The Great Outdoorz: Recent Episodes
Matt & Darci
Travelling across Western Canada in a 1989 VW Westfalia - Darci, Matt, Bentley the Beagle & Luna the Mexican Rescue are rating/reviewing the campsites, day hikes, hot springs and waterfalls...tales from the road!
Season 4 comes to an end.
Darci is back for the finale :) She brings her tales from the road over these past 6 months that she has been intermittently travelling all around Western Canada.
We also talk about our final 2 camping trips of the season (Wabamun in Sept, 3 Sisters in Aug).
Finally, we talk all things Tunnel Mountain and review the resorts, as well as pump the tires of the FANTASTIC Tunnel Mountain (year-round) Campground.
See you next Spring!
I had to share this part of the drive - I was driving down the Main Street of Jasper, a beautiful blue sky, so much activity and energy..As you know - we LOVE Jasper on this show.
Such a great final leg of the drive. So many noteworthy stops along the way.
This spot of the drive definitely hits me in the feels. There are so many memories over the years that take place in this region (Robson Valley into Jasper National Park).
I had to share the Roadtrip Chronicles for this leg of the trip!!
You will hear live, as it happened, me driving up to the majestic Mount Robson!
Classic.
Due to the lengthy detour on the Banff way home, I decided to head north on Highway 5 - via Kamloops to Valemount, ending up in Jasper.
It has been a good 6 years since I have done this drive.
Before I can get there, though, I must hop on the Connector one more time!
Definitely a rad little drive!
We had a fantastic trip down in Osoyoos for the week - now I am heading home.
It is a bright, sunny day - clear blue sky and it is the last day of Summer.
What a great way to bid farewell to Summer, as well as say my farewell to the Okanagan region for the season!
Crows Nest Pass is one of the more famous, well-used highways in Western Canada. It is very unique as it often finds itself very close to the Canada/USA border.
There are a lot of small towns to travel through..Cranbrook, Creston, Christina Lake and Grand Forks.
It is a bit of a grind due to the a lot of one-lane, non-separated highway space. I ran into a LOT of people that would do under the speed limit only to then magically speed up to 30 km/hr over the speed limit during the passing lanes....classic!
Hit some weather on this leg of the trip - went from +16 to +4 with a lot of rain, which caused for some accidents along the way.
Another edition of The Roadtrip Chronicles :
I had a "happy little detour" (a la Bob Ross) on my way from Banff to BC...the detour sent my down the remaining leg of Highway 93 - towards Radium Hot Springs!
I then had the option of driving north to Golden or continuing on through Cranbrook, Creston and Grand Forks to get to my destination of Osoyoos (which is what I ended up going with).
Beautiful drive between the Hot Springs of Radium and Fairmont.
- I realize now there is a chance I was referring to Radium as Harrison during this podcast...#oopsy.
Road-trippin' through the location where 'Rambo : First Blood' had been filmed.
This area is just gorgeous. It gets a lot of rain so there is nothing but green throughout the drive; I was blessed with a cloudless blue sky, too.
This area is great to drive full of lush green forest, mountains, waterfalls and tunnels. The posted speed limit is 120k/hr which makes the hills and curves quite fun to navigate.
I recorded this on a beautiful morning, as I drove from Penticton to Vancouver - via the 97C.
Definitely seeing some smoke coming out of the Kamloops / Merritt area - but otherwise, completely ideal road trip conditions!
The Connector was built in 1990 and has really helped bridge the gap between the Kamloops area and the rest of the Okanagan region.
I stayed a night in Rogers Pass, at Illecillewaet Campground - which is just a few minutes away from Loop Brook Trail Campground (which happens to be closed this season).
This campground is awesome! Highly recommend it. It has a great series of trails right off the campground itself, including a 5 minute walk-around of the ruins of what used to be 'Glacier House'.
Glacier House was a hotel from back in 1894, that was heavily advertised by CN Rail tourism.
This area always has a bit of a creepy vibe to it - between the ruins and the frequent visits from Grizzly Bears. We had a neighbour growing up who used to work out in the area, and he confirmed there was a lot of strange things that would happen out there. There were a lot of deaths in that area during the completion of the railway - perhaps there are some spirits that have not yet left the area.
"I think, like many, we should use this as national time of reflection. We need to acknowledge moving forward that we need to do better. As a nation, as individuals, we need to do better. I am appalled and offended by the actions of those who came before us, that they could commit such atrocities..and how our country silently condoned, covered up and closed a blind eye to this genocide all these years.
I will never understand our need to extinguish the light and the language and essence of other humans so ours may shine brighter and grow bigger."
-Jan Larsen (retired Social Worker - Ashcroft, BC, Canada)
everychildmatters #everynamecounts
post script :
This was a tough episode to record.
I would like to acknowledge the community of Lytton, BC - who all had to evacuate their community due to the forest fire nearby. I don't feel I brought enough attention to this in the episode ...my thoughts and prayers are with you all, as well.
We are into full-blown camping, bbq and road trip season.
Here is the road-trip-podcast of my journey back from BC - I am heading through Revelstoke to Golden, back to Alberta from there.
I wanted to capture this area - it is a very mysterious area..has that untamed vibe to it. Basically the whole region from Revelstoke to Golden and beyond makes for a great drive, with plenty of worthwhile little stops along the way.
HAPPY 1st DAY OF SUMMER!
As I mention in the previous episode - this is one of the top drives in BC !
Highway 97 connects a lot of the main Okanagan town and cities...I love getting to do this drive, at least once a year. You never get sick of the views! A lot of the time you are driving right beside the immortal Okanagan Lake - a very long, deep lake that runs 135km north to south!
Have you ever had an accident, or had a vehicle breakdown - and when you drive by the scene of where it happened you get that strange feeling come over you?
I am driving by the scene of last years Camper Van breakdown, just outside of Lake Country - this is my redemption episode!!
Such a tremendous drive : Highway 97 - heading south from Vernon thru Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland..then finally OK Falls, Oliver and to my destination of Osoyoos!
One of my faves.
Tuesday, May 25th : the day after May Longweekend!
I stayed in Banff the previous night and, as of time of driving, the restrictions for crossing the Alberta to BC borders had been lifted...or so we thought.
Curiously the BC Govt decided to hold a press conference on Tuesday AM extending the travel restrictions...by that time I was already well into my road trip.
This episode I am driving through Vernon - heading south towards lovely Osoyoos, BC!
The final episode, the final stop on my Highway 93 quest...I stayed the night on Tunnel Mountain at Buffalo Mountain Lodge (definitely worth staying at btw).
After 2 days in a row of blue sky and +15, it dropped to -5 overnight and snowed around 5cm!
A bit of a sketchy drive home at times, but what a tremendous trip it was!
Highway 1A is closed for vehicle traffic, but still open for cyclists - which is a cool idea!
It was getting fairly late in the day but..any time you drive by Lake Louise - you have to go check out the scenery!
I got to walk across the frozen Lake Louise - which is an amazing experience.
Happy May Longweekend! Camping season is here :)
Columbia Icefields was closed for the time being, so I was set to go further south towards Sasakatchewan River Crossing, which is quickly followed up by one of my favourite spots on the whole drive : Mistaya Canyon.
By this point in my drive I was feeling a degree of 'Waterfalls Snobbery'. After Athabasca Falls - Sunwapta is a little less impressive ...but still definitely worth stopping for!
Forgive my absolute butchering of the pronouncation (or lack thereof) Mount Kerkeslin!
Truly a magical area, Atha is an absolute must for anyone heading to Jasper.
930am in the parking lot of Marmot Lodge..another nice sunny, blue skied day..going to take my time heading south to Banff, making many a stop along the way.
First stop on the List? Athabasca Falls!
All settled in my room at the Marmot Lodge, now heading up to Pyramid Lake for some hiking!
A quick layover at the Pocahontas Cabins & Mine Trail as I head for Jasper for the evening.
I am doing Highway 93 (Jasper to Banff via Columbia Icefields & Lake Louise) tomorrow!
Was lucky enough to get a beautiful +17 and sunny day!
(recorded 4/20)
We're back!
..and we return to Season 4 with our annual Spring Daylight Savings Mountain Trip. This year we stayed at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort, located at the foot of Tunnel Mountain.
Not a bad place to stay, but probably won't stay there again..showing its age a bit - but the service and the price was great!
We record from the road as we approach our favourite off-leash dog park in Canmore for the morning, followed by Lake Minnewanka after that!
Happy Spring!
Just a quick mini-episode to end off Season 3 of The Great Outdoorz!
Pocahontas Mine Trail is located just off the fabled Pocahontas Cabins, located just east of Jasper.
Happy Holidays and we'll see you next spring!
Thanks for listening.
-Matt, Darci, Bentley & Luna
Another great day hike just outside the Jasper townsite - these lakes are found just a few minutes north east of Jasper - on the way out to the Fairmont JPL.
We were lucky enough to get a sunny patch of this hike. Lake Annette is a great little walk, whereas we found the Lake Edith one a bit hard to keep the actual lake trial as it seemed to lead us into private property.
This area is one of the best spots to hike and explore near the Jasper townsite!
There are seemingly endless kms of winding trails from the townsite itself all the way, and well beyond Pyramid Lake itself.
We hit a beautiful day for the hike too!
The title of this episode was literally a sign we saw on the way up to Medicine Lake...not what you'd expect to read on a random sign haha
Medicine Lake is a fairly creepy/impressive Lake that is around halfway up to Maligne Lake. It was believed to be a haunted lake due to the underground chambers that give the lake the appearance it vanishes! ..Plus the fact that this is in around the site of the rather large forest fire a few years back - there is a lot of burnt, dead trees around the lake.
We also debrief about our Valley of 5 Lakes hike from the previous day!
Part 2 of our Jasper trip - the iconic Maligne Canyon!
It snowed a bit the night before we went so there was a degree of treacherousness to this walk..but what a beautiful, must-see area it is!
We are in Jasper for the week - and we plan on hitting up all the classic day hikes with our faithful mutts : Bentley & Luna!
Athabasca Falls is about 40km south of the Jasper townsite - and well worth the drive!
Luna, Bentley and I come up on a fairly spooky site on today's walk - down at Hermitage Dog Park.
There were upwards if 50 to 60 crows all dispersed throughout a dozen or more trees all cawing at each other..I got the impression we were near a dead animal carcass or something of the sort.
The audio (and my pictures) really don't do it justice - I have never seen anything like it! Kind of unsettling!
A look back at the strange camping season that was 2020.
**our annual November Mountain Trip is still to come! This Nov trip will provide the Season Finale for 2020. Stay tuned :)
Darci does a solo BC trip!
En route back to Alberta she gives the goods on Quinn Creek Campground (south of Golden, BC) as well as Highway 95!
A perfect summers day activity : road tripping with the dogs, hitting up an iconic National Park..doing a bunch of exploring and hiking..what could be better?
There was literally 80-100 visible bison on this trip!
Apologies for Luna's whimpering - she wanted a piece of the bison that were but mere feet away from our camper van.
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!
Here is a creepy story to listen to while you are out in the woods camping!!
Josh was a tree planter fo 4 years - all over BC...this is a story of 1 block he worked at in northern BC that saw his camp exposed to tornados, bears that were a little too comfortable with humans, a cougar that was located in a tree just above a group photo (discovered when the pictures were developed.
But the main course of the story : Josh was awoken one night to a mysterious sound that did not match any of the animals he'd ever heard in the bush. The creature then made a steady line directly to the camp...
What happens next?? You'll have to listen.
The 1st Day of Summer is here!!
Birder Josh is back to discuss the finding and photographing of the 'white whale' of his Canadian birding : the Bobo Link!!
We also discuss the usual outside stuff : balls of light, aliens, Bigfoot...you know - normal stuff.
Finally back!!
The parks are (slowly) starting to open up...I am en route to Osoyoos BC; here I do a walkthru of one of my favourite breakpoints and campsites on the way from Alberta to BC : Monarch Campground!!
Well we HAD big plans for this week buuuut....
What can you do.
Safe to say there will be a hold on any real content for this season of TGO (for now....)
Season 3 is here! ..just days before the first day of Spring we take a road trip down to Deadman's Flats (just east of Canmore and Banff) and happen to catch a pretty substantial snow storm and cold snap!
The weather doesn't keep us from having fun as we take the dogs down to the 3 Sisters Campground and Bow River and turn them loose!
The timing of this episode is fairly trippy - we left on the morning were the Coronavirus really took hold of Canada and USA...and this episode is recorded as we are on our way back to town; we are expecting a very different life for the indefinite future as we approach our home town.
..also - we announce future plans for the podcast, including ...a podcast divided! Darci is heading out east for a few years.
Welcome Back to Season 3!
Canmore has 3 renowned dog parks :
-
Quarry Lake
-
Elk Run
-
Cougar Creek
This episode we are en route to Elk Run and we give a quick breakdown of Quarry Lake, as well!
So thus concludes our Dead Man's Flats/Canmore mini-series...as well as Season 2 of 'The Great Outdoorz'!
SEE YOU NEXT MARCH FOR SEASON 3.
FROM DARCI, MATT and BENTLEY & LUNA - THANKS FOR LISTENING!!
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=canmore+dog+parks&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
We continue our SEASON FINALE mini-series here in Deadman's Flats, Alberta :
After going back during the daytime we do another walkthru and give our prestigious 'Best Site' and 'Would Do in a Pinch' Awards..along with honourable mentions.
This campsite is unique as it has remained entirely first-come-first-serve.
Lots of great walking trails, year-round fishing, excellent views...
Check out the link below!
https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/bow-valley-pp/information-facilities/camping/three-sisters/
Season 3 to start on March 8th, 2020
Just a quick bonus episode - we just rolled in to Dead Man's Flats, Alberta for our Annual 'November in the Mountains Trip'.
We are staying at Copperstone Resort - a VERY pro-dog resort, with a nice modern feel that provides amenities at a third the cost of what it would be to replicate such a resort in Banff.
Banff is just 20min west, Canmore just 5min west.
Night one : we did a sunset winter-walkthru of the neighbouring campground - Three Sisters Provincial Campground. I ALMOST stayed here on my August BC trip but, if you recall, it was full and I ended up staying at Lac Des Arcs (see EP23).
We get to test out the mic on my new iPhone X - which ends up trumping the iRig mic of podcast past.
(I do have a pop-screen protector for future episodes - sorry for the usual wind FX!)
We will do a few more episodes here in/around the DMF & Canmore/Banff area before ending off Season 2!!
Season 3 to come back at you Daylight Savings weekend March 8 -10, 2020
A crossover episode from 'Talking Shop' on ESP...
Usually TS is all about band stuff but this one took more shape of a Great Outdoorz episode!!
Talkin' a little RV and Trailer , nbd...
- Season 2 is winding down...but we have our annual November in the Mountains Trip planned for mid-November ..so stay tuned for that! We are headed to Dead Mans Flats (just outside of Canmore) to a pet-friendly resort located beside Bow Valley Campground.
Josh preps for his road trip to Osoyoos in this mini-epi.
We also discuss our previous Mt Robson hikes, and how and why our Skyline Trail hike has become elusive.
After a long drive back from BC I found that seemingly EVERY campsite was full from Kicking Horse all the way through Canmore....I have fond memories of Lac Des Arcs from a few years ago so threw once last Hail Mary pass in hopes I had a place to rest for the evening.
Luckily I was admitted into LDA's last campsite - this site is a "reservation only" so thanks to the crew for allowing me to camp without a reservation!
My luck continued when I was treated to the best sunset I've seen all summer (check out the picture attached to the episode).
Great site, well run..the only critique is the lack of walking trails around the site itself. But all in all - a great little site in a transitional spot en route to Canmore, or on your way out of the Park.
https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/bow-valley-pp/information-facilities/camping/lac-des-arcs/
A week after Darci drives through this area - I am on a solo mission to BC of my own!
Loop Brook Campground is only open for 2 or so months of the year - and it has a very different vibe to it. Ominous, abandoned train bridge structures from over 100 years ago..a raging creek going through the site..it gives a bit of a "something is watching you" vibe to it around these parts.
It's an awesome campground - full of character..the trail is a nice easy walk where you can stretch your legs out during a long drive.
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1761681-d7336464-Reviews-Loop_Brook_Trail-Glacier_National_Park_of_Canada_Kootenay_Rockies_British_Columb.html
Historic Rogers Pass - always an interesting, beautiful drive. This leg of BC-meets-Alberta keeps you on your toes in all seasons..one of the most treacherous trails of travel prone to landslides and snow closures.
Even its campgrounds are only open for 2-2.5 months of the year.
Darci makes a pit stop at Loop Brook Trail - a fantastic little campground just minutes west of the Rogers Pass Visitor Center.
I will be making this exact trip in the coming weeks so will give a sequel-style B side to Darci's episode here!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Pass_(British_Columbia)
Darci is on a solo mission to BC and takes the time to give us a few new episodes from the road!!
This one was recorded the morning after leaving Redstreak Campground - which is located close to Radium Hotsprings.
She gives an overview of that campground, as well as paints the roadtrip picture for you as she's en route to the next leg of her journey!!
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/activ/camping/redstreak
PART 2 of us planning to tackle one of the most famous hikes in the Canadian Rockies...Jasper's "Skyline Trail" !!
4600ft elevation, 44km length.
There are campgrounds at 5 km, 8 km, 12 km, 19 km, 30 km, and 35 km.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Trail_(Jasper_National_Park)
We size up one of the most famous hikes in the Canadian Rockies...Jasper's "Skyline Trail" !!
4600ft elevation, 44km length.
There are campgrounds at 5 km, 8 km, 12 km, 19 km, 30 km, and 35 km.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Trail_(Jasper_National_Park)
Astonin Lake Campground has a really cool, layered concept to it - the 48+ sites are situated on a hill that gives you a great view of the Lake. Very close to walking trails, as well as there are 5 oTentiks for rent during those rainy evenings.
We do a walk-thru and give you the skinny on the good sites.
....and Luna finds a dead squirrel....
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/elkisland/activ/activ2/a
This part of Elk Island has a Jurassic Park feel to it..the loop is 5-7min long and provides you a very strong chance of seeing these mighty beasts from which the Loop was named after.
We caught a glimpse of a few FAR away, and also got stuck behind a sweet RV named "Bigfoot".
A beautiful sunny intermission into what has otherwise been a fairly rainy summer...so we are heading east to the World Class "ELK ISLAND NATIONAL PARK" for the afternoon.
Elk Island is known for its Bison population, numerous lakes, as well as a plethora of outdoor activities.
Elk Island has 2 campsites - Oster Lake (a back country / tent style site) and Astonin Lake (which is more of the typical campsite).
This Park also boasts a 5 star Dark Sky viewing as well as year-round camping!
Summer is here, Camping Season is in full effect!
We highly recommend Haynes Point Provincial Park in Osoyoos, BC.
We do a walkthru of the campsite, giving numbers and descriptions of the best sites, etc
This campground has a lot of family history with us - Josh and I are the 3rd generation to camp here!
HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!!
Josh Gardiner is back and talking all things Bird.
We discuss Birding, as a growing activity in North America -how to Bird, why and where to Bird..
I bring up the real similarities between Birding and Pokemon Go..
Don't forget the hazards of Birding! Its not all just looking and snapping pictures!!
(ticks, terrain hazards..and more!)
First camping night of 2019!
We do the walkthru of Wabamun, checking out the upgrades from last year :)
Nothing like the feeling of heading back home...coffee, playlists, podcasts downloaded...here we go!
Season 2 gets off to a frightening start - Luna fell through the ice at the "frozen" Lake Minnewanka...she was completely submerged, soaked head to paw - we aren't sure how she got out but are sure glad she did!
Happy First Day of Spring - safe hiking ;)
I forgot how extensive and massive and sprawling Robson Valley is after you get out of Mount Robson itself!!
Heading back to BC a few days before Christmas..the roads were clear and ideal up until I hit the BC side of Jasper.
Darci recounts her tales of travelling a monstrous 3400km over a 4 day period where she hit 4 provinces...
this is end of June so she saw the high temperatures of the sunny Okanagan region, snow at the top of the Salmo Summit, lightning storms across the prairies, funnel clouds, suicidal prairie dogs flooding the highway...giant windmill turbines.. and more!
Staying a night at Kicking Horse Pass. Cool little campsite, great stay over spot en route from Alberta to BC.
Apologies for the audio quality on this one BUT
...it was worth it to record our walk across the frozen Lake Louise!
We are headed down Highway 1A from Banff to Lake Louise, making stops along the way!
Highly recommend Castle Mountain Junction Chalets.
A must-see for any traveller of the Canadian Rockies!
We're headed down Highway 93 en route to Banff and Lake Louise:)