAKSOT/IMG_2742.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435662219-45ASAQ1WH7TJ0494ZB5T/IMG_2747.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435675698-U7D5CZY0MBPG55SSZ6MO/IMG_2756.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435673627-7Q06S6W916GYVEHP4L41/IMG_2762.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435690891-QOM2XP5VZ0GAX5YU0200/IMG_2765.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435689277-6SEZ4J9BWOG5R5ARA4CX/IMG_2770.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435702503-LWB43DIC8XSO6J2T5ZQW/IMG_2771.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435706006-I45R1HZ8MH88R41RKC0X/IMG_2774.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435713560-NX7X1C2XDZPLQ3D31X7T/IMG_2777.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435720927-UCK0RLDYCPS4BD6WPPB9/IMG_2779.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435718011-8V8DMWQ0GZ5OZL1VFJFY/IMG_2788.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626296356181-P8ZDA4Q5PLQ14X6YUFVI/processed_20210713_214833.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - a bed and shower was now a desperate need with the hike done, we where burnet by the sun and our legs didn’t want to function as they should. Tim decided that a shower and bed was needed, so we looked up a hostel in Canmore. this was one of the best experience of my life. we met up with a group of backpackers, travelers and similarly minded people. one of the locals showed us a secret place along the river where we built a small campfire looking out at the sun set over the valley absolutely beautiful, the vibe of it all was beyond my wildest dreams. sharing our adventure stories in this stunning setting with a few drinks was one of the best nights so far. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626294416108-B5II2J1VB2697XAH38BH/IMG_2682.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - heart mountain horseshoe trail This trail passes by five different peaks, including: Heart Mountain, Grant McEwan Peak, and three smaller unnamed peaks. starting our hike we didn’t know anything about how hard the trail would be or where the trail would take us, but with the power of a GPS we started our ascent. the first part of the hike was grueling, at every step it seamed that the slope was getting steeper and steeper. At one point, we arrived over the tree line to a pretty rad scramble, where we had to climb up a few short vertical rock faces. On the bright side, despite the difficulty the reward was more then worth it. With a stunning view over bow valley as you climb and once you reach the top you are greeted with a full 360 view of the surrounding mountains, lakes and rivers. it made the pain we endured to get here all the more gratifying and worthwhile. this is the reason we came out west. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626293323186-6DEJSF50XC0MP14FQ9QQ/IMG_2777.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - a jolt of energy as we made our way up the peaks along the ridge, we heard thunder crackling in the distance and we noticed dark clouds forming just above our heads. rookie mistake. always check the weather. realizing that the top of a mountain is the worst place to be during a thunder storm we picked up our pace and hurried along down the mountain. to make matters worse we sadly ran out of water 3/4 of the way along the trail. the descent was mentally and physically challenging to say the least. but the looming clouds and rumble of the thunder was a great motivator to keep going. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626292844397-5BKP2GSU810DD0BSFK1L/IMG_2590.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - wake up early get out earlyer! after waking up in our second questionably legal campsite, we got out as fast as we got in, before anybody spots us and starts asking question. this is a really good motivator to get up early and start the day! before we left our spot, we had a look at the surrounding mountains and decided that the one in front of us looked like it could be climbed! and sure enough after a quick search we found out there was a trail going up to the peaks then around the ridge. after that our minds where set that we where going to climb a mountain today. Ft. heart mountain in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626293180555-P8ALE4PK9YILSWUZ6ZG0/IMG_2770.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - meet our new friend as a small sub goal of this trip, we really wanted to see some snow in July, thankfully we where greeted by a small patch of it near the top of one of the summits! so of course we rushed to it and made a snow man. this is Bertrand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626292989902-AD9J179O5TNQ387GN8T6/IMG_2747.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 4: random alpineering - tim’s tally is on the rise again! about 3/4 up the first peak, while climbing one of the rock faces, Tim forgot to secure his wide angle lens to his bag…. Before we knew it, we saw the lens fall down 2 separate cliffs before resting on a third ledge. sadly it did not survive (see picture to the left). rip lens. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-5-taking-our-sweet-time-into-bc monthly 0.5 2021-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626398824514-6HZB5QQEIR2DNZ7ZPXU0/processed_20210714_141730.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc - enjoying the morning Waking up past 9 with a fresh shower, we took our time and enjoyed our morning, worked on the pictures and blog of the previous days while talking over breakfast with our new friends from the hostel. Sharing stories and setting up a pseudo route for the weeks to come making sure we where going to see everything we wanted to see while not wasting all of our gas money. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626396968988-LBGW7QXQZQ7NKFTCLNY8/IMG_2960.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc - finding a camp site when it came to finding a camp site we wanted to find a place really epic to spend the night we tried to go to Wapta falls recreationally site but sadly the two available site were already taking (with hindsight we really could have there but we didn’t want to disturb the people that where already there) so instead we went to Fraser creek recreationally sight. a small meadow on the shore of a beautiful river flowing white and blue from the glaciers above. although absolutely beautiful, we where deep in bear country, deeper into the wilderness that we’ve ever gone before, being out of our comfort zones filled us with excitement as we settled in for the night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626399236356-5C4R3NMJIP5FG05QR4ZN/IMG_2805.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc - tears of amazement where shed today making our way out of Canmore into Banff, the views where outstandingly beautiful, with the sun starting to slowly start its decent the sky turned a fire-ish orange making the surrounding mountain contrast with the forests bellow. at every turn of the valley a new mountain more beautiful then the last showed itself the shear size of it all makes you realize how truly small we really are. the raging river in the middle of the flowing forests of bow valley below the towering peaks was overwhelmingly beautiful. while driving down, the realization that I was living my life long dream overflowed me with emotions as tears of joy started running down my face. what a place to be. this is the reason we came here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626399600405-R0DWG6N5GSR8GEID1X9Z/IMG_2817+%281%29.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626460606702-6TX66J569WHHM4F172OC/IMG_2805+%281%29.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626460473624-CM50YYZUIQ4ODARPE39K/IMG_2820.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626460566848-B46AZRYQP3YHQJYHDIEH/IMG_2844.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554731265-RQKKKMVH7HZ3JGJDAY9Q/IMG_2848.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554719774-TI3AOBP97G6OOWX15D9T/IMG_2851.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554738044-57JWHCFQGTIZ96J9AM01/IMG_2878.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554743565-C0LCZO7FGU6JUK864I2A/IMG_2887.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554789880-DPXLQIP77NCH6ENYDET9/IMG_2893.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554842578-J0Q7VDUGE34SANGPHSFX/IMG_2905.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554886288-JK0GSJQ3UEREL7U82N5C/IMG_2925.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554941119-WJWPSXEMULIF0Z40I5K1/IMG_2929.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626554970470-6L3KG3BOZO4C5HSZX8YV/IMG_2960.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626395251569-W0VC93XHBS22T70S3GKA/IMG_2878.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc - into bc we go! slowly making our way through the valleys, amazed by the jaw dropping scenery before us ,we stopped at the border between bc and Alberta for supper, with a naturel rock table and gigantic mountains filled with glaciers we enjoyed our beef jerky noodles looking on in wonder of the days to come https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626399101525-ODE78J7JC1NAFJNPEL7G/IMG_2817.jpg Out west with Marty - day: 5 tearing up on the beautiful road to bc - camping in bc is rad. With an idea in mind we headed off to bc for the abundant free camping. Alberta is absolutely beautiful but finding a place to camp for free is a lot more complicated then we imagined. so we decided to run away from that problem to bc! and wow… bc does not disappoint, off every highway you can find free recreational camping sites. If they are all full, no worries, as long as you are not disturbing anybody and there is no sign saying otherwise you can camp there! (in general, exceptions exists). With this in mind, we headed off on highway 1A west towards Banff making a few stops along the way, https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-6making-our-way-back-to-alberta monthly 0.5 2021-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626465067842-1GI1VCUCGJ55Z5AR4XF6/IMG_3104.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - Takkakaw falls making the final turn to the end of the valley, Takkakaw falls begins to show itself. the water flowing from the Yoho glacier carved itself into to side of the mountain to form a behemoth of a waterfall, the scale of witch is surreal. from a distance the water falling down the cliffs seams to go in slow motion falling almost 400m before slamming into the valley below. Try to find Marty for scale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626464836411-XQRQZXZWQU1RUMNWXUFC/IMG_3136.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - driving to Takkakaw falls driving through the valleys glued to our windows in awe, we found out where the famous waterfalls where located. deep in the Yoho valley, the mountain pass took us past spectacular views of the glaciers nearby and making us go up a step of steep consecutive hairpin turns. this is one of the best drives i’ve ever done in my life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626398617094-QCYQFC0AMLDEE59U5HP6/IMG_2967.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - what a way to start the day starting the day we took a small hike to the camp site we wanted up in the wapta falls recreational site to see this absolute beauty of a scene. a large waterfall in the wapta valley beneath gigantic mountain filled with the golden light of the morning sky. what a magnificent way to start our morning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626465257453-UUTRGKFMVGFQN8XQ3UY3/IMG_3144.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - Off to lake Louise for an early night as we planned to get up crazy early tomorrow to g see the sunrise at moraine lake, we decided to reserve the last camp site available at lake Louise. being ravished by hunger we also decided to splurge a full 8$ on two foil wrapped potatoes and a few sausages to cook on the camp fire. we ate like kings. the camp site was really nice as well, overlooking mount temple and the 5 peaks surrounding mount Victoria; also, having a bear fence was reassuring! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626465350520-UBV9H0DLMUYCWX93YW7V/IMG_3132.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626555514791-LW90688PWAPV48OYLA1L/IMG_2913-Edit.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626555500506-KNUMSPBDAH328O2W6GZ3/IMG_2962.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626555564020-SPBQNQD66HBSR7BVWIPN/IMG_2967.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626555560635-0DMOJW4DUNT8XBGVLVBV/IMG_2973.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729287241-8QRXB671HELWF4EM8W4S/IMG_2989.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729264809-B0IWYVKXJA0I007QVDXO/IMG_3004.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729478968-9YBKV1J9DQ6V5Q1PANHX/IMG_3086.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729609481-WHD17PDI0AL481U30G42/IMG_3104.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729676109-T1ENN4XIOE3CK1SE95WD/IMG_3111.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729868124-83OULOCOWR6KPFJ1AZGY/IMG_3121.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626729958485-P1ZSILET4NRN4D7KGLUA/IMG_3130.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730063278-H4TA43PVZFMN3T6OZIGA/IMG_3136.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730182192-BJ15JQXEH2D9EN3NRF6A/IMG_3139.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730473525-RJEDKW8COIM9F88NLE8G/IMG_3144.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730662320-9QNJ0TXGFXVCZJIUWAL2/IMG_3154.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730825684-5V4EJ8403TTTA6A88B0O/IMG_3159.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730894302-8YHXZ4874KJ8USZ2242I/IMG_3167.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626731042728-UU4ZVLTESAJCINZMN3N8/IMG_3174.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626462852091-YBGKDYPD5LZ1J0WN4D6H/IMG_2973.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - taking our time on our way to Yoho national park making our way back to Alberta we passed through the stunning Yoho national park making stops at every exit ramp we saw, our first stop took us to a small meadow on the sides of the kicking horse river to have our breakfast and mandatory coffee, every turn and every stop we made left us dumbfounded by the scenes all around us. glaciers overflowing mountains casting shadows on the valley bellow all the while bright blue waters rush down cascading rivers. what a sight to behold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626462757490-3YW4ME0GN9RNN7URZYS4/IMG_2989.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - taking in the sights at every turn our first stop into Yoho national park was at the natural bridge on the way to emerald lake. once a raging waterfall, the raging waters of kicking horse river carved its way through the bedrock forming a natural bridge. this landmark set the scene for what’s to come throughout the day as we say the logo of Yoho national park depicted an immense waterfall, it was now our goal to find this waterfall. in the mean time here is a really nice quote found at the bridge “water flows through time and wears down mountains. in the moment of our lifetime we see but a part of the process. yesterday’s waterfall in today’s bridge, becoming tomorrow’s chasm.” -Yoho national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626463336228-7PIJ55SCCH2VYCOE2E35/IMG_3004.jpg Out west with Marty - day 6: Making our way back to Alberta - the magical emerald lake making our way up the mountain pass we made it to emerald lake. a stunning green lake filled with green glacier waters. I find it really fascinating that the different minerals inside different glaciers gives them and there respective rivers distinct colors ranging from emerald green to bright blue to frosty white. walking up to the lake, you are transported to what seams like an enchanted place of wander as the dark waters reflect the surrounding mountain and the forested island found at its center. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-7-a-full-week-out-west monthly 0.5 2021-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626731360385-ABNQ7QYVF3YVLIK9AOLM/IMG_3543.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! - A devastating display of power Heading for our campsite at Abraham lake we arrived near the Saskatchewan river crossing were we started to smell and see more and more smoke, realizing that the bc forest fires where just over the corner of the valley, we heard fire fighting airplanes in the distance. Driving along, we saw the devastation of past fires, it left us in awe at the destructive power of forest fires. Thousands of acres stretching the entire valley floor was burned to the ground leaving only traces of the forest that once was. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626732334990-B6FUB20TGGR2YPGSXUZE/IMG_3563.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! - Random camping at Abraham lake. Arriving at Abraham lake, the water was a bright silty white reflecting the snow tipped mountains across the lake. We settled ourselves in a nice campground filled with tents and vans, all of which came here for the spectacular free campsites the lake has to offer. Despite being in Alberta random camping in this region is encouraged and very simple, unlike Kananaskis which required countless paperwork. after setting up our campsite we made small campfire, roasted some marshmallows then strapped ourselves in for an interesting night as strong winds started flowing in and we could hear the rumble and saw the light show of an incoming thunderstorm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626731795380-UBM50NBADY889OOMCT3G/IMG_3542.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! - Life goes on After destruction comes creation. Where devastation happened, life flourished. The forest floor where the fires raged just a few weeks ago was now covered with an endless bed of flowers making for a spectacular sight; burnt pillars from the dead trees rise above colorful flowers stretching out as far as the eyes can see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626733537711-0J8FSRVF9Z4TM6PWAMXX/IMG_3591.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626733554375-F2Y8Q0X42QH4H7O4036W/IMG_3598.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627436015851-T5C39SK050VC30VR9R01/IMG_3269-Pano.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627436012415-EV0SDVU2ML70LV0ZTSEB/IMG_3288.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626731249218-0NJX7EX9NQ4WX2SCPK8F/IMG_3435.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! - Up north we go! After saying goodbye to our campsite in lake Louise we started our trek along highway 93, icefield parkway. I know that we are starting to repeat ourselves but this was once again one of the most beautiful highways we’ve ever seen. It seems that every road we go on keeps getting prettier and prettier. Driving along the valley you can see peaks after peaks, each one looking taller and more grandiose than the last, hosting glaciers atop most. This highway sparked a wave of emotion, making me shed a few tears once again at the marvelous display of beauty in front of me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626730703003-1KPTUPSIVQILB72O7QUM/IMG_3269-Pano.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 7: A full week out west! - Eating breakfast during the sunrise at moraine lake Waking up at 4:30am this morning was pretty rough, as we set off to lake moraine to attend the magnificent sunrise. surprisingly we weren’t the first ones there, not by a long shot. but we did get there in time to set up at a nice spot on the rock hill to get breakfast started. looking on at the beautiful blue lake reflecting the 10 peaks surrounding lake moraine, we sipped our coffee and ate our oatmeal while taking in every inch of the sun tipped mountains in front of us. it was an amazing experience to see the mountains and glaciers slowly getting bathed in the morning sun. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-8-beauty-of-the-forces-of-nature monthly 0.5 2021-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626734253356-26VA8O15FS3HOOAFXJQ4/IMG_3663.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - Lesson #1 : fire passing through the valleys devastated by forest fires, we saw the remnants of forest that where once lush and green turned into flower field with black pillars scattered where the trees where. seeing the total destruction of the valley left us stunned with mixed emotions. its really interesting to be able too see the valley mid change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626733799877-NHJITVX6I2IU8FM0ZN3A/IMG_3591.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - astonishing morning after a particularly windy night fueled by the neighboring thunderstorm, we woke up to an amazing view of the mountain range reflecting on the lake. The sun was peaking above the higher clouds forming god rays on the mountains, it was a beautiful sight while we enjoyed our breakfast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626736515631-NJGMC5LM5HSR2QSI8EHO/IMG_3786.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - Lesson 3 - Water Resuming our journey up the Icefield Parkway, we made a stop at Sunwapta Falls where we witnessed the power that water bears. violently carving it’s way through the bedrock, it forms canyons and waterfalls. The sheer amount of water going through the Sunwapta Falls was truly humbling. Every river we came across had a distinctively different color form the last depending on witch glaciers they came from. From silty white to bright baby blue all the way to emerald green, its a wonderful sight to see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626734690904-QAVGE8TJT4E2R4WT6NVY/IMG_3729.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - Lesson #2 : ice Our first major stop along the icefield parkway was the Columbia icefield. This icefield boasts an impressive 6 glaciers! The most iconic glacier in this region is the Athabasca glacier, which has receded more than 1.5km in the past 125 years. It’s incredible to walk towards the glacier and going past markers showing their recession over the years. It concretizes our impact on global warming. Along the path we also got to witness the huge gashes and striations in the rock caused by the glacier slowly moving across them over thousands of years, grinding the rocks down. Now that’s the huge power of nature ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626741622746-ITYCS9QGUE1G5NA63AWW/IMG_3818.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - Our home at honeymoon lake Stopping at a random ‘‘first come first serve’’ campsite at honeymoon lake we set up our tents before making our way to the lake. in the middle of a forest beneath the giant slabs making the neighboring mountains lies a ridiculously calm lake acting like a mirror reflecting its beautiful surroundings. we sat on a bench in the water marveling and immersing ourselves in nature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626734079251-61GTA195L5BIGO48WHCB/IMG_3654.jpg Out west with Marty - day 8: beauty of the forces of nature - continuing our way up north hopping back on the icefield parkway, the overwhelming beauty of the mountains and glaciers was humbling. everything here is amplified, hills become huge mountains, creeks become raging rapids and snow becomes enormous glaciers. we stopped everywhere we could to take it all in. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-9-backpacking-in-jasper monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626737842735-IVUQYLFRTRAO2VJP86JT/IMG_3929.jpg Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - the final stretch With our spirits high we continued on the final stretch of our journey through the stunning icefield parkway. We took a short detour along the way to stop at Athabasca falls, a set of violently raging waterfalls carving its way into narrow canyons; as the canyons tapers and becomes narrow, the faster the water flows making the falls overwhelmingly fast and powerful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626808062956-XI3GYWESZBZL50KXOV26/dive.gif Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - the five lake hike On our final stop before jasper, we decided to go hike the valley of five lakes. This very nice hike takes you in and around a set of five magnificent lakes. It was really warm today so when we saw a dock where people where diving off, we immediately decided to join them! the icy cold water was shockingly welcomed after hiking in the heat. Swimming, jumping and flipping into a lake was one of the things we looked forward to do and it definitely didn’t disappoint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626810053719-V16B1OEF908YN6PZWD9V/processed_20210720_132507%7E2.jpg Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - a quick stop in jasper Finally making it to Jasper we made a short stop at the grocery store to re-stock our eggs and bread before heading off again to go on our little overnight backpacking trip to Celestine lake. we didn’t have time to explore and take in the cute mountain village because we had to make a tight time window to go on the one-way mountain pass going to the trail head. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626808153271-1571U9BK021S9GVSGX0J/IMG_4103.jpg Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - Off-roading the rental car. As we started our way to the mountain pass we realized that it was more of a wide ATV trail then a road. Bumps, rocks, small river crossings and big puddles were scattered along the dirt road. At few points along the pass, we were driving along a crazy narrow road carved in the side of a mountain, vertical rock wall to our right, vertical cliff to our left. driving this was nerve-racking but thrillingly fun to say the least. Our little rented Hyundai Kona took it like a champ taking us there with no problems. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626737517205-JRLTVQ3AIZ3H6GZE6IYF/IMG_3865.jpg Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - Cant get enough of the beautiful mornings Waking up from the sunlight we made our way back to the lake to enjoy our breakfast and coffee in front of a magnificent view. Somehow, the lake got even prettier with the morning sun rising over the mountains where clouds ran down the steep slopes making their way into the valley. We could really get used to these beautiful mornings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626808188274-KM93JPKZ8IGB4TKX0JY7/IMG_4115.jpg Out west with Marty - day 9 : backpacking in jasper - The hike to the lake Making our way to the trailhead we ate supper, packed our bags then started our 6.5km hike up the mountain to the lake. the hike was a nice winding double track full of switchbacks, we sang our hearts going over rivers, birch forests and a few small lakes before arriving at our campsite. We set our tents up then met with a small family of bikepackers who already had a fire going. Meeting new people from all around is one of my favorite parts of this trip, sharing stories and adventures while laughing over a fire next to a lake was just my definition of a good time. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-10-wild monthly 0.5 2021-07-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626980916097-2TSUUZRSN6FJ6JUISWGA/IMG_4129.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 10 - Wild Rockies - Waking up by the lake Following yesterday’s hike, we woke up this morning at Celestine Lake, a wonderfully peaceful campsite in the Jasper backcountry where we ate our breakfast, drank our coffee and said our goodbyes to our newfound friends before starting our hike back to the car. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626981050097-82G9H84I78S6V0YOQYUK/IMG_4136.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 10 - Wild Rockies - BEAR ! It was bound to happen sooner or later. On our way back down the trail, Tim spotted a black bear in front of us, eating berries, living his best life, not a care in the world, we immediately froze while a mix of fear, excitement and adrenaline rushed through our bodies. Talking loudly to make sure he spotted us, he eventually wandered back into the forest letting us continue on our merry way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626982358137-65OF866CV213HBDIFNXX/IMG_4191.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 10 - Wild Rockies - Goats Finally out of the trail, we where making our way back to Jasper when we spotted a family of bighorn sheep just chilling on a cliffside on the outskirts of the village, all in one morning we went from seeing practically no wildlife to having four different encounters! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626981746451-XXBPNVZVBHXK3XJO7T20/IMG_4181.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 10 - Wild Rockies - Watch out ! back at the trail head we realized we still had a fair bit of off-roading to do before we where out of the woods. taking it slow ripping through the trails in our little rental car we spotted a coyote running across the road! Not long after, we had to stop as a dear was meandering in front of us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626981197343-72WJ6FAQZE3BOCN2BY4T/IMG_4207.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 10 - Wild Rockies - Back to BC we go After a relaxing afternoon in Jasper we made our way back to bc for that free camping and to visit mount Robson, the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies with a height of 3954m. A bit further into the valley, we found our campsite which had an amazing view of the mountain from atop a small hill behind the trees. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-11 monthly 0.5 2021-07-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626985459002-Y8JNGJUN4N4BUKFV98AP/IMG_4229.jpg Out west with Marty - Day - 11 Smoky Atmosphere - wildfire smoked sunrise Waking up at mount Robson our amazing view of the mountain was replaced by a thick smoke screen covering the valley, a fiery red sun took the place of the normally golden sunrise. even after we made our way to the base of the mountain at the observatory, we where unable to see the top of the mountain, all due to the numerous wildfires happening further west into bc. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626985973731-F4V9UD3IKM45QTIE3F08/IMG_4451.jpg Out west with Marty - Day - 11 Smoky Atmosphere - Back to off-roading the rental car At the end of the day we decided to head on over to the public land use zone near Hinton for some free camping. The road going there was nice but when we arrived we had to do a fair bit of off-roading, avoiding rocks, ruts, and almost tipping the car over avoiding a large patch of water! Fortunately we didn’t flip it and made our way to an huge field with a gorgeous mountain view where we set up our tents while a friendly deer looked on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626985598709-TWBG166TDYRCXVKF5F3F/IMG_4360.jpg Out west with Marty - Day - 11 Smoky Atmosphere - Mighty Maligne lake our final stop at the end of the valley was Maligne lake, the biggest and most pictured natural mountain lake in the Rockies. Normally, its azure waters would reflect the nearby mountains and glaciers leaving an outstandingly beautiful sight, but the smoke covered the lake making it impossible to see the mountains and tainting the bright waters with a more somber tone. It was still a sight to behold with a seemingly endless lake disappearing into the distance with large mountainous silhouettes on each sides. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626985556567-2BEJXQF1V9RRHSJ6O5HS/IMG_4247.jpg Out west with Marty - Day - 11 Smoky Atmosphere - Maligne Canyon After enjoying our morning we made our way back into jasper to go explore Maligne valley. we started off by stopping at Maligne canyon. A 4 km hike took us over and along the canyon where we could see the very narrow but very deep canyon. At 52m deep but only a few meter wide it was quite a sight to see. the fissure in the middle of the mountains looked almost surreal, looking down the canyon made us lose our sense of depth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1626985637342-PPGNB5MJN4TLSVUEJEPO/IMG_4339.jpg Out west with Marty - Day - 11 Smoky Atmosphere - Medicine Lake Making our way up the valley we stopped at Medicine Lake. A few years ago a raging wildfire devastated the area leaving only burnt pillars where the forest used to be. In the middle of the destruction, on a small island in the middle of the lake, we saw a bald eagle’s nest where the mother was protecting her young ones. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-12-final-day-in-jasper monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627156674503-GJYBEEGX8KWIYI0BWJT1/IMG_4731-Edit.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Blood Moon With all the wind at the campsite, we decided to spend the evening in the car to work on the blog and some of the previous days’ photos. When the sun finally set, around 10:30 (the sun sets incredibly late in the “north”-west of Alberta!) we got out of the car and were surprised to see the nearly full moon tinted a rich blood red by all the smoke in the air ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627155240158-XUW0BQMIA041ZOP1QXRK/IMG_4650.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Making our way to parker ridge The absolute beauty of this highway will never get old, we were left in awe at every turn seeing the monolithic mountains piercing the sky while glaciers made their way into the bright blue rivers bellow. Along the way, we decided to hike up parker ridge; this relatively small but steep 4km hike took us up the ridge where we were rewarded with a magnificent sight of the two adjacent valleys. seeing the winding highway making its way through the mountains on one side and the Saskatchewan glacier making its way through the valley on the other was a truly spectacular sight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374091860-943OYDNJY84BE8K0YALJ/IMG_4401.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374102251-WWN0JK4N8ANN04YMUCOT/IMG_4455.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374101834-KWDUAYWHZLT8TGC9JC7G/IMG_4460.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374114004-GLDHNN9STL9JJQ3C66RK/IMG_4477.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374120004-A4ICP7LDKO3FIG4VTFDX/IMG_4483.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374132002-SCZAJYCCBMNK3CYDCJCX/IMG_4515.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374132422-51BL4ER0202JU2MMXNYE/IMG_4541.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374147118-LTVPTNHVEPDHB67RNATA/IMG_4567.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374146404-GW7OC9LVLUH32NX6LP2D/IMG_4580.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374157170-UFI41137TF8U11QU00FT/IMG_4650.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374162627-N22THMPU41LACIR7T2R1/IMG_4703.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374165846-MYO8X2K5T58RZYWSH8QT/IMG_4731-Edit.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627154503245-LGYZR98GOZPVPBEF2TPJ/IMG_4477.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Elks of pyramid lake Feeling completely refreshed we made our way to Pyramid Lake for lunch. Although we couldn’t find a place to eat, we found a whole family of elks cooling off in the lake! They were majestic and not shy at all, chilling next to the kayakers, doing their thing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627156879899-LLOI5A9N36AJUVY5P3BG/IMG_4567.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Goodbye jasper After lunch we said our goodbyes and made the decision to head back down the Icefield Parkway instead of heading straight west to try and avoid the wildfires of northern bc. this gave us the opportunity to stop at the places we didn’t have time on our first trip up. On our way back down the Parkway, we found a waterfall we hadn’t noticed on our way up! we took the opportunity to fill our water supplies in the fresh water of the snow runoff creek of the waterfall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627155321548-KBOFCPCEPSIRYOBAGRCC/IMG_4703.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Back to Abraham lake we go! Midway through the parkway, we decided to head back to Abraham lake for the night. To make things different, we made our way to the other side of the lake where the water went from silty white to a tropical turquoise with white cliffs surrounding it. It was a completely different landscape than the first time we went here. It was much windier at this end of the lake however. I guess being a 32km long lake makes for a fairly long corridor for the wind speed to pick up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627154321227-7HY1XE8A9NO0HTLPKYBD/IMG_4460.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Back to jasper we go! After waking up a bit later than we wanted we made a quick stop in Hinton to restock. Going from the Hinton airfield, where we slept, we made our way to the Jasper airfield to eat our breakfast before making our way back into jasper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627157540096-HPXFQMV1S6ERX23QUEE2/climbing.gif Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - Rock climbing, Swimming and SHOWERS It was one of the sub-goals of our trip to rock climb everywhere we went, having not gone yet, we made our way to the Jasper recreational center where we found a small but fun bouldering gym. We were a bit disappointed by the size, but the problems were fun, there was a pool where we cooled off and there where showers! This was our first shower in a week! To say it felt amazing would be an understatement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627154762345-UZBVZ70RGYKV2VACVMCX/IMG_4515.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 12 : final day in jasper - another one off the list Continuing south along the parkway, we saw a few cars stopped on the side of the road. As we’d learnt the previous day, this could only mean one thing, wildlife was near ! And indeed it was, there was a group of mountain goats grazing on a cliff by the roadside. This was a new species checked off our to-see list; so far we’ve seen a black bear, a coyote, a deer, big horn sheep and elks. There’s still so much to see ! https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-14-glacier-national-park monthly 0.5 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257457948-MOU544Z8S659OLWQ0P7M/IMG_4966.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Forest fires are a thing Making our way to our campsite, we came across a devastating sight; across the lake on the side of a mountain was an out of control forest fire. Being so big and far away, we saw it slow motion from our perspective. Like a campfire, we couldn’t stop looking, it was ever changing but always the same. Mesmerizing. From the safe side of the lake we could see the firefighting helicopters making their rounds fighting the fire with huge water buckets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257539546-4RWO38TE4N88ZXRS5TKE/20210723_193651.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Campsite in the rainforest A few kilometers away of the fire, we made our way to wap creek where we found a very nice secluded campsite in the middle of the rainforest near a hidden waterfall. With huge red cedars surrounding us and a lush mossy floor, it looked like we where transported to an enchanted forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627252067210-V47ADFPJ2729DT3BD64W/IMG_4799.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - A cold night Getting out of our sleeping bag this morning was one of the hardest things we had to do. Camping next to the river is a beautiful thing but the humidity lowered the temperature to the point we could see our own breath! thankfully we had warm oatmeal and coffee ready in no time to warm us up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417954772-9T1NIZOTS0CXKSHV0X61/20210723_095405.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417953935-3FJ5QA7X21O062M3SU9X/20210723_193651.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417966641-YZMW6F0NYU93GGXFMNM3/IMG_4760.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417973334-10UU9K0E4PZHTEDUUZII/IMG_4801.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417986625-V79EAPZ36AD44H7PJNFT/IMG_4813.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417988560-UOCHEL9A5YBZYM33R67O/IMG_4857.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629417998017-P1RAJZWDVPN37Z3FDFSS/IMG_4912.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629418008382-WPW4ODDTO81CVKQ7E0F7/IMG_4918.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629418013793-7Z3VACH03IBUCSXJRXFC/IMG_4921.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629418038113-O4PLXJILBJ8XG00HXSFR/IMG_4934.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629418025598-373OJBIZ6MME60GYRZR8/IMG_4941.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629418041851-BBPIZ119GC8E9HNYTDYB/IMG_4966.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627256830369-UTIET3VUQ9RKHLA0TGUT/20210723_095405.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Explosive lunch Stopping for lunch at one of the viewpoints, we learned that to be able to control the abundant avalanches, the park bombards the mountains sides with artillery shells… This is the more overkill solution I have ever heard! Whatever works I guess. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257396064-UDCCCCUIHK1ZUU5PA9SF/IMG_4934.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Old growth inland rainforest Our last stop in the national park was a small interpretive walk going through the rainforest. These old growth inland rainforest are only found in bc and are populated by a huge variety of plants unique to this forest, including, old red cedars, these giant trees stretch out to 60m in height and make way for a mossy floor filled with lush vegetation. the diversity of landscapes in the west is truly outstanding, just in our trip we saw the plains, badlands, deserts, mountains, glaciers, alpine forest to lush rainforests and there’s a lot more to come the more west we go. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627256754375-2P3Y0GPKIYDNTY1RM21M/IMG_4857.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Great Glacier Trail We made our first stop of the morning to go hike the great glacier trail. This great 4km hike started out nice and flat to warm you up then arrived at the foundations of an old luxury hotel of the 1800s. After the small history break the path leads you up the mountain besides a beautiful creek with huge boulders and rock gardens surrounding it. A few switchbacks through the forest later, you find yourself above the tree line with an amazing view of the mountain in front and the waterfall filled glacier behind. The trail ends after a small scramble on a huge rock face where we took a break before making our way back down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257253578-ZXQJEZ7UHOXVJJXUFB3K/IMG_4941.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Another beautiful highway to the list The highway going through this national park is truely exeptional, you wind your way down a narrow valley, making your way through the canadian rainforest, going through avalanch tunnels and swirving above and bellow steep cliffs; all with amazing views at every turn of the mountains and glaciers above. A very different sight compared to the equaly beautifull icefield parkway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257351580-ID4Z2Q0FUMZCT6KZ93MV/IMG_4918.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Rock gardens After lunch we went on a small hike exploring one of the rock gardens scattered throughout the park. these jagged rock looked like the ruins of an old monument but are in reality the results of the numerous avalanches and rock slides. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627257168836-D7XJBZPOTPH3HJ48M82T/IMG_4912.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 14 : Glacier national park - Entering Glacier national park With the raging wildfires on the bc side of the Rockies, the smoke limited our view of the mountains. Thankfully, this led to some beautiful landscapes. Layers of mountains each covered more and more by the smoke led the way through the valley with towering snow covered peaks above. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-13 monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374453489-L1TZPYW7CP8ODP6WQK7F/20210722_204141.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374457712-B7JWALFWX6MHFQK7SE26/IMG_4752.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374465028-I1SBKD6M07QOJCDWB2DI/IMG_4760.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374485445-0TD9Y1L6ZC3HA39SKBIF/IMG_4781.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374481679-UPJMR05DGOX2S9JJ10X2/IMG_4792.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629374503099-AAHXUXV4RWQ1B1OAYMM3/IMG_4799.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627255444077-0LOJMM9TTG4WOCEPUTZP/5hlr3f.gif Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real - Dogtooth Climbing Gym Two days after our first climbing gym since arriving out west, we stopped at our first climbing gym in BC, the Dogtooth Climbing Gym. This gym was a nice, outdoors-style set, climbing gym. The grades of the routes were much harder than what we were used to! Marty had a great time pushing his limits on the harder routes, he almost managed to send a pretty challenging V6, but we’re not here for the grades, we’re here to have fun! Unfortunately we did not get to try out their renowned top-rope climbing wall, as Marty didn’t know how to belay, not to worry though, he’ll learn soon enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627254347452-GWDHHJ3N5CMQ4F9NW6YU/IMG_4792.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real - Into the heat of Golden, BC Going into Golden, BC, we saw our first forest fire. We’d already seen the damage that such a fire could do to the forest near Maligne Lake and even this same morning going back onto the Icefield Parkway from Abraham Lake, where a forest fire ravaged a huge swath of land in the Kootenay Plains in 2014. However, we still hadn’t seen any live forest fires until now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627252283828-LGGC2IAYD4ALTLMEN04L/IMG_4752.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real - Peaceful Morning After a rough and cold night of strong storm winds at the head of Abraham Lake, the wind finally died down to give us a marvelous view of the pristine blue lake at its most peaceful state. We ate our daily oatmeal and drank our much needed coffee before setting off on our journey towards BC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627255637022-CL5WXXQ952W1ZXE3UR33/20210722_204141.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real - Camping in Donald After a good climbing session, we needed our rest, so we looked at the trusty iOverlander app. We found a good looking camping on our way towards Kamloops or Kelowna, as we don’t yet know whether passing by Kamloops is a good idea with all the wildfires in the area. After validating with the BC fires map, we settled for a campsite near Donald, BC, in the middle of nowhere. The campsite was awesome, but the night to come was going to be a cold one with the glacier river right next to us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627254038351-L69E8S80T48ZDYKY26DI/IMG_4781.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 13 - Off to BC for Real - On the road again The last part of our journey on the Icefield Parkway was as wonderful as every other bit of it going up and down. Seeing all the mountains, glaciers, valleys, rivers and waterfalls we’d seen going north from a new angle was truly a sight to behold. Although, it felt as if we were only getting a glimpse of the true beauty of the rocky mountains with the smoke in the air limiting the distance we could see. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-15-out-of-the-enchanted-forest-and-into-the-fire monthly 0.5 2021-07-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627430719942-VG9G1OJEZ5LKIT5BE0H9/5hsobr.gif Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Cliffside climbing gym Wanting to rock climb everywhere we go, we went to the local rock climbing gym : Cliffside rock climbing. We really enjoyed the atmosphere, the staff was super friendly and the routes where really fun and challenging. It was Marty’s first time belaying and we where lucky enough to get a course free of charge! We stayed at the gym for about 3 hours trying the top rope routes and making our best efforts in the bouldering caves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627418702893-OBNAH7NDZWGTUU5M2TIZ/IMG_5107.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Apocalyptic scenery After shedding out layers of dirt, it was time to head west to find a camping spot as far away from the fires as we could. After checking with the bc safety fire map, we ended up finding a spot in the middle of nowhere next to a huge copper mine and a field full of cows. The atmosphere was nerve-wracking to say the least, we where a few kilometers in between two wildfires with ash falling from the sky like snow. it felt like the end of the world and we where just playing cards by the cows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627417056198-UCVELLJRLUV4D5O51LDP/IMG_5026-Pano.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Chasing waterfalls Waking up in the enchanted rainforest, we set out on our quest to find the mysterious waterfall nearby. With no trails or maps we bushwhacked our way through the lush and mossy forest floor, following the river. Feeling like true explorers, we arrived at the edge of a cliff overlooking Frog falls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627420130111-K8O3SNC16CD7VTQTDVFS/IMG_5059.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Going through the fires After finishing our little adventure, we made our way out of the forested valley and into the plains between the Rockies and the coastal mountain ranges. In less than an hour, we were out of the giant trees and into the savanna, burnt grass all around with scarce trees. It’s astonishing how fast the landscape changes. In this burnt valley we found ourselves surrounded by wildfire and the smell of smoke was everywhere making it hard to see past a few kilometers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431416146-V33FA077Y6136H9UM1GE/IMG_5026-Pano.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431398194-U97M6ANFEOD55L9A1P3T/IMG_5038.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431417200-XCRMN7QF3SFVHIJTC8YM/IMG_5044.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431428498-HM2UDO6OQL5T4X1KCODO/IMG_5048.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431437741-UUBE5KWL7MWZG32M3YF1/IMG_5059.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431454090-QPMYOHFXBYCMRZNC5IEP/IMG_5064.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431456500-Q0543JD1SA8X1JOBVU7S/IMG_5073.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431471999-QBMX0MUNSGJ7MHG8P125/IMG_5083.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627431480832-FCYBB6R113PZZYM575XA/IMG_5107.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627430473830-0ZOZ1F567HBBSHQL9XYV/IMG_5073.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Arriving in Kamloops Making our way to Kamloops, the city was covered by a blanket of smoke making the sun shine red. We then made our way to Costco to restock on bananas and peanut butter (the lifeblood of our trip). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627430651371-8VZSV2MJCTHFWO16BFTA/20210724_184341.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 15 : Out of the enchanted forest and into the fire - Diving, swimming, relaxing and showers After two days of rock climbing without shower our smell made it pretty clear we needed to find one before the night. We made our way to the Canada Games Aquatic center where for only 4$ each, we had access to a hot tub, a steam room, diving boards, a lap pool and showers. We felt like kings relaxing and having a blast in the pool. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-16-out-of-the-badlands-and-into-the-mountains monthly 0.5 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627433484372-ZU9HMQKPU3WZN46HLUAV/IMG_5435.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains - Whistler! Arriving in Whistler we stopped for the day to explore the village. Being the weekend, the town was packed with tourists and mountain bikers. Marty was drooling over the slopes all around us seeing the legendary mountain bike park just ahead. Sadly, it was wayyyy too expensive to rent and ride here; We’ll just have to return when we’re not on the student budget! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485734303-45PYMEZWJTBNTTLPBDBF/IMG_5273.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485734469-GX0QDLQ2Q2RUNBT9V9VF/IMG_5274.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485748536-MU8015DR0CH9UPVJCY4I/IMG_5278.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485752605-MTZPWHX2ZP6ANQCZ8NU8/IMG_5386.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485763098-JRY0CF85HC6UJ5TOH6OK/IMG_5398.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485765114-C7JFITYDC7MKHJK4SA16/IMG_5435.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485770279-ZV1QC17SOZI1C09HSEA6/IMG_5441.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627435036672-Z4PAHNDVCW51NK1C2SCJ/drive.gif Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains - The beautifully fun ‘‘sea to sky highway’’ Arriving in cache creek, we started our journey through highway 99, the Sea-to-Sky Highway. This is by far the funnest road we have ever driven and one the most beautiful ones as well. Filled to the brim with hairpin turns, twisting its way through magnificent valleys, the views of the snow topped mountains and glaciers at every turn is some of the best we’ve seen thus far. ‘‘I am obligated to return here with a motorcycle’’ -Marty https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627433516082-PXDDLEBGIOMILMUSYWK4/IMG_5278.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains - Wild Wild West Waking up with the sound of the cows, our car and tents was covered by a thin sheet of ash from the wildfires nearby. Not wanting to burn alive, we made our breakfast and coffee, packed our tents then swiftly made our way out from our questionably legal campsite to start our drive towards Whistler. Between the Rockies and the Coastal Mountains, we passed through small mining towns, burning valleys and badlands. It really looked like we were passing through time in the wild west. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627434005340-B3T3JE1V6VMS4CSOZBG2/IMG_5398.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains - mesmerized at every stop Slowly making our way to Whistler through this beautiful roller coaster of a highway, we stopped on the side of one of the rivers where we found a wooden bridge looking on at the glacier filled mountains in front of us. A bit further along the way we stopped at a random lake besides the highway reflecting the mountain range behind it. It seems that every turn and every stop we made on the highway became more and more beautiful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627433455592-ZYSTMJ4Y5J5KMJ0CLILY/IMG_5441.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 16: out of the badlands and into the mountains - Off-roading to our campsite again! After exploring the town it was time to find our campsite for the night. Being a tourist town, finding a free camp spot was a bit of a challenge, we had to go a bit out of town in between Squamish and Whistler where we off-roaded up a trail, up one of the mountains that led us to a nice open campsite with a view of the nearby mountain. After building a makeshift table and chairs out of nearby rocks, we enjoyed a nice drink and played a few rounds of frime before heading off to sleep https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-17-lakes-meadows-and-volcanos monthly 0.5 2021-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627495198670-FWBNT4A6VELKXB66OM3X/IMG_5542.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - First View of the Ultra Blue Lake Walking through the flowers, we arrived at the edge of a mossy forest where we caught our first glimpse of the ultra blue waters of garibaldi lake. Excited, we forgot our exhaustion and made our way through the beautiful lichen coated forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627573676402-25P7CQR7SQBKF8Y2T41E/IMG_5637.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - The Barrier The immense stone wall Marty is facing is called the Barrier, it was formed by multiple Volcanic eruptions from the three volcanoes surrounding Garibaldi lake. On our way up the first 6km towards Garibaldi lake, we went off course on an unofficial trail, leading up to a lookout at the bottom of the wall. We decided to take a break at that point and take in the view of the snow capped mountains we were facing in the distance. After a few minutes there, we started to hear a faint rumble in the distance. We looked up at the Barrier and noticed something was weird. Upon closer inspection, we realized that a rock fall was under way, and we were standing in a rock field… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627494611284-8FQIH5U1C9AWBQAGYF7P/IMG_5444.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - A Hard but Beautiful Start To say that the trail starts off intense would be an understatement, you climb 800m in the first 6km through relentless switchbacks up the forested mountain face. Climbing through the old growth rainforest is absolutely beautiful though, looking at the giant trees and lovely views we distracted ourselves from the strenuous climb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627573826581-P6IX8VXYX29B0JO5D79Z/IMG_5664.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - First Sight of Squamish After our longest hike yet, we were looking forward to settle in at our campsite for the night, although we had yet to find where we’d sleep. We did, however, know that we wanted to sleep near Squamish, so we headed that way. Upon seeing the valley where Squamish lies for the first time, we were completely amazed. The giant slabs of rock on either side of the valley were begging us to climb them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627495049296-F5A7J5WBY562AA7Z735I/IMG_5480.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - Volcanoes and Meadows After finishing the final switchback we where rewarded with the beautiful views of Taylor meadows mountain flowers as far as the eyes can see with giant glacier filled mountains in the back ground looking on at the black tusk, a pillar of black volcanic rock towering over the volcanic crater of the black tusk stratovolcano. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627577437769-LV1J676L1DS50N7ULLAY/20210727_081418.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - Our Campsite at the River Fork After another bit of off-roading, as with most other campsites, we found our way to a BC recreation area on Mamquam river, just out of Squamish. As with most other campsites, there was no table or seating, so we improvised as always and set up a log as a table and gathered stones in the nearby river to use as chairs. We were then ready to eat and play some cards before going to bed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627495485135-LDRCF7EDUHANFS0Q3RRR/IMG_5558.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes - Indescriptible Beauty Making our way down, we arrived at garibaldi lake. The sheer blueness of the lake made us speechless. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500140879-L643CRSNLJLZLHQFXJVU/IMG_5444.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500139802-2W0KDIISFIZEIN149ZRT/IMG_5471.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500173647-WV1MDZK3YF1U4YTE0ASK/IMG_5472.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500174409-ZJHP9FSH5UCXVMHHFOI5/IMG_5480.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500189274-MUNKG5RTGWFRGLTQ4X46/IMG_5491.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500190294-OU0HX42ADZT1XL8NIRSX/IMG_5508.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500214362-QKKQS2EHR00DGM9A6KI5/IMG_5519.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500209871-94PDITOGQ7POBLBHTKNN/IMG_5525.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500217434-D8744F9A94G8MB4Q3KX3/IMG_5535.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500231727-MJKS9FGXDZJVBZE9HGDL/IMG_5542.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500233986-UUAUYUUKZC4CBAP6WS2B/IMG_5558.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500242522-WKLW31IE5R97GEDTIZ4Z/IMG_5572.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500247243-D6SC6FTYTFLXUPIUICAU/IMG_5586.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500260460-APLG64MVX0ZTSKEMWOFN/IMG_5591.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500267312-1X0NW0FGKC5S5XV2YH0Z/IMG_5599.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500291477-4YR0WK8U519AGAUTDWH5/IMG_5623.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500285232-BYC3W2MPTZS0BOFB9YP3/IMG_5631.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500299640-T4LLC8CERHWKUOXV7MDM/IMG_5636.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500307328-9RYCDJDTH4VW2JO01RNE/IMG_5637.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500311207-BMFX2R258ZNKILQR0QI1/IMG_5664.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627500314540-GMABHTJJSUS9WYTOQYKZ/IMG_5670.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 17 - Lakes, Meadows and Volcanoes https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-18-exploring-squamish-and-howe-sound monthly 0.5 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627625223165-PT5IAOTA3NNB8Y6RPT6Q/IMG_5859.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. - Making our way across the bay Arriving in Horseshoe bay we settled down to eat our supper besides the marina looking on into the sound. Towards 7:30 we took our place in line to board the ship, before departure we explored every deck then settled on the top to witness the magnificent views of the mountains. finally leaving port toward Nanaimo, seeing the mountains with a glowing orange halo due to the setting sun was a sight we’ll never forget. If the strong winds didn’t sweep us off our feet, the views definitely did. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627624487856-LULOUNMJ457LTG19HXJO/5i25x8.gif Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. - roads through the sounds After exploring Squamish and its surrounding we hoped back on the sea to sky highway towards horseshoe bay where we’ll catch the ferry later tonight. Getting on the sea side of the highway, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, driving along the cliff of the sound, you can see forested mountains in front glacier filled mountains reflected in the waters below. the diverse landscapes of bc is simply amazing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627624092473-PBR7AYAXHZ7V953CDRME/IMG_5717.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. - Shannon falls What better way to explore then to chase waterfalls! After a very short hike just outside Squamish, we found Shannon falls At 335m high this waterfall is really impressive, you hike through the huge rainforest trees to arrive at the foot of a huge wall where the falls are located, we spotted climbers climbing there way up the slab just next to the falls! (We really want to climb here now) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627624015476-L305NQ4V4Q17QNW8T6GE/original_3c4034b6-3dc9-4657-a7e9-3a869356f16d_20210727_114231.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. - Relaxing morning Waking up sore this morning from yesterdays hike, we took our time packing our bags before making our way downtown to go explore Nanaimo. this small town on the edge of Howe sound is surrounded by lush rainforest and huge slab mountains. Its just our first day here and I already want to return! We made our way to a nice coffee shop with great views to enjoy a great latte. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627688220817-2TEJG4CNZKSL9H4N7SZQ/processed_20210730_162502.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. - Exploring the local shops and climbing culture Back in Kamloops, we got recommended ‘‘climb on climbing shop’’ in Squamish. This small but very friendly climbing shop has everything relating to climbing, their selection and knowledge was really helpful. Marty got himself his first harness here! (renting one every time is going to get expensive!) the climbing in Squamish is legendary, some of the best in the world. we could see climbers on the side of cliffs all around us. Climbing here is now on the top of our bucket list! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485950549-4OCYTHATXAQU1WEHV1XP/5i25x8.gif Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485927307-XEZW2NBY2Y0NEZEXNLWW/IMG_5717.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485949484-IRVNR431OX2UHDOYHPXZ/IMG_5726.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485956378-V0H309YQ0CQYFI4JJXSC/IMG_5785.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485961693-DJ042UP5RBOJD8FPSZYP/IMG_5859.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629485959417-YEY5L5W4ZLHNONH28JDX/original_3c4034b6-3dc9-4657-a7e9-3a869356f16d_20210727_114231.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 18 - Exploring Squamish and howe sound. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-19-first-day-on-the-island monthly 0.5 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486196572-ORA6P9QLUM0WD0SWIRM3/5i8i6x.gif Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486149193-0QVDYT9FKZYAQ2SCC5KF/649209635%281%29.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486150115-EALQ10PB5T87BDTWT4OY/649209779.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486164259-XRYJXFIKZ2JJIW1D8QD0/IMG_5867.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486180400-7GML3FLNRTOP7GAT8YDZ/IMG_5884.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486189238-44XW0YU2TQZ521A1AC8D/IMG_5888.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486201855-VTCYIPWKGSL413XOHDCO/IMG_5897.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486212426-PW44Y1BX64R96NIOD85Q/IMG_5904.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486219041-DUM7EA9ET4KPO4B0IBV3/IMG_5916.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486225592-EO2DRQSLGZNHIZT04RXJ/IMG_5930.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486230974-6QSYSB1WVU6NFR00ZAXD/IMG_5932.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629486235597-7WJ6IRK3GW7IAXSE5PRG/IMG_5934.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627939275915-OZOPQLI52SXAIVA7FXOZ/5i8i6x.gif Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island - Romper room climbing gym To end our exploration, we went to romper room climbing center, the local climbing gym. This unique gym strangely didn’t have mattresses everywhere but gravel (although it had movable mattresses for bouldering) this made it seem as though we were climbing outside. Having only belayed once before, Marty was a bit stressed for the mandatory belay test we must go through at each and every gym we visit, especially as this time we would belay with Tim’s ATC rather than a gri-gri as he had learned with. The stress went away after meeting the evaluator and seeing how friendly and understanding he was. He helped Marty with what he had forgotten, and as Marty’s belaying technique was very good for a beginner, he passed us. Overall, it was a really cool experience, the routes where fun and people there where really helpful and friendly. Some holds were even made of real stones, those were Tim’s favorite for sure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628093554170-5JTMW3TCYMC9O0P3SC6J/649209635%281%29.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island - Amazing halibut dinner This week we’re on a break from camping as we are staying at Tim’s cousin, Ryan’s place. Ryan, being the awesome guy that he is, received us like kings. Tonight, he managed to get his hands on fresh caught halibut from the First Nations People whos land he is currently working on. Both of us having never had Halibut before absolutely loved it. The halibut is a huge fish commonly caught in the pacific, however, with the license necessary to catch the fish being so expensive and mostly controlled by big corporation, it is very expensive. Fortunately, it is not necessary for first nations to have a government issued license to catch this fish. Therefore, we had the opportunity to taste this great western fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1627939217141-3978IVJASD74GNBEYFPE/IMG_5888.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 19 - First day on the island - Nanaimo bars in Nanaimo On our first day on the island we went out to explore Nanaimo. Walking on piers, we saw everything from kayaks to yachts and even sea planes taking off! We also had to stop somewhere to enjoy some great Nanaimo bars along the way. All around we really enjoyed the town, it’s a lot less touristic than the other ones we’ve been through and has a big small town vibe. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-20-a-day-of-shellfish monthly 0.5 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628095874347-ZJCW4G7ILUWH0LFDEUU6/5iktr8.gif Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish - Going Crab Fishing After hiking our way back down to the car we went back to Ryan’s for lunch. On our way back we decided that it would be fun to try our hand at crab fishing for the afternoon. After seeing the locals fish for crab the previous day at the pier Ryan had told us we could borrow his trap and try our luck! We bought some chicken legs as bait then made our way to the pier, we also picked up some more Nanaimo bars on the way, as we HAD to try different Nanaimo bars (after all, they couldn’t all be as good as the ones we had eaten yesterday!). On the pier we met up with some locals and threw our traps in the water. As it turn’s out we were right, Nanaimo bars could be even better than yesterday’s bars! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487378450-2WM2JN2A959KMWXSM2U0/5iktr8.gif Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487365614-L0UY46LRVYPHXN3MI9G2/IMG_5952-Edit.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487384279-T7R76NWMZJXSSW0SWZFQ/IMG_6114.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487394250-WGRW36UMFQGGWGTG5N8N/IMG_6189.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487396760-2OJTA72A7QD5V9YBENPL/IMG_6191.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629487404341-DAPPT8Q6RJHS2VWY9AZ6/IMG_6194.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628103678789-MZ1CL6LAFFS5HWOOQ3T8/IMG_5952-Edit.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish - The dried-out Ammonite falls After another relaxing morning, we set out to find the nearby waterfall that Ryan told us about, Ammonite Falls. Arriving at the parking lot just a few minutes away from our home base, we started the 2.3km hike in the heat. As we were looking at the GPS to see how far we were from the falls, we turned the corner and were faced with a construction gate with multiple signs marking the falls as off-limits and under construction, as well as danger signs. As you could expect, we ignored those signs and went ahead down to the falls. To our great surprise, they where almost dried out! It’s been over 45 days since the last rainfall. Only a thin sheet of water was falling down. We took advantage of this to go climb behind it and take a nice shower and skip stones on the calm pond at the bottom of the falls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628099184285-AGH47CNMWB12X3SBTE1D/229784274_1546217089043691_668485299194141399_n.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish - Another great meal Tonight our great host and BBQ wizard Ryan prepared some great sausages and burgers, with a side of salad and fries for dinner. Before arriving in Nanaimo, our “luxury” dinners were usually a pack of sidekick noodles with some beef jerky or pepperettes as a protein source. No need to say that we are feeling incredibly lucky to be treated as we are by Ryan ! (sorry for the lack of good pictures of the food, we were too busy enjoying it to think of taking good pictures) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628096270371-8VWXWJEOGEGVZ8KW1LL9/IMG_6194.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 20 - A Day of Shellfish - Luck of the Catch After a few hours of fishing, we learned that we were either a bit early or a bit late for the optimal time to set up our trap. It was only towards the end when we started catching shellfish. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep what we caught because they were either too small, female or simply a starfish! https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-22-gone-fishin monthly 0.5 2021-08-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628107034663-TTMI6956KBE64FL4I7T2/IMG_6370.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - The stunning Elk Falls On the way towards the river we stopped at Elk Falls to go explore the area. after a small hike from the parking towards the river, the forest opens up to reveal a huge canyon with a tall waterfall at the end. A suspension bridge leads to a Viewing platform across the river, but the view from the bridge itself is much better than from across the river ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628112349688-CKLAE3QQ1Z1GYY701Y0B/IMG_6420.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - beautiful morning drive up north Waking up at 4am this morning was barely possible as we snoozed our alarms a few times to end up waking up at 4:45. Needless to say that we left a bit later than our planned 5am departure. It was definitely worth it however, after a small breakfast we started our drive up north through the mountains towards Elk River, where we would go fishing. The mountains on the island are different than the coastal mountains and the Rockies but they are still a stunning sight to see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628107670520-QVOWFLMN8LO44GGWQ16C/IMG_6388.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - our training grounds After the falls we continued our drive along Elk River until the Lady Falls parking lot. We had to bushwhack our way out of the parking lot and under a bridge to get access to it but once there, the river was really beautiful with huge mountains surrounding it. According to Ryan, the water level was incredibly low, usually it would be more than 3 feet higher. This turned out to be a good thing for us, as it meant that we could wade through it with only our crocs and shorts, no need for waders, as we would have if the water was higher. This meant that we had to get our feet wet, and being one of the only 2 cold-fed rivers of the island of Vancouver, the water was incredibly cold! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628114471849-8CIRJTZXNEC180HS0INI/IMG_6414.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - Chasing waterfalls once again Being parked at the Lady Falls trail head, we couldn’t avoid going to see the falls. Surprisingly, Ryan had never hiked up to see the falls, even though this was his preferred fishing spot for many years! The falls were once again very different from the other waterfalls we’d seen on this trip. These falls were going through huge gaps in the granite that had fallen, probably shaken off by earthquakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628546717734-QKMAU8C55RMNO2YQ7XOW/5j3988.gif Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - Hard catch After being generally unlucky at the first two pools, our luck switched towards the end when we both caught a nicely sized fish each ! Unfortunately we couldn’t get the net in time and they both swam away. Baiting the fish and getting a bite are pretty challenging on their own, but actually reeling in the fish is where the real challenge comes in. The hook in the fly is a tiny one and it’s usually only held in their mouth by the upward pressure we put on the rod. Therefore, to actually catch a fish you must be very careful you don’t lower your rod, otherwise the fish can get away. And that is what happened to both of us. Nonetheless, the thrill of actually catching something was exhilarating! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628548351107-D7HJ9VN985BX80K1M9BO/5j3cp9.gif Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - Introduction to fly fishing Throughout the day Ryan taught us how to find fish pools and the general basics of fly fishing. When fly fishing you have to make the fish think that the fly is actually food floating down the river, being carried by the current. To do so you must keep the fly moving with the current as best as possible. That may seem pretty easy, but in actuality it’s pretty challenging and you have to constantly pay attention to your line and cast it back upstream. Its very different than reel fishing but a lot more fun and interactive having full control of the fly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628548578058-0GY7NF3XAESVGEDK4RKF/20210731_202947.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 22 - Gone Fishin’ - A great steak after a great day After a 3 hour drive back to Ryan’s, he fired up the grill and made us the best steak of our lives. A huge tomahawk steak so tender it melted in our mouths with flavor. It was our first time eating a tomahawk for both of us, but it’s certainly not the last! https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-21-off-to-victoria monthly 0.5 2021-08-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628207681563-ZCFGP249YCUEH936UNM6/IMG_6336.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - downtown parliament After meandering through the streets behind the Victoria Parliament, walking amongst the California-styled houses, we eventually arrived at British Columbia’s parliament building. Resembling a much smaller version of Canada’s parliament in Ottawa it was cool to see the old governmental buildings right next to the piers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628205217050-JAICIM0HXJ504IW9DZSP/IMG_6210.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - BC’s capital Arriving in Victoria we found a parking spot near the water where we set out to walk on the beach. Its pretty neat to see the differences along the coast compared to the east or even mainland BC. We could see the American mountains in the distance as well making the walk very picturesque. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628528156824-XVS0Q9BLFCQN9AN9M2NQ/229760173_1617803858412586_9118309766629359346_n+%281%29.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - The Grill Master at it Again! Knowing we’d be coming back to Ryan’s pretty late, we let him know that we’d be OK to make our own food tonight as he usually wakes up very early to go to work. He insisted that he’d wait for us to eat dinner, and so we made our way back to the home base. When we arrived, Ryan the Grill Master had prepared us some great ribs with potatoes, mac and cheese and salad for dinner. What a good meal once again ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628208979083-OCIZL7XUGBOCQ81IDR4W/20210730_174921.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - the best gym so far! To keep with our plan to climb everywhere we go, we made our way to the local climbing gym, Crag-X. As soon as we got there we knew we were in for a good time, huge 15 meter walls surrounded the entire gym filled with routes of all types from lead to top rope to auto belays. The gym has two different bouldering areas, as well as two different heights of top-rope walls. As always, we passed the belay test without any issue, then had the time of our lives climbing here. The routes where really fun and the big wall was thrilling being so much taller than anything we’d climbed so far. It’s definitely the best gym we’ve been to so far! Unfortunately, being the long weekend in BC, the gym closed early at 6pm instead of the usual 9pm of a Friday night. Tim still managed to squeeze out 3 different routes in the last 10 minutes of opening, on the tune of Semisonic’s “Closing Time”, a classic of Climbing Gyms to throw people out https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628205307298-KYU3OEAXGDBBTEM3AUB2/IMG_6325.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - Mile zero! Being on a road trip where we spent a few thousand kilometers on the TransCanada highway, we had to go to the starting point of the road at the mile zero monument. Hopefully we’ll be able to go to the other mile zero monument on the other side of the country one day! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628528461562-EKW7YX70LTABINFHONC5/DJI_0288.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - The way back north On our way back north we stopped by a rest area with an awesome view. Tim decided to fly his drone to get as good a view as possible, and was it ever a great view! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628205055238-83ZUD0V4B50GB8CAWTYB/IMG_6206.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 21 - Off to Victoria - Southbound Having no set plans for today we enjoyed our breakfast then decided to head down south to explore Victoria and go rock climbing over there. The drive down was very nice, we stopped at Cowichan bay for lunch. The views there were refreshing, they reminded Marty of back home, with the exception of the mountains in the background. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-23-surfing-in-tofino- monthly 0.5 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628552462627-F2WUOMATA38I0UY87UK8/20210801_113820.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - Surf lessons! After what seemed like forever it was time for our surf lessons! we where super excited going in and our coaches where so rad. They gave us some wet suits before we made our way to the beach where they started the security briefing. We drew some surfboards in the sand to learn and practice how to approach a wave, how to get on the board and the proper stance! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628551177621-JYPUGD2VCUQJB99VB7LU/IMG_6675.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - Surfing is all about falling Although Marty got the hang of it pretty quickly, Tim had a bit of a harder time staying on the board. He managed to get a few waves on his knees and even a few waves crouching on the board near the end! As for Marty, he managed to stand on the board in the first half-hour, he was one of the best students of the lesson. That’s not to say that he did not fall however. He still fell 5 out of 6 of the waves he managed to catch, and so did the more experienced surfers on the beach ! Surfing is way more about falling and getting back up than about riding the wave ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628631707968-58KTIB4P2FYVBAMYUB1T/IMG_6703.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - The Old Giants On our way back to Tofino, we had to stop by Cathedral Grove, a stop we couldn’t make on the way out for a lack of time. This grove is home to some of the biggest trees in British-Columbia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628551277835-ONLTZEXEHM9YV90INJHO/IMG_6437.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - Misty Mountain Roads We woke up at 4 this morning, having surf lessons at 9 and a 3 hour drive to tofino. After a quick breakfast we where on the road through the central mountains of the island. The drive itself was really something; a thick fog was covering the road between the mountains giving a very eerie vibe to our morning. The lakes and mountains disappearing into the fog created such a cool atmosphere that we had to stop at a few places to take it all in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628631292635-S53NU91793QYN84I6PFI/IMG_6485.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - Surfer town Tofino Finally arriving near Tofino we could see glimpses of the ocean through the trees, this truly excited us for the day to come! In Tofino, almost all the cars had surfboards on their roofs and in general the town had a real “West Coast Surf” vibe to it. It was really cool to see and explore before our lessons! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628631519139-P5FAQWS4IYU4SFVN1AGR/IMG_6673.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 23 - Surfing in Tofino ! - Surfs up! Without further ado it was time to throw ourselves into the cold waters of the pacific ocean. The first few time we had trouble getting used to getting on the board and riding the large waves but after a few tries Marty got the hang of it and before long Tim was surfing along as well! through all our time in the water it didn’t mater if we got thrown around or we managed to surf we had a smile across our faces. Surfing was really thrilling and fun, Marty now wants to buy surfboard! https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-24-rest-day monthly 0.5 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628633395523-3GXSHF7X03GW1IDEFP7P/IMG_20200413_133716.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 24 - Rest day - Saying goodbye from far away Today marks a very sad day for Tim. A week ago his mother told him that Mitsou, the dog he grew up with, was suffering very badly and that her time was coming soon. It turns out that her time came today. She was 9 years old, which is the expected lifespan of a pure-bred boxer. I will miss her very much. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1628632285335-RPXJURIAJKYV43VN08UJ/20210728_075505.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 24 - Rest day - Taking it easy After 23 active days in a row, we needed a bit of a break. Today being our last day before heading back to the mainland and not having a roof over our head, we spent the day resting on the couch, watching TV with Buddy, Ryan’s dog. https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-25-up-and-down-highs-and-lows monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629211715190-EDLYRIXXXV2RR4K64XZS/IMG_6812.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Howe Sound Brewery After a great afternoon learning to climb outside and lead climbing, we jumped into the lake at Murrin park and decided to grab some food and a beer at Howe Sound Brewery with our new friend John, to whom we were so grateful. We shared our stories about climbing and John told us about the different mountains and rock faces in the area. All in all we had a great time and stepped out of the brewery as the setting sun was shining a golden light on Goat Ridge, behind the Stawamus Chief, Squamish’s famous multi pitch rock face, a wall we definitely want to climb the next time we’re here ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629211878366-UKLCGD39LSJIE4NNQ53M/John.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Our awesome teacher We’ve met a lot of great people on our trip and John was definitely one of them, we feel very lucky to have met him. John is a paramedic and a rope access supervisor, as well as an avid Trad Climber and it turns out that he’s also a Quebecer! Trad climbing is where you set your own protections. Where in sport climbing you clip your quickdraws and rope in eyelets already bolted to the walls, in trad climbing there are no bolts already set in the stone; you have to set your own protections, be it cams, nuts or ropes in cracks, trees or other features of the wall. With all of his experience, useless to say that we felt safe being taught lead climbing by him! John taught us everything we had to know about climbing outdoors and lead climbing, from setting our anchors to belaying lead, the correct ways of clipping in and different mistakes to avoid when doing so. Overall, John is a great teacher, and incredibly generous to show us all of this for free. We definitely had to buy him a beer after this ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629142098561-J2MAQB0YFRVH5R0ZVHHK/IMG_6760.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Back to the Mainland We woke up early today to make sure we didn’t miss the ferry back to the mainland. We arrived a good 45 minutes to an hour early which gave us the chance to go explore the pier and enjoy the morning views. Before long we were called back to our car to get on the boat, making our way across the strait of Georgia. With the morning fog slowly making its way down the approaching mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629142253163-UVVCORVS3IOBL8R0H6UB/IMG_5726.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Back to Squamish A few days ago we passed through Squamish and knew we had to come back here to climb outdoors. Tim knew before even leaving for Calgary that we would want to come here to climb, but bringing our climbing gear would have cost us at least another 120$ for the bag in the plane. So we had to look for climbing partners here. Fortunately, we managed to find a few Facebook groups for climbers and Squamish and made posted that we were looking for climbing partners for today. With our great luck going strong so far, John answered our call and we were going to climb with him today ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629142510865-P8G86CO1A2HLY0RRL9WX/IMG_4345.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Learning to Lead There are different types of rock climbing, as some of you have been introduced during this year’s Tokyo Olympics, that is, Bouldering, Top-Rope, Lead/Sport and Trad. Both of us started off our climbing adventure a few years ago with bouldering, that is, climbing problems on a pretty low wall with no harness or rope, only a mattress to catch us when we fall. Top-Rope climbing is your normal run of the mill rock climbing, where both climber and belayer are wearing a harness and the rope is set a the top of the wall where the climber is heading towards. Tim started to climb top-rope in April this year, whereas Marty only started climbing and belaying top-rope during this trip. Now, Lead is another level above that. in Lead or Sport climbing, the climber sets the rope as he climbs and the belayer must constantly adjust the amount of rope in the system. As the climber ascends the wall, he attaches Quickdraws, also known as dog-bones, on metal eyelets on the rock face and then secures his rope into the Quickdraws. If you’re following this logic, you’ll have figured out that most of the time, the climber is above the last safety he set, and therefore, if he falls, he’ll fall for a good while. All that to say that to say that lead climbing is an incredibly thrilling experience compared to top-rope climbing, and having the opportunity to learn it here in Squamish, one of the best places in the country for rock-climbing, was an incredibly fulfilling experience ! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629208178955-87ETLSWEZ452PPS0ONO7/20210809_173444.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 25 - Up and down, highs and lows - Coming back down After such a great day, we had to find ourselves a camping spot for the night. Having camped in Squamish a week ago, we thought that we’d stay at the same place we’d stayed last time, since it was such a nice and peaceful camp site. Things turned out differently once we arrived there however. The moment we arrived at the Raffuse Creek Recreational Area, we figured things would be a bit different. The parking was pretty much full this time around, whereas there was only one or two cars a week ago, we still did not know how bad things would go. There was still a free parking spot, so we figured there would still be at least one free campsite, having made our way up 8km of forestry service road, we didn’t really want to turn around without having a look for a campsite first, and it being already around 10:30 in the evening we hoped we wouldn’t have to find another place to sleep. Events unfolded swiftly after that. We got out of the car to prepare our bags, opened the trunk to get our things. As soon as Marty donned his headlamp, three guys stormed out of the woods brandishing baseball bats and screaming nonsense at us. They went to Marty at first and were blinded by his headlamp, then went on to Tim spouting nonsense about Squamish people and bears and proceeded to cross check him with a baseball bat. They then continued their way screaming and swinging their bats at nearby cars, breaking taillights. At that point we immediately jumped back into the car and got away. Halfway down the mountain road we decided to call the police, as we figured things were still dangerous for the people at the recreational area. After a short talk with the dispatcher, we were put through to a RCMP agent to whom we explained the situation and wanted to meet us at the RCMP station. We met up with RCMP agents to explain the situation more in detail, but unfortunately, they couldn’t do much about it. the campsite we’d been to was about 30 minutes away up a pretty rough road and the agents figured it was too risky for them to get up there. We then asked the agents if they knew any place where we could set up our tents for the night, as it was nearly midnight at this point. They suggested we sleep at the nearby Walmart parking lot, and so we did. That was definitely the worse night of the entire trip! https://timotheehebert.com/blog/out-west-with-marty/day-26-from-worst-to-best monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373997924-7SESKXPGH74RITMHA3JB/20210804_212401.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best - Stargazing at Bowen Lookout After our quick stop at Murrin Lake, we headed off towards Cypress Provincial Park near West Vancouver to make our way up the Howe Sound Crest Trail and find a camping spot for the night. About 2km into the trail, we came across Bowen Lookout, offering a gorgeous view of the sound and, notably, of Bowen Island, where ferries constantly came into port and went back towards Horseshoe Bay, where we were yesterday morning. The view there was amazing and the floor was flat so we figured we’d set up camp here for the night. While we were waiting for the sun to set, we talked to people coming by and met a group from Sherbrooke, where Tim is from. We were then treated to a stunning sunset over the mountains across the sound. With no rain clouds over the horizon, we decided to sleep under the stars, without our rain-flys on our tents. We were then amazed by the light show in the sky, with a faint glimpse of the milky way, obscured by the lights of Vancouver, and quite a few falling stars across the sky. What a wonderful way to end a day that started so badly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629338179728-UMAZ81AGTE68IWUWRZWS/IMG_6815.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best - The Worst Night Ever After yesterday’s events, we decided to set up “camp” in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Turns out this place isn’t made for tents… The combination of the evening’s events, the hard pavement to set our tents, the other sketchy people roaming around the lot and the lights constantly on during the night made for the worst night of our trip. We barely slept all night, but at least the view wasn’t half bad once we got out of our tents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373543060-UA7H6PUY2P9TE1G488X6/IMG_6815.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373534178-EYX7NE0K3WYZ78T29P7U/IMG_6854.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373539192-FV9IEK845SOI9356BHPB/IMG_6855.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373545399-CDHZC086WMIN5SYPPTNL/IMG_6866.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373568727-YJY46EFGG7EE0ANVDB7Z/IMG_6858.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373576535-9FNRMUY4AYPF7M2LVKAG/IMG_6877.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373569376-DAS3PJHZC676L85H0TSB/IMG_6918.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373573795-UDEJ76OISLS2NYL2E9BO/IMG_6903.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373588260-8QVNWNQVPQS2IXOVT4I3/IMG_6910.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373941813-DNS2W9SY6GHCYMDC12XO/20210804_203855.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629373941879-HWCAEWOAN8DUP5WLINR6/20210804_212401.jpg Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/1629371671886-A5U9LCQ3TIRO4C1TE2MX/5k22v3.gif Out west with Marty - Day 26 - From Worst to Best - A quick stop by Murrin Lake After spending most of the day at McDonald’s working on the blog, watching the Olympics, and drinking way too much (well needed) coffee, we eventually headed off towards Vancouver. On our way, we stopped by Murrin Lake Provincial Park, where we had fun traversing a boulder we’d seen yesterday. https://timotheehebert.com/about daily 0.75 2021-07-11 https://timotheehebert.com/contacter daily 0.75 2021-07-11 https://timotheehebert.com/home daily 1.0 2022-10-17 https://timotheehebert.com/a-propos daily 0.75 2023-10-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/d4849546-3852-41d4-8525-cfcf38c331e9/IMG_0664.jpg https://timotheehebert.com/cadeau-papa daily 0.75 2023-12-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/08a9a8bf-fae2-467a-8736-22e7517ec89d/4672.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/9af30dc0-bc66-4dd0-af76-1039a644fdcc/Cadeau.png https://timotheehebert.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2021-06-13 https://timotheehebert.com/portfolio/67f45e26-9b6f-4358-92d8-01f3c4091410-a2tbn-xmakb monthly 0.5 2021-07-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/188074ae-450e-4a52-9ea8-e9f068662ef8/_MG_0324-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/968ebdf2-071f-4035-8497-f7c09d345dcd/_MG_0467-Edit-2.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/0888c285-5042-497e-9a4b-e44ab1713844/_MG_1190-Edit-Enhanced.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/6e1c7253-bb7c-4fc8-b566-544b399c3e58/_MG_0303-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/0b89c737-c946-4a61-b19f-84a0ef28b9aa/_MG_5409-Edit-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/ef50766f-cc3e-44fa-8638-a33554e306a0/_MG_5936-HDR-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/7ecaf1b8-2e9a-43aa-b444-737c72b1d096/_MG_7166-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/6c3df1d0-b2da-4c30-b728-b7ed41366795/_MG_8755-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/890eb02a-09f2-4db2-92a7-9c7d1abdf24f/_MG_9250-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/9de9dd94-8c3f-4387-a04a-ccc008e22f4d/_MG_9864-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/bfe1506a-38eb-42af-ab2f-4705ce051f94/Canon+EOS+80D9293-HDR-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/5479f31c-dbf9-4770-a24a-5aa1ce6e4cac/Canon+EOS+REBEL+T59286-Edit.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/6a6789c6-7cf6-4019-a785-ea7bf4787153/Canon+EOS+REBEL+T59292-Edit-2.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c6104949365c6430ff094c/32cc49dd-5d9e-46f6-9c66-403a3d633efa/_MG_1007.jpg Portfolio - Portfolio