Category Archives: Canada

Canadian Rockies: Snowshoes and maple taffy

Posted on January 10, 2015 by BarryH

I have always loved walking in the snow despite having to put up with what I now know is Reynaud’s Phenomenon, painfully cold hands with ‘White Finger’ even in summer. I used to go walking in the Derbyshire Peak District … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature | Tagged Banff National Park, British Columbia, Canada, canadian rockies, Derbyshire Peak District, Discover Banff Tours, Kootenay National Park, maple syrup, Maple Taffy, Marble Canyon, Parks Canada, snow, snowshoes, Tokumm Creek, Tokumm Creek fire | Leave a comment

Canadian Rockies: A very different walk

Posted on January 7, 2015 by BarryH

Warning: this is long and may get very boring The RCMP officer was polite but firm. I was on the wrong side of the tracks and I couldn’t cross. The road was closed and so was the trail which at … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Mountains, Nature, Winter | Tagged 40 Mile Creek, Banff, Banff National Park, bears, Bow River, Canada, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific, canadian rockies, Christmas crazies, environmental monitoring, fly ash, long trains, Parks Canada, RCMP, skiing, train derailment | Leave a comment

Canadian Rockies: Climate change

Posted on December 30, 2014 by BarryH

I haven’t been coming to the Canadian Rockies long enough to know what the norm is in terms of weather. So this is a snapshot looking back 5 years. In the UK we have ‘weather’, pressure systems blown in in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged Banff, Bow Falls, Bow River, Breugel, Canada, canadian rockies, climate change, frozen river, ice, ice hockey, LS Lowry, Spray River, winter | 2 Comments

Canadian Rockies: Christmas on the piste

Posted on December 25, 2014 by BarryH

I’ve been in the Canadian Rockies now for a week, skiing and doing the odd bit of walking. There couldn’t be a much greater contrast with summer in the Greek islands. But, after heavy overnight snowfall on the mountain, early … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Landscape, Mountains | Tagged blue sky, Canada, canadian rockies, Christmas, Greek Islands, snow, White Christmas | 2 Comments

I was attacked by an airport: an unexpectedly wild walk

Posted on December 15, 2014 by BarryH

I did nothing to antagonise it. Malevolence on its part is the only explanation. That or ‘smart’ technology out of control. Which is even more frightening. I was on my home from Greece in the latter part of October. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Greece, Grumpy Old Men, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged Abergavenny, Athens airport, brecon beacons national park, clouds, escalators, injuries, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Pontypool Park, Shell Grotto, sunset, Wales | 1 Comment

Canadian Rockies: Winter trails around Banff.

Posted on March 3, 2014 by BarryH

Before I turn my attention to Greece, for those who may be interested in following them, below is a summary of some of the walks I did during my recent visit to Banff. They were tracked using the ‘Endomondo’ app … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Winter | Tagged banff canada, Bow Falls, Bow River, Cave and Basin, Edmondo, Snow and ice, Spray River, sulphur mountain, Sulphur Mountain Gondola, Sundance Canyon, Tunnel Mountain, Vermilion Lakes, winter trails | 2 Comments

From the Canadian Rockies to Greece: looking back, moving forward.

Posted on February 27, 2014 by BarryH

It’s tempting to keep looking back to good times but there comes a point when attention has to shift in order to move forward. I had a great time in the Rockies, skiing and walking some of the winter trails … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Canada, Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Winter | Tagged banff canada, canadian rockies, dodecanese islands, Greece, hiking, ice sculpture, skiing, Symi, trekking, winter trails | 2 Comments

Canadian Rockies: Flashback in Sundance Canyon

Posted on February 21, 2014 by BarryH

The skiing and trekking in the Rockies are finished now and I’m back home. But there are still a couple of things to write about. Beginning with my jaunt to Sundance Canyon. I went there first in January 2011 after … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Reflections, Winter | Tagged banff canada, Bow River, Derbyshire Peak District, Mount Edith, Mount Rundle, narrow escapes, Sundance Canyon, Sundance Pass, thermal springs | 1 Comment

Canadian Rockies: to the top of Sulphur Mountain

Posted on February 18, 2014 by BarryH

During the last 10 days or so of my stay in the Canadian Rockies I decided to concentrate my efforts on trying to improve my skiing. With fresh falls of snow the conditions changed from the ‘hard-pack’ with which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Winter | Tagged banff canada, Banff Springs Hotel, Bow River, canadian rockies, faux-Gothic architecture, ice, Mount Rundle, skiing, snow, Spray River, sulphur mountain, Sulphur Mountain Gondola, Sulphur Mountain Meterological Observatory, Tunnel Mountain | 5 Comments

Canadian Rockies: history, bio-engineering and a strange world of ice and steam

Posted on February 12, 2014 by BarryH

The principle legacies of what is now known as ‘The Cave and Basin’, the location of the original Banff thermal springs, are not insignificant. They include the town of Banff itself, Banff National Park, and the other 42 National Parks … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Mountains, Nature, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged banff canada, Banff longnose dace, Banff National Park, Banff Springs Snail, bio-engineering, Cave and Basin, hoar frost, hoarfrost, species extinction | 1 Comment