Bear Attack and the rest of the week

Yes, there was a bear attack, and it was on my camera case. Here are photos of the bear checking out my camera case while I was photographing from a different vantage point. I learned a valuable lesson... latch the case when you leave it alone... luckily, nothing was damaged. Pelican case rules!

Top two photos, the brute is 'bear handling' my case while I yell at him. Third photo he's looking at me as if "what?!?". The last photo are the teeth marks. Gives my pelican some history.

The rest of my week. Busy as usual. I've guided two Peak Adventures, making three summits this week. I've also been photographing wildflowers and wildlife when the weather co-operates. I think I'll order my new lens this week.... the Canon 100-400mm f4-5.6 IS USM... expensive but worth it. I find my Tamron (75-300mm) doesn't give the clarity I need and the auto focus is slow, noisy and often inaccurate.

Mountaineering Course and Mount Athabasca

It is hot here... 30'C hot!

The last three days have been with Neil Pilgrim, Simon, and Peter Amann. Yet another course with this formidable mountain guide. Peter taught us a lot about Crevasse rescue, glacier route finding, snow and general mountaineering. We had a great time and enjoyed staying at the Icefields campground in the camper truck. I took the course to ensure what I knew was correct.. what I found was that much of my technical knowledge was not correct! I'm glad I took the course. We plan to hire Peter again at the end of the season to teach us more advanced skills.

Today we awoke at 1:30 am to attempt Mount Athabasca. We made it. The conditions were a little warm, but we made it off the mountain before the sun hit and baked the snow into an avalanche nightmare. We were a fast team... reached the summit in 4:45 at 7:15 am... our maximum elevation was 3490m! The way down was a little slower than we had hoped ad much time was spent post holing through the snow... waist deep in spots. The elevation wasn't all that bad and now we are looking forward to our next peak. We mad it off the mountain at 10:11 am.

Busy... sounds like the same excuse all the time.

But I am busy!

Not to mention that there is so much to do and never enough time.

Today I spotted two Mountain Goats while taking people to the Miette Hot Springs. As you may know, they are my favourite animal. After finishing an interview with National Geographic Adventure Magazine (yeah, that's right... read the up coming September article on Jasper and the trips I'm offering), I jumped in the car with Yoho and went to see if they were still there... and they were. I hiked up the steep terrain and came in above them. They didn't stay for long, but long enough for two shots that I am happy about, as they were moving past and above me. Hope you enjoy!

Busy, Busy

Work has been hectic to say the least. I've been working 14 hours a day for the last eight days and will work until at least next Thursday. Today was my first 'slow' day, only 5 hours. I passed on an evening of climbing because I was too tired.

Check out the three varieties of Calypso bulbosa! The pink is the common variety, the variegated is very rare, but the white is extremely rare. The white took a bit of searching, on a deserted trail called the Buffalo Prairie (never been there before). This was a beautiful spot.

What variety do you like best?

Week (or so) in review

Spring is still so damn slow here in Jasper, this year. The wildflowers have stalled and the peaks are still very snow covered. Work is well under way (today I worked 12.5 hours) and it seems to be a signal of what's to come. Last week Tracey and I we're out and around, mostly mnt. biking, checking out the Valemont hot springs (not open again this year) and, well... mnt. biking. I did make it out climbing with Neil yesterday... rock is pretty cold in the Rock Gardens.
Wildflowers seem to be hesitating, so there are not many new pictures to post... got some new Big Horn Photos... strangely though... the prospect of a Big Horn photo doesn't excite me too much right now (they're everywhere).
The weather forecast isn't looking that much better for the next few days but we'll make the best of it for sure. Looks like the course with Peter Amann is still a 'go'... one month to go.
Oh... I did get my first booking for a backpacking trip... Skyline Trail... three days...July... the 'treat' that makes my long hours worth while.

Hurahh Tracey's Birthday

Let everyone know that today is the greatest day on earth... why? It is Tracey's Birthday, and if today didn't happen she would not be my wife or best friend.

Back From Calgary

Oops... I did it again!
The Head Pins

We went to Calgary. This is what we did:

Turned the Jeep on it's side

Fixed the Jeep

Went Shopping

Partied (Well our idea of partying)

Bowled

Walked

Ate way too much

Drove back to Jasper

Wildflower Bloom Begins!

(All iso 100) 1/200, f5.0

1/160 f5.0

1/250 f7.1

Better late than never. I've been chomping at the bit to get out there and try out my prime 90mm macro lens on some wildflower. Yesterday I found my first batch of Pulsatilla patens (Pasqueflower) this season. The patch is probably about three days old, but still a week behind schedule.

I'm very pleased with my new lens! I find it to be very crisp and the depth of field is incredible. No Photoshop used except to crop the bottom photo. I thought there was really nice lighting yesterday. Enough of my rambling, what do you think?

Back from the Canoe Course

My friends (and staff) with me in Kananaskis on our river instructor canoe course.
I completed my Level 1 River Canoe Instructor's course. It was a lot of hard work, more than I expected and was definitely a learning experience. I didn't know if I was going to be successful, especially after Neil and I dumped our canoe three times. It is amazing how much more you learn from dumping a canoe! The course was in Canmore, and I'm heading off to that area again early Thursday morning.

The ACC Majestic Mountain Trip was cancelled, I plan to go climbing tomorrow if the weather stays some-what dry. I'm still waiting for the first wildflowers to appear... so far a fairly late spring... hopefully that means a long hot summer (not holding my breath).

Haha, I'm a fool!

From the pictures above, I'm sure you can figure out what happened.

How deep? Just below the hips.

Worst part? Not a pond but... a slough.

Summer had come...and gone?

Top Photo: Notice my rope to the right, the wind carried it there while rappelling--ultra annoying. Middle Photo: My Cheerleader, Tracey, on the last warm day. Bottom Photo: The NFL Houston Texans Cheerleader on one of my guided trips into the canyon (two on the far right).

I've been busy with work (as usual). Sometimes I feel working in the outdoor industry leaves me very little time for the outdoors. I guess I should remember that I do get out everyday, and it is all at my door step.

We went climbing last weekend of what turned out to be a very windy day. The wind made rope management just plain annoying. I knew the wind was bad news but I had no idea it was going to bring sub -10 degree weather. My bike is fixed, I've caught the climbing bug, and all I can do is ski, so that is what I plan to do today. I hope this weather passes soon. I have a big month ahead so I can't promise many updates. I close our winter location in less than 10 days and am very glad for it. I won't say what I all have planned as that usually brings bad luck and those plans don't happen. Let me rephrase: I have nothing to do this month.

Camera is Back

Very quick service from Canon... I highly recommend buying Canon for the service alone!

Above are a couple of quick shots from my new prime lens, Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens. A beautiful lens with awesome background blur. My photo of the Cladonia Lichen is a little out of focus as I haven't mastered the depth of field of this lens yet, and the lighting was very dark. But, this lichen is actually 6mm tall... a phenomenal lens... this will be my favourite for a long time. I can't wait for the flower bloom now. I was going to publish a book this spring of my wildflower photos, but now I think I'll wait to see what this year's photos are going to look like.

Television Crew

Today I took out the Resort Sports Network www.rsn.com, and had a great day. This was the most fun I've had on a television 'FAM' trip. Lots of jokes and a real comfortable atmosphere around these people. They were really appreciative of where I brought them and what I showed them. I took them to places that were out of the ordinary so that they would have some unique shots of popular areas. I also brought them to the 'edge of the world', a place that is reserved to special guests!
Tours like this make me think about the idea of becoming a full mountain guide that only guides television crews. They're always looking for great, unique footage. The host's name is Jessica York, of course being the television retard that I am, I didn't know who she was. I found her and the rest of the crew to be very personable. Jessica and I shared a love for mountain biking, she's a mountain girl at heart! Sam, the camera guy and I talked camera stuff a lot. I was very impressed how well he jury-rigged his badly damaged camera, damaged by the airline company. Both Towle and Michelle were lots of fun, they were always willing to look around every corner that I pointed out. I really hope to do another segment with them in the summer!

Camera Gone

Not for good!
My camera is off for an image screen cleaning by Canon in Calgary. I'm blown away by the fact that they do this for free AND ship it back on their dime! Now that is customer service... I'll never buy a different brand of camera. Oh, this is just to let you all know that I won't be posting pictures for the next week or so until I get it back. Why is may image sensor dirty already? I have my doubts that my camera was completely new when I got it

The Dog Ruins another Day!

Well, not really.

My buddy Neil and I set off to climb Bedson Ridge yesterday and were deterred by the long walk we had ahead of us to launch the canoe to get to the other side of the Athabasca River. Actually it was the walk back to the car that seemed more daunting as we would not be able to paddle up river very effectively (we did later on, but that was a whole different matter.. the rapids are what halted us then).

Realizing that the canoe/peak bag was out of the question we went up the first mountain before the plains called Roche Pedrix (Partridge). Actually, we climbed a sub-peak of it that I've wanted to reach for sometime now. We had a good scramble up... Yoho was in fine form until we hit the 15 meter wall that we could not get up or around with Yoho. That meant we had to turn around and abandon the summit only 50 meters above. This will be the last time that Yoho ruins another summit attempt... and how you may ask?

I found a rescue dog harness made for lowering dogs out of helicopters and I bought it. Now all I need to do is bring a short rope (25 meters) and I'll pull him up and lower him down. I'm very excited for this prospect, and I'm sure he is too. (he has no choice really).

Today's Photos ... Serious Canyon Shots!

All taken from inside the Maligne Canyon. Proof that my camera rocks! Not sure what you're looking at? Ask! wayne@jasperadventurecentre.com

More photos from this week

These photos are taken from Cinquefoil Mountain. By far the windiest trip ever. I was blown to the ground twice! Anyhow, too windy and cold for a lot of photos, so here are two. By the way, photos are taken from nearly 1300 m above the valley floor. This would make for a pretty good guided trip!

Top Photo: Looking across the Athabasca Valley to De Smet Range. Bottom Photo: Summit Cairn for Cinquefoil Mountain... could continue to Mount Jacques... oh wait... forgot my rope.

Photos from this week

A sheep in serious thought

The NEW CAMERA ROCKS!

Top Photo: Me on Parker's Ridge. Bottom: Back side of Parker's Ridge looking to Cirrus Mountain.

The only problem with it is that I'm obsessed with lenses. I promised Tracey that if I could buy one more lens I would stop looking at lenses for at least six months. So I researched, and I located the lens that I wanted: canon EF 100mm f/2.8 usm macro. Wow, what a lens... supposedly the most 'fun' of all the canon lenses. It is rated as one of canon's best amateur lenses! The problem is that I found it for 299 USD but that company won't send to Canada... I think they maybe a little crooked is why! So everywhere else, I couldn't find this lens for less than 467 USD. That's a bit expensive when you add shipping, duty, and a hood... plus the lens is 62mm in diameter which won't fit any of my filters. So I looked into this more and found reviews of the Tamron LD Di 90mm f/2.8 Marco lens. The reviews were shocking.., 'best lens that Tamron makes', they also stated that in terms of sharpness they were the same (and maybe the tamron a little sharper!). The downfall though is no USM and therefore the AF is a little slower. The Tamron comes with a hood, and has a 58mm diameter, which matches all my filters! Now the real goods is the fact it retailed for 354.oo USD.. all in all it will cost462.80 CAD before duty. I'm super excited... as you will see macro is my favourite mode of photography... this lens is also exceptional for portraits. Anyhow, I'm super stoked for my new lens to arrive.

And what am I looking for in the future? Either a canon 14mm prime lens, or a 17-105 canon zoom.... either way, I need a wider angle lens (short of fish eye) and a lens that will do all... a carry everywhere lens... time will provide!

More Parker's Ridge Photos and Video

Top Photo: Snow pack was 221 cm deep at our pit: teaching Vince and Virginia how to do a compression test at treeline. Next Photo: Virginia and I, pit dug and compression test ready to start. Next Photo: The noticeable week layer (30 - 40 cm from the surface) was a plainer and sheared off at hard force (23) -- quite strong. Interesting Note: 2 days later this became the reactive layer in just two days, yielding a class 2 avalanche on Parker's Ridge. Bottom Photo: Snowy Yoho.

Click here to see the ski video.



Thanks to Vince and Virginia for providing me with these photos. I especially like the photos from the test pit. My ski was a little lame, but the video shows what it's like in the trees.

I really enjoy the snow science aspect of ski touring, the pit was pretty cool.

Delayed Picture from Parkers Ridge

Not the nicest picture, that's because bad weather was rolling in -- that meant one thing -- SNOW.

We've had a ton of snow fall and very warm day time highs here.
Tracey and I have been doing domestic stuff around the house.
I've been planning a backpacking trip for September and got a press release out in time for a trade show in the UK. I hope it sells because it will be a good trip.

I'll blog later when I have some new photos to post. I got my camera... more than seven days... but at least it was all there. Time to get out there and take some pictures.

Long time no blog...

Our Full Moon trip to the Edith Cavell Hostel... Edith Cavell in full moon splendor. Can you spot Tracey?

Sorry, I've been bad for Blogging lately. This weekend is already upon me and plans are being made. Tomorrow I take Vince and Ginny to Parker's Ridge for a little ski touring. Virginia is not too keen on it (fear of avalanches) but the conditions look safe and the weather looks good. We'll probably do a couple passes up and down, but spend the afternoon doing transceiver location practice... you can never do too much of that.

Last weekend Tracey and I went with Dieter to look at a cabin we were interested in buying... glad we saw it, to see what a hunk of crap it was. I wouldn't pay a cent over 60,ooo for that thing. It had no square door frames, basement that flooded, awful siding, and a hole probably full of dead bodies. Now the neighbours house was falling down and had a huge heap of garbage... also there was no running water so we couldn't check quality or pressure. I have pictures but it's not worth the time to upload them for you to see.

I have a feeling that the person who sold the camera to me has no intention of sending it to me. After paying he has disappeared from ebay... no more items for sale, two new scathing reviews from buyers and he's not responding to my emails. Let me give you some advise, buy nothing from Hilltopman52, real name Javid. first he slaps me with a $75 USD shipping fee, then nothing. I'll retract this statement "He's a crook" if I get my camera in the next seven days (not business days either).

EBAY = lots of money spent

I've gone ebay crazy. I've never bought anything on the site before, but I am an ebay virgin no more. It seems that a lot of money is slipping through my fingers at present, with the potential for an aweful lot more leaving our coffers in the near future (I'm not telling why unless it becomes true).
Back to ebay... As some of you may know, I've been getting into photography lately and whining and moaning that my present Olypmus SP 500uz is no longer cutting it. I had decided pre Christmas that I wanted to buy a new camera... a DSLR camera. Tracey (although sweet about it all) was dead against it, for a good reason though. I bought my Olympus just 16 months ago and wasn't even supposed to buy it when I did. As a compromise I said that I would save all of the gratuities I recieve and use them towards my new camera WHEN I horde enough cash.
Needless to say I got EBAY FEVER! I was sitting on nearly 600.00 cash and over bid (by about 100.00) and then saw two lens I absolutely had to have (plus 200.00). Oh, and shipping (100.00 ?!). I'm now looking at 400.00 over... oh oh... and Tracey still hasn't seen what I've spent. She won't say much, but that's it, I feel bad spending all of this money when she doesn't even want it... lets not dwell on that point though.
Just so you know, my Olympus is up for sale... $300, which includes batteries, adaptor ring, filters, and case. The camera is like new... no scratches anywhere.

Why did i buy this new camera, and more importantly what did I buy?

I find that digital point and shoot cameras are way too slow and I have missed too many shots waiting for the camera to start up and to focus the shot. Furthermore I love the versitility of being able to change lens and the ability to have complete control over my photographs.
I was contemplating buying either the Nikon D80, or Canon xti... both 10 mp cameras... but then something was brought to my attention. Besides the additional cost of the camera + 400-600 $, there are hidden costs too. I would need a new hard drive in my computer or (eventually) a faster computer to fool around with these huge images. Also do I need to take photos that are 20 inches by 16 inches? No... I don't have a printer that prints that large. So I settled for the older model. Admittedly I feel a little strange settling for the older model but as I pro told me... Living in Jasper you'll see things that no ever sees, therefore do not spend a huge amount of cash on professional equipment. Also look at all the magazines out there... many of the beautiful photos you see are y\taken with 8 or even 6 mp cameras. I figured by spending less on the camera I could justify more on lens equipment.

Photos from bottom to top: Ed approaching the base of Evelyn Peak on Skis, The route from beyond skis, Strange ski over six pass route, Jeff bustn' down the cornice, Jeff, Wayne and Ed on the summit, Jeff and Ed taking off the skins for the ride down.

Evelyn Peak

Evelyn Peak Rocked!
I joined Jeff Andrews and Ed Leport on an ACC trip today. We ascended Evelyn Peak, located located behind the Bald Hills on Maligne Lake. We left the parking lot at 9:00 am and reached the base (2442 m) of Evelyn Peak on skis at 12:15 and ate lunch. From there we ditched our skis and boot kicked our way up the slope. The snow was quite firm and allowed for a healthy pace. Jeff lead the way and cut down a cornice so that we could access the summit. Only a brief stop at the summit and we worked our way back down. The snow was really wind scoured and formed some pretty hard surfaces in the alpine. At tree line the snow was beautiful and fluffy. I'm not accustom to deep powder but enjoyed it despite the odd spill. We were finished by 4:30 pm and back in Jasper before 6:00 pm. Glad I took today off work!

Avalanche Course Complete

Hey all
I had a non-weekend. Friday was awful busy at work so I spent some time there. As for Saturday and Sunday, I took a course from Peter Amann (click his name to see his site). Peter staged a recreational avalanche safety course. Saturday we spent the time in the class room and an hour outside practicing locating beacons. Sunday we toured up to Bald Hills and surveyed avalanche terrain and performed compression tests and a Rutschblok test. The snow is incredible up there.... 170 cm deep! Anyone looking to take a mountaineering course, contact Peter... he is one of the most respected mountain guides in Canada, and known around the globe.
Wednesday I am going on the ACC trip up Evelyn Peak with A guy from Jasper named Jeff Andrews. He is currently training an avalanche dog and has WAY more experience winter mountaineering than I do. I'll post pictures.
Just so you know, the avalanche course peaked my interest and I can see myself in the future getting more involved in these avalanche courses and forecasting.

Coldest Backpacking Trip Yet!

Tonight I just heard a CBC radio broadcast about an Antarctic Expedition by Amundsen. He experienced minus 70 degrees Celsius... we experienced nothing close to that, but still our trip was cold.
What seemed to be a doomed trip from the very beginning turned out to be a success (for skiing at least). Jasper and much of south western Canada were hit with a massive winter storm followed by a REALLY cold front (at this point we have more snow than we've had since '89). There was a lot of doubt whether we should even go, but I was determined.
We set out later than we had planned on Wednesday, Tracey, Myself and our friends Pam and Evan (and of course Yoho). We made it down to Nakusp around 7 pm as we had to take the Kamloops route as the Icefield Parkway was close due to avalanches.

Thursday we awoke early and got to our usual trail head at 10 am. We found more snow on the logging road than we have ever seen in the five winters we have taken this trip. I am deliberately not mentioning the name of this Hot Spring... if you want to go to it, drop me a line and I'll take you there (this is a super special place for Tracey and I... she;s been going here since she was five, and together we've been there well over ten times).

The ski in was great! I had my new touring setup and found it to be far superior over cross country skis, especially with an 80L backpack on. We made good time and covered the 12 km in just under four hours. Thank goodness there had been a snowmobile through first so that we didn't have to break trail. When I attempted to break trail the snow penetration was calf to knee deep.

The springs were different (as usual) fewer pools by the river and a hell of a lot more snow than we've ever seen. Usually the ground is clear of snow in many places due to geothermal heat, but it was so cold that this was not the case. We set up camp... I started getting grumpy as my feet and hands were frozen. After setting up camp I was the first in the hot pools. I went straight to the pool at 39'C... perfect temperature for me. The others joined me within 30 mins... they dreaded the idea getting into a bathing suit with temps. so cold. We left most of our gear at the spring... mistake number 2!

We soaked well past midnight.. no one wanting to brave the cold to get out and head to the tents. The sky was exceptionally clear and the stars bright... one of the best evenings I've had at this particular hot spring. Upon getting out of the springs I learned a valuable lesson... alpine touring boots freeze at anything below minus 20'C... I could not get them on. I had to walk approx 200 m in plastic bags over my feet and sleep that night with my boots in my sleeping bag. Surprisingly we all slept very warm and well!

The next morning... actually we never got up until until 1 pm. Tracey and I awoke to a tent of frost... every time you move you get covered in frost, that turns to water when it hits you. We decided the night before to head out on Friday and spend the night in Revelstoke so that Saturday would not be so long a day of driving for me (thank you!). A good thing. As you know I am very proud of being a professional backpacking/expedition guide... but I was humbled when I realized that I had forgotten the stove.... of all times... when the night time reached well below minus 20'C! Luckily we had lots that did not need cooking.

We skied out in 2.5 hours and had a hard time fixing the skis to the roof of the Jeep as it was too cold to use exposed fingers for too long. We reached Revelstoke around 7:30 pm and stayed at the Revelstoke Lodge... best place ever! $60 for a nice room, king size bed, down duvet, cable tv, microwave, and coffee maker... awesome. (Tracey and I stay there every time we have an evening in Revelstoke... we love it!) Anyhow, I cooked up Chili for Evan and Pam and we all drank the booze that we were too cold to drink while camping. Actually I drank very little as I really disliked the type of Scotch I purchased for the trip... a very poor 12 year old Islay as far as I am concerned! Saturady morning we left Revelstoke at 10 am and reached Jasper by 4:00 pm. Great trip, but would rather camp in warmer temperatures next time.... and there will be a next time. Check out links 1 2 and 3 for videos of the hotspring. 1 is a video of Evan's frozen bathing suit... yes that cold!

Holiday Visitors

Top Photo: New Years Eve with Me, Tracey, Arun and Bree. Bottom Photo: Christmas Night Feast, Angela and Paul.

We had visitors this holiday season. Paul and Angela arrived December 23 and stayed until Boxing Day, we checked out the Canyon, went x-country skiing, and I sent them with Tracey on a search for a canyon that they never found (a lot further away than I thought). New Years brought Arun and his friend Bree. I also brought them to the canyon and into Hidden Valley. Unfortunately for me, I had to work most of the time... some days were 14 hours of work, so my recovery has been this weekend. Tracey and I went up to Marmot yesterday, and despite the massive amounts of snow that has fallen here... found it to be quite skied out in places. Thank goodness for all this snow, or the hill would be a little scary. Tomorrow I plan to tour up the Signal Mountain fire road. Avalanche danger is high, so we never went to Parker's Ridge as we hastily planned... just as well... Tracey is 'under the weather' today and because of that we never made it out for Estelle's Birthday.... Happy Birthday Estelle!!

This week we head into BC for our annual pilgrimage to the Halfway Hot spring trip... this year we plan to make it there more than once.

Hope Everyone had Happy Holidays!