Pictures from finishing day

Greetings all,

Here are some pictures from the final day of my walk into Stanley Park. Enjoy.

Cheers,

Joshua Ganes

I Made It!

Greetings from Vancouver,

Well, today I made it. I walked into Stanley Park shortly after noon today. I proceeded to the ocean near lumberman's arch, where I plunged into the Pacific. It feels great to be done!

Cheers,

Joshua Ganes

Finishing Day - Saturday, September 15, 2007

Greetings from the trail,

I'm now all but finished. I made it to Canada Place on Wednesday, and am awaiting the arrival of my family to join me for the final few kilometers of the trail. We will be setting off from Canada Place on Saturday at about 11:00am. Anyone interested in coming along is welcome to join me for the final day. If possible, please try to get in contact with me so I know you're coming. If not, show up on Saturday ready to walk for a little less than an hour. If you cannot walk, feel free to wait by lumberman's arch in Stanley Park.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wed September 12, 2007 - Day 70

Greetings from the trail,

Among many good things about today is that it's my mother's birthday. I called home today first to wish her a happy birthday, then several times more to keep her apprised of my progress.

The day started with a pretty, but noisy trail following close to the shoreline. It wasn't long before I was in Burnaby. I knew I was going to have a little climbing ahead of me, but I wasn't quite prepared for what the trail had in store for me. I climbed the trail to the top of Burnaby Mountain, which my GPS showed at over 1000 ft. That climb took a lot out of me.

From the top of the mountain, I came to a great lookout to the west. I could see all of downtown Vancouver, as well as Richmond and other surrounding areas. A seemingly shorter climb brought me back down the other side of the mountain to Hastings street.

From there, the trail again found its way near the shoreline for quite some time before heading under the second narrows bridge and then veering off well to the south. Instead of following the trail, I followed my own path down Hastings street. I already knew the street was reputed to be the bad part of town, but I saw more than I expected. It was truly sad to see the kind of place these people live in and how they exist. It was also truly amazing how quickly the street turned from the purest form of a slum into a well-kept business district in a few short blocks.

After that I made my way to Canada Place, where I again spent some time taking in the beauty of the day and the place I was at. That is where I've left the trail, with ~3km to go to pass under lumberman's arch and down to the water in Stanley Park. The next two days are off until my family arrives from Alberta. I refuse to count any of the next 3 days in my journey, as I clearly could have made it in 70 days. In my original prediction I said 10-11 weeks. 70 days is pretty spot-on. I love being right.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Tue September 11, 2007 - Day 69

Greetings from the trail,

Looking at the West Coast Express schedule, I was forced to make today a shorter day than I wanted to. My only two options were to walk to Port Moody, or to continue all the way to downtown Vancouver if I wanted to take the train back to Mission tonight. As downtown Vancouver was about 40km away, it didn't seem like a great idea. As such, I caught the last train out for the morning.

I continued along highway 7 for the first part of the morning before crossing the Pitt River on the Pitt River Bridge. (Imagine that). After that I took a detour around some serious construction and then followed less busy roads through town heading west.

At the end of the day I came to a beautiful park right by the Port Moody Arm which comes in from the Ocean. I had to walk down to the water and take a small taste. Yes, it was salty. I walked from Alberta to salt water from the Pacific. I stood around at the end of the pier taking in the sights and smells of the ocean for quite some time. It was a truly gorgeous day.

After another bus ride, I'm back in Mission, anxious for tomorrow when I should reach Vancouver. It's hard to believe I'm here.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon September 10, 2007 - Day 68

Greetings from the trail,

It was strange to wake up this morning at my grandparents' place and know that I was actually still on the trail. There was no need to get a ride anywhere, this is where I'd walked to. I set off bright and early following Dewdney Trunk Road to the west.

After a short distance the trail passed the landfill and went down to the Stave Lake dam. I crossed the dam with no major incidents and continued on my way. The road continued with a slightly narrow shoulder, but not too much traffic all the way to Maple Ridge.

I planned to catch the West Coast Express train back to Mission from the Port Haney station. However, when I reached the station, I still had almost two hours to wait for the first train. I decided to press on to the Pitt Meadows station instead.

After climbing back up to the Lougheed Highway and following beside it for another couple hours I reached the train station. As it turns out, my timing was excellent, as the "TrainBus" was just arriving as I purchased my ticket. The bus took me right back to Mission where my grandpa picked me up and took me home.

My shoulders are killing me tonight. The long walk today compounded their problems and has made me incredibly sore tonight. I really shouldn't have gone for that tube ride, but I imagine they'll feel better tomorrow.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sun September 9, 2007 - Day 67

Greetings from the trail,

Today was a significanly shorter day on the trail than the last few.

I started the day by heading to church with my grandparents. There I caught up with a lot of people who have known me and my family for many years. It was nice to hear the support and congratulations of so many people.

After church, I was dropped off where I'd left off yesterday. About 45 minutes later I had made it the rest of the way to my grandparents place. I couldn't stop marvelling at the fact that I'd actually walked here all the way from Alberta. That's insane.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on a little bit of television, which I've been missing for a while. My shoulders are really aching today after boating the day before. I hope they will be okay for tomorrow.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sat September 8, 2007 - Day 66

Greetings from the trail,

This morning my cousin Matt and his wife dropped me off at Deroche on their way out to Alberta. From there I had a long walk into Mission. I caught a few great views of the Westminster Abbey up on the hill from the distance. After 4 hours I had climbed some hills and made it into Mission itself.

Seeing as I was in the neighbourhood, I saw fit to stop in and visit some friends along the way. It was a nice way to catch a rest. It felt great to pop in and surprise people with my "just in your area" walk.

After spending some time in town, I continued on my way to my grandparents place north of the city. As I was walking about 2-3km from their door, the Stahli family happened to be driving by in their boat. They invited me along, so I left the trail to go for an afternoon of fun.

I had a great time out on Stave Lake. There's some beautiful views there, and it was just nice to have something different to do for a change. Later in the day, I even tried riding the inner tube behind the boat. As it turns out, that was a bad choice. It left my shoulders very sore at the end of the day.

They dropped me off at my grandparents' place, which I still have not quite reached. I plan to take an easy day tomorrow and simply finish the remaining distance to here.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Fri September 7, 2007 - Day 65

Greetings from the trail,

After a very enjoyable stay in Agassiz, I set out again for another long day. Now that I'm in range, I'm able to travel lighter and to walk farther. Instead of 50+ lbs, I'm now carrying about 5lbs. Instead of walking 20km, I'm now aiming for 30km.

A short while after heading out, I ran into the big challenge of the day. I first had to navigate a narrow bridge construction area. I then was faced with a 12% grade to climb.

Other than those challenges, there was not too much excitement to speak of. I made it to the small town of Deroche where I was picked up by my grandparents. Mostly, I'm excited to be in familiar surroundings. Tomorrow I should make my old home town of Mission.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Thu September 6, 2007 - Day 64

Greetings from the trail,

After nearly killing myself getting out of my ordeal on Tuesday, I got to my grandparents' place and took a much-needed day off. It was nice to relax - especially when my legs were like jelly.

Today I started out bright and early in Hope. My grandpa drove me out to pick up the trail where I walked through town. It was annoying to give up on two days' progress, but at least I didn't feel like I was repeating work.

After walking out of town, I crossed the might Fraser River. This is one thing I was glad to do. The official TCT crosses it on a ferry. That hardly qualifies as walking.

The rest of the day was a long, but easy walk along highway 7 to the town of Agassiz. I'm staying here with some relatives - Jim and Twylla and their son Bob. They have been very hospitable and welcoming. I'm certainly glad to be done with camping.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Tue September 4, 2007 - Day 62

Greetings from the trail,

Today turned into the biggest disaster of the trip. It started well enough as I continued my climb up to the pass. I was a couple more TCT signs along my way to let me know I was on the right track. After a steady climb for a couple hours I reached the peak of the pass.

There, the road simply ended. I could find no trace of any trail among the clear-cut patch of forest. There were no signs to point the way. I spend about 30 minutes exploring everything that looked even slightly like a trail with no luck.

I finally conceded defeat and turned back down the mountain. It was after noon when I reached the main road again, and another hour before I hitched a ride. Luckily, the driver was going near Abbotsford; not too far from my grandparents' place.

I'm now sitting in McDonald's waiting for my grandpa to pick me up. Needless to say, I'm frustrated with my situation. I'm anxious to find another way into Vancouver, but don't want to burden my family more than necessary. At least finishing too early doesn't seem like such a problem any longer.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon September 3, 2007 - Day 61

Greetings from the trail,

Today started with a little backtracking down the hill and back up around the lake. I wasn't too happy for that portion as I hate doing the same work twice. Must be a product of my computing background.

After a little while on the trail I was surprised by a family friend from Mission. Chris Stahli decided to come and join me for half a day. It was a long half too. Once again, it was nice to have some company.

After a while we came to a fork between the official and alternate routes listed in the book. A short while later, it was clear that the alternate was not a good option. We went back to the real trail, which was a nice narrow trail through the woods. After lunch, Chris turned back while I carried on. The trail began to climb and hasn't stopped yet. I'm camped beside the road about 1/2 of the way to the top of the pass. It'll be nice to get down the other side. As far as I know, this is the last major climb of the trip.

I am unfortunately missing one good thing from the regular world. Today was the Labour Day Classic between the Eskimos and the Stampeders. Oh well, maybe I'll catch the rematch in a week.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sun September 2, 2007 - Day 60

Greetings from the trail,

Today was another day of truly fantastic sights. It was also special, as I had company for the trip today. I didn't even have to carry my pack the whole time. Thanks Aaron.

The day started with a walk through the Othello Tunnels, which run through a beautiful, narrow canyon. The trail continued through the forest all the way to Hope. We stopped there to grab a bite before continuing.

The next section was a little busier, but still quite scenic. Thanks to Aaron's excellent navigational skills we all forded the Silverhope creek to get back on track. Well done Aaron! :)

The final section was a long climb up to Silver Lake. It's a very pretty lake with a nice-looking campground nearby. That's where my company left me, while I decided to press on a little further.

I walked down a trail that began to bog down and become overgrown. It got to the point where I was fighting my way through, before I ran into a patch o nettles. This is one of the rare times I've had to make a major track back. I'm camped near Silver Lake again, and plan to get on the right road tomorrow.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sat September 1, 2007 - Day 59

Greetings from the trail,

Today brought some interesting and unexpected challenges. As such, I didn't make it quite as far as I expected. Perhaps that's for the best in light of my desire to finish on the 15th.

The first challenge came when the TCT signs suddenly stopped at a fork in the road with a "No Trespassing" sign in the middle of the fork. After passing a couple of gates, the signs started again. I like walking through unnoticed.

Shortly after that challenge I found a better one. After following the trail signs, a new sign pointed across the highway. It seems the trail is incomplete there, so I forded the river and climbed through the woods to the road on the other side. Fording the river was a challenge, but the real danger came in climbing the opposite bank. I nearly injured myself when my foothold rock came loose and crashed into the river below.

After finding the road on the other side, the rest of the day was easy. I made it to the Othello Tunnels campground where I had a hot shower and a chance to be civilized for a change. It's nice to feel comfortable for a change.

I was later joined by my cousins and aunt who are in the area visiting family and friends. That was an unexpected treat. Aaron and his girlfriend Jenny are planning to join me tomorrow for a while.

Lastly, I was camped next to a very generous and kind-hearted lady who offered me food and company without even a request. I really appreciated all she had to offer.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Fri August 31, 2007 - Day 58

Greetings from the trail,

I did not sleep well last night. I just couldn't shut my mind off. I wasn't even thinking of anything specific; my mind was just wandering from subject to subject on its own. Finally at 3:30am I'd had enough. The moon was bright, so I packed up my camp and started walking.

The trail continued along the road for 3 hours before becoming one of my "ideal" trails. Whoever was in charge of TCT signs along that section was a little bit sign-happy. There was a sign every 50m or so, even though the trail was quite obvious. I'd rather have that than the usual case of no signs whatsoever.

I left the pipeline road without meeting any vehicles at all. The trail then followed by the highway for a while before cutting down a steep hill by the river. That's where I'm camped today.

Apparently, the guy in charge of station names along the old KVR was a fan of William Shakespeare. All the stations around here are named for his characters. There's Romeo, Juliet, Portia, Othello, and many more like them. I guess it does add an interesting touch.

Lastly, it seems I'm moving too fast. My parents want to join me at the finish on the weekend of the 15th. However, at the pace I'm going, I'll be done by then. I guess that means I can slow down and take it easy.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Thu August 30, 2007 - Day 57

Greetings from the trail,

Today's hike started off with an interesting challenge. There was a spot ~2km down the road where the trail had been washed out by the river and a new trail was built to climb up and around the washout. After climbing the particularly steep trail for a while, it suddenly stopped. Apparently the new trail had been washed out as well. There I was ~20-30m above a steep bank, scrambling across the loose rocks. After all was said and done I felt pretty good about it, but I'd rather not repeat it. Later at a second washout, the builders had the sense to go down instead of up.

After that section, the trail crossed back over the Coquihalla and travelled near to it between the river and the animal fencing. This section was enjoyable except when meeting the occasional cow standing in my way. I wouldn't have guessed there would be cows around there.

I reached the Britton Creek rest area thinking I'd just find a restroom. Instead I found many cars with lots of picnic tables and a snack shack. I was glad for the chance to buy some food.

After that, I arrived at the section I'd been concerned about for a while. The Trans Mountain Pipeline Road was listed as a future route in the book, with no other option but the highway, which is not open to hikers. My online update told me it was now open. When I reached the gate blocking the road, there were two conflicting signs. I chose to believe the one that worked best for me. Needless to say, I'm a little anxious to move on.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wed August 29, 2007 - Day 56

Greetings from the trail,

It was a breakthrough day on the trail today. I began by walking to the town of Brookmere, which is little more than a few houses bunched together. Although, I did find a cell phone signal, which I had lost earlier.

Why is reaching Brookmere important, you ask? For one, it marks the "official" end of the KVR trail. That being said, I still followed the KVR rail bed all day today. Secondly, Brookmere is the border between the Okanagan and Southwestern BC regions of the book. Lastly, Brookmere is about the 3/4 mark of my trip.

According to the region totals in my book, I have now passed 1000km at 1015km plus the additional distance travelled today. When I read that number it doesn't feel nearly as impressive as it does when I think about how long it would take to drive it.

The final breakthrough of the day was in reaching someplace familiar to me. Nearing the end of my day, I passed under the Coquihalla highway and followed the trail on the west side. As I've been over the Coquihalla many times, I was very excited to reach it.

I've set up camp by the Coldwater River, not too far from the highway. I can hear some of the larger trucks as they pass. I hope they don't bother me too much tonight when it's time for bed.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

P.S. I also finally caught up with the northernmost piece of trail remaining. I haven't been in this position since shortly after leaving Sparwood in the first week of my trip.

Tue August 28, 2007 - Day 55

Greetings from the trail,

Today's hike was almost a straight line north from Otter Lake. Most of the day was spent passing through farmland through the valley, as well as walking past some small lakes.

The trail was dotted with short little trestles crossing over the meandering creek. These weren't particularly exciting, but at least they marked my progress.

I'm camping about 2 hours southeast of Brookmere, which is the last hope of seeing civilization before reaching the town of Hope. For all I know, Brookmere might be little more than a couple of old railroad buildings.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon August 27, 2007 - Day 54

Greetings from the trail,

Today was one of the most beautiful hikes I've had out here on the trail. it started with the route from Princeton to Coalmont, which I'd already begun yesterday. The route continued to provide beautiful red cliffs surrounding a wild flowing river. I passed through another tunnel and over three more trestles before reaching Coalmont. I'd definitely recommend this route to anyone looking for a long, single-day hike. The only challenge is the length at 19-20km.

The route from Coalmont to Tulameen was less impressive, but still quite pleasant. I stopped in town for lunch and to mail on my journal entries. The small town looks like a decent place based on my brief visit.

After stopping in town, the route continued next to the picturesque Otter Lake. The lake is calm and deep blue, surrounded by steep mountain slopes on all sides. It's quite a sight to see also. If I were looking for a small town setting, Tulameen would be in the running.

I can never seem to find the recreational campgrounds listed in the guide book. This one even appeared on the trail sign as the trail passed through town. After walking past the end of the lake and still not finding it, I turned back to the nearest reasonable area. There are no signs to speak of, but clearly people have camped here before. There is a large fire pit and a path in and out of the clearing by the lake. A nice spot, but I'm not sure if I'm technically supposed to be here. Oh well, I'm tired and not hurting anyone.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sunday August 26, 2007 - Day 53

Greetings from the trail,

Today was yet another pleasantly cool day on the trail. Other than a few light sprinklings of rain it was nearly perfect.

I began by winding my way down the " Jura Loops", which is simply a tight set of switchbacks down the hillside. Today's hike seemed easier than normal. I only stopped once on my way to Princeton (17km).

In Princeton I grabbed a bite to eat at Subway, which is in the old station house. I then went to resupply for the week to come. I intended to send my journal entries before realizing it was Sunday. I'll try again tomorrow in Tullameen.

On the way out of Princeton I passed through a long lit tunnel under highway 3, then over the Tullameen river on a bridge. From there I continued a few kms along the river to my camp for tonight.

The river is very clear and cool, but not too deep. It runs through a very beautiful canyon with rich red cliff walls. I saw fit to rinse some laundry for the first time in this half of the trip. Standing in the cold water for so long may not have been the best idea. At least I'm not hot.

I'm not certain how exact it is, but I believe Princeton is 2/3 rds of the total distance. That leaves "only" half of everything I've done so far.

I am now about to enter what I expect to be the most interesting section for the remainder of the trail. I head north a couple of days before crossing the Coquihalla summit and walking parallel to the highway into Hope in a few more days. I expect to see some fantastic views, but am a little concerned about the potential for wild weather.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Saturday August 25, 2007 - Day 52

Greetings from the trail,

If the entire trail were like the last few days, there would be little I could complain about.

I traveled another about 25 km without incident today. I passed over 1 trestle, under 1 tunnel, and past plenty of beautiful scenery. The weather was cool but not ugly and I found a nice camping spot. What more can I ask for?

Tomorrow I expect to make Princeton. There I'll send more notes, eat more food, and buy more supplies. After Princeton is a 7 day trek to Hope with very few amenities along the way. The coming section is likely the most dangerous and remote for the rest of the trip. I'll feel safer when I reach Hope.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Friday August 24, 2007 - Day 51

Greetings from the trail,

I must admit, this half of the trail seems to be progressing mush more smoothly than the first. This is probably due to several factors. I now weigh at least 50 lbs. less than when I started; allowing for far less strain on my feet, knees and legs over the course of a day. The trail on this half has been smoother and easier to climb than the previous sections. Finally, my body is now in much better shape than when I started, reducing wear and improving healing.


All of this makes predicting my arrival very challenging. I am clearly making strong progress, but how long can I depend on it before taking a day off? I've gone over the route several times in the last few days and am now predicting an early arrival on the 15th with a possibility to be as late as the 19th.

In two days I should reach Princeton, which I peg as the 2/3 rds point of the journey. Keeping my average pace to that point would mean another 26 days for a total of 79. My new prediction is 73 days, so clearly I'm moving faster than before.

My mindset has also changed a bit from before. I'm still enjoying the journey, but I'm looking forward to its completion much more than before. Days seem to be less about themselves and more about making progress toward my goal.

All that being said, today was a pretty normal day. I traveled about 22kms taking a couple of detours along the road and passing a couple of lakes. I stopped at the store in Bankeir for a snack and have set up another bush camp an hour down the road.

I met more people than usual today. I believe this is due to the lakes and recreation areas here. I was asked about my trip a few times and was glad to tell the story. I love to see the look in people's eyes when I tell them I walked here from Alberta.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Thursday August 23, 2007 - Day 50

Greetings from the trail,

Today I am officially in the middle of nowhere. I'm not quite half way between Summerland and Princeton. It's hard to say precisely where I am, because there haven't been any landmarks since I crossed a trestle earlier in the day.

It's amazing how one's predictions change based on one's current feelings. Before Penticton, I tried to predict my final arrival in Vancouver and was convinced I'd struggle to make it before the 25th. I just completed another look through with a very cocky attitude and said I "could" make it by the 10th. I'm quite sure that will not be the case. However, making it in on my birthday is not out of the question.

Anyhow, today was another 6 - hour day at 20km. The next major stop is Princeton. Until then, I plan to enjoy the night sky, which was particularly spectacular last night.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Wednesday August 22, 2007 - Day 49

Greetings from the trail,

I knew it was coming when I checked into the hostel yesterday - today was a late start. It wasn't too bad though, as I got on the road by 8:00am. Luckily, the day wasn't too hot, so it was better than it might have been.

After struggling up a reasonable hill, I found the trail heading north on the west side of the lake. I continued on for about two and a half hours before crossing the Trout Creek Trestle. After that, the trail disappeared and I was left with the country roads out of Summerland.

I made my way into town and stopped at the corner market for one of my best snacks of the trip. I bought a 1L bottle of locally produced milk and a fresh local peach. Both lived up to my lofty expectations.

After that, I continued west out of town, and am about to set up another bush camp for tonight.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Tuesday August 21, 2007 - Day 48

Greetings from the trail,

Penticton - Home of the 25th Canadian Ironman competition. Yes, today I reached Penticton. After discovering that the only available campsite was 5km south ( I needed to go north next), I decided to stay at the hostel. It's quite nice and not overly busy.

To reach the hostel was a considerable, but downhill, hike. After about 3km, the trail broke out of the trees and had a great view of Okanagan Lake. Shortly later I passed through "Little Tunnel." The trail continued beside the lake much of the way into town.

Nearing the city the path wound its way through orchards and vineyards. It was quite interesting to see work going on in the fields. I saw workers picking fruit, machines spraying vines, and irrigation at work. The oddest thing I saw was two workers seated in the bucket of a small tractor, trimming the tops of the vines as the tractor moved down the rows.

This is probably the busiest section of trail I've walked so far. It appears that many people like to walk or bike it for day trips.

It's nice to get into town for some real food. Subway sure is tasty, but expensive too. Oh well, a very good meal just the same.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Monday, August 20, 2007 - Day 47

Greetings from the trail,

Good news - I did not pass the hidden campsite this morning. Instead, I quickly made my way to a large trestle, which I anticipated being 2-3km down the road. It was quite a sight standing on a tall trestle while peering over the forested valley below.

Today's route provided views of forested areas, fire ravaged areas, and views of Kelowna and Lake Okanagan. It continued on about 17km before reaching Chute Lake.

I stopped in at the Chute Lake resort for a burger and fries. It's always nice to get regular food after several days on the trail. While there, I chatted with the cook and a group of older people about my trip. They all wished me luck as I started on my way.

After another km or two, I finally reached the only shortcut I'd identified before the trip. This was obvious as the trail takes a long switchback route south before coming all the way back north about 3km away. Instead, I followed Chute Lake road down for just over 3km and saved myself about 12km of extra walking. The shortcut involved some steep downhill switchbacks, but was far better than wasting an extra day into Penticton.

After finding the trail again, I continued on for a short distance before setting up yet another bush camp. The nice thing about it is the cost. The problem is the lack of facilities and potential that I'm camping someplace I'm not supposed to.

I would take this morning's weather for the next month if I could have it. The sky was overcast and the air was cool. It really helps my energy levels to stay cool. This afternoon has turned to rain again, however.

All this rain is okay, but it makes the later part of the day pass slowly as I spend it hiding in my tent. 47 days of nothing but hiking, reading, writing, and thinking can cause one to exhaust his thinking resources.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Sunday, August 19, 2007 - Day 46

Greetings from the trail,

Well, today is the first day I've been truly happy to have my rain jacket. It was raining lightly when I woke up and continued throughout my hiking day. At about 10:00am, the rain picked up to a steady downpour.

I completed the Myra Canyon bypass today. The bypass is due to the 2003 fire which burnt the trestles through Myra Canyon. The book describes that section as the highlight of the Okanagan region. From the brief glimpses I saw today I can see why. Perhaps I'll return when the trestles are rebuilt in a few years.

Unfortunately, the bypass route does not follow a rail grade. As such, I spent 15km climbing and descending hills. This certainly took a toll on my legs. The journey was pleasant with the cool air and mist. I truly enjoyed my trip today.

I continued on for an hour and a half after rejoining the rail grade on the opposite side of the canyon. I was aiming for an unnamed tenting site shown on my map. When I thought I'd passed it, I decided to camp in an open sandy area just off the trail. Knowing my luck I'll pass the tenting site 10 minutes down the road tomorrow. It doesn't really matter, however, as this is a fine spot and allows me everything I need except a washroom. It was nice to set up my tent and crawl into my sleeping bag to dry up and warm up.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Saturday, August 18, 2007 - Day 45

Greetings from the trail,

Last night my left knee was hurting and was not much better this morning. The combination of pain, distances, and camping availabilities made me decide to cut my walk short at about 12km, stopping just before Myra Canyon.

Whenever I set out with a goal less than 15km away, I get in my head that the day will be a cakewalk. This never turns out to be true. Sure, 12km beats 24km any day, but it's still a significant distance to cover. That's especially true with a full load on my back.

Judging from my maps, there are no accessible water sources from Hydraulic Lake to Chute Lake. That section will take 3 days to cover. As such, I filled my water bladder with about 8 liters of water. This means that instead of the usual 3 liters and 6.6lbs of water I was carrying it will be 17.6 lbs of water. 11 extra pounds makes a big difference.

I forgot to mention that it rained yesterday. That's probably 'cause it lasted about 3 minutes and amounted to almost nothing. Today I was hit by a few slightly-more-significant periods of rain. This was after I'd found a campsite for the night. I was lying down to rest without my tent fly when I suddenly felt raindrops. I rushed out of the tent and rain proofed the camp quicker than any day previously. Sprinklings of rain continued for a couple of hours.

Today's campsite has a view of three different lakes - all of them at least 20kms away. I can also see the whole city of Kelowna from Lake Okanagan to the airport where i was just over two weeks ago. It's right on the edge of the area burnt by forest fire in 2003.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Friday, August 17, 2007 - Day 44

Greetings from the trail,

This morning I was still slightly sore, but certainly ready for another day on the trail. The trail climbed gradually, but continually without any detours today. Today was the closest attempt ever to follow my original hiking pattern. I decided it would be best to walk 1 hour, rest 15 minutes, walk 1 hour, ...

With a clear grasp of today's distance and the security of a continuous trail, I predicted the end of my walking at 1:30pm. It came as a surprise (and a welcome one) that I arrived at about 1:00pm. Clearly I was making slightly better than 4km/hour.

Other than some good views across the valley, the trail today was quite ordinary. My struggle to regain my trail form is not quite over, as I was hurting in the later half of the day. Nothing to do but keep on keeping on.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Day 43

Greetings from the trail,

Today I traveled about 22km to the Arlington Lakes Rec Site. It felt good to be back on the trail, but I could already tell that some of my conditioning had gone down the tube in the 12 days back home. I'll have to be diligent when I get to Vancouver to make sure I don't become complacent in my health habits.

The day started with a short, but interesting stretch along a gravel road before rejoining the trail grade. The trail continued on for the rest of the day with reasonably thick tree cover. There was only one detour from the predictability of the rail grade.

Near the tiny village of Carmi, the trail swings west then east for a nearly 12km - long switchback. By cutting back to the highway it was possible to cover the distance in less than 3 kms. This of course meant I was in for some steeper climbs. I was surprised just how steep, however. To get back to the trail I followed a rough service road steeply up the side of the mountain. It was steep enough to make me stop and catch my breath several times. It felt good getting to the top. It was good both to know I was done, and to know I was still up for the challenges of the trail.

By the end of the day I was getting quite tired. The sight of my destination was very welcome. I quickly changed my boots for sandals and laid down to rest. Hopefully my sore legs will recover over night and be good to go tomorrow.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

The Wedding Break

Greetings from Beaverdell,

It's Wednesday, August 15th and I'm a day away from rejoining the trail. I'm camping in Beaverdell tonight at Zach's Campground - the same as when I arrived here. It seems like I was just here. Maybe that's 'cause I was.

I got home in four stages. The first was a bus ride from Beaverdell to Kelowna. I called Rock Creek for the Greyhound on Saturday morning as I had been instructed when I arrived there. The bus was supposed to came at about 12:30pm but didn't show up until 1:10pm. Needless to say, I was getting kind of anxious. I was beginning to wonder if I'd somehow missed it. From there it was easy street to Kelowna.

I made an error in judgement concerning Kelowna. I should have realized that it would be difficult to find someplace on the Saturday of a summer long weekend. The second stage of my trip home was walking toward the airport while looking for a place to stay. I managed to find a dorm room in UBC's Okanagan campus, not far from the airport. After staying the night, it was a brief 30 minute walk to the airport.

The third stage of the journey was depressingly short. After getting through airport security and onto the plane, it was a 52 minute flight to Calgary. How could it be so short? My Dad meet me at the airport and took me to my new brother-in-law's place min Okatoks where my Mom and sister were waiting.

The final stage was the drive home to Camrose. We stopped in Airdrie along the way to visit family and friends at my cousin's gift opening. I repeated my stories many times, but was glad to see familiar faces and have someone to talk with. After leaving, we drove the rest of the way to Camrose while having a nice family chat.

The next days were spent preparing for the wedding and of course, attending the wedding itself. I enjoyed it greatly, but the stress of a wedding causes its own problems. In the end, everything turned out great.

The rest of the time was spent relaxing and preparing to go back. (Dad and Mom drove me back) On the drive here we took highway 3 and I pointed out all the paths I took and the details I could remember. It was quite amazing to see just how far I've walked. It's quite impressive what I've accomplished so far. Unfortunately, I'm also reminded of how much further I have to go. I will make it though.

It will be interesting to see how my body reacts tomorrow and in the next week. I'm looking forward to making more progress and seeing more sights.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Greetings from Camrose

Greetings from off the trail,

I've made it to Camrose after some interesting travels to Kelowna and Calgary. I've had a chance to see many friends and family and will see more on Friday at Leah's wedding. I'll be returning to the trail after the weekend and will continue pressing on towards Vancouver.

One of my goals has been accomplished even beyond my wildest expectations. On June 21, 2007 I weighed in at a particularly unhealthy 312lbs. On August 5, 2007 my new weigh-in value was an amazing 257lbs. That makes a total of 55lbs lost over 46 days, averaging over 1 pound per day.

My blog is now fully up to date. Be sure to check back in a few weeks when my next updates from the trail should be arriving.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Fri August 3, 2007 - Day 42

Greetings from the trail,

Today was my last day of making actual progress on the trail before returning home for my sister's wedding.

Just past my campsite, the trail had a sign posted that said it was closed to all traffic. I can't say why this was, but I figured I'd follow along so I hiked up the hill to highway 33 nearby. I decided to follow along the highway instead of wasting time trying to get back onto the trail further down the road. I followed it the rest of the way to Beaverdell ~18km.

The road has regular traffic, but is not nearly as busy as highway 3. It was tucked in behind a mountain which provided shade for most of the morning. By the end of the day, I was ready to be done and was glad to see Beaverdell up the road. I had a great feeling of accomplishment having made it to this interim point of the trip and am now looking forward to making my way home to spend some time with my family and let my body recover from the past 6 weeks.

See you in Alberta,

Joshua Ganes

Thu August 2, 2007 - Day 41

Greetings from the trail,

Today's trip had me following a little more road than I would have liked and facing a little more sun and heat than I would have liked, but was otherwise quite ordinary.

One interesting spot was nearing the end of my hike when I came across a privately owned free rest stop. The gentleman who owns the place is 85 years old and loves to meet the people passing through on the trail. He brought down fresh ice water to drink and chatted with me for a while about my trip and what was ahead in the days to come. It was a great place to stop, I wish there were more like it along the way.

By the end of the day I was really hurting, but the last few kilometers featured some impressive canyon areas and white water. I'm camping on the side of the river. It's a nice little spot, but the sand is getting into everything.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wed August 1, 2007 - Day 40

Greetings from the trail,

After tonight's sleep I'll have been out here 40 days and 40 nights. That's a long time!

Today I reached the heart of the territory of selfish land owners. This is where one owner bulldozed over the public right-of-way running through his property and placed signs telling travellers to go around on the road. This was at least better than the owner who placed a large fence across the trail with no signage whatsoever. I was forced to cut across his neighbor's private land to work my way around. According to the book, there's a few similar situations just north of here as it advises an alternate route along the highway.

I continued past Rock Creek and into Kettle River Provincial Park. My feet are killing me, but I must press on to catch my bus in Beaverdell.

I got the last campsite of the day today. Numbered for Sidney Crosby, site #87 is nowhere near as impressive as the player. It didn't matter much as I spent the later part of the day swimming in the river waiting for the sun to go down so I could go to sleep.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Tue July 31, 2007 - Day 39

Greetings from the trail,

Long ago I predicted I'd cross from July to August in the town of Midway. Today (the 31st) I made it to Midway to prove myself a great prophetic prognosticator. Of course, I also added an extra 8km to my trip to make certain.

The trip was decent, but could have stood some extra shade along the later part of the day. All in all, the rail grade is holding up to most of my lofty expectations.

I met a couple of gentlemen in town who were biking from Kelowna to Castlegar. They seemed impressed by my ambitious trek. One of them, recognizing my Oilers hat, asked me what I know about Shawn Horcoff. It seems he knows the Horcoff family.

The other accomplishment of the day was to make plans for my return to Camrose for my sister's wedding. I will continue walking 4 days to Beaverdell where I will catch a Greyhound bus up to Kelowna to fly to Calgary on Sunday morning. My parents will be in Cowtown that weekend for my cousin Matt's renewal of wedding vows. They'll take me the rest of the way home.

I'm coming home slightly earlier than I wanted, but the difference of a couple more days on the trail would be hundreds of dollars more than my cheap flight. The tentative return plan it to drive with my parents as they visit BC for vacation. With over a week off, I hope I don't lose my groove.

As I crossed the Old Cascade Highway a few days back, I passed from the West Kootenay to the Boundary region. Midway is the border between the Boundary and Okanagan regions. With the Rocky Mountain region already complete, that makes 419 + 109 + 104 = 632km travelled so far according to my book.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon July 30, 2007 - Day 38

Greetings from the trail,

As I wrote about a few days ago, I originally imagined the TCT differently than reality has presented so far. Most of today was pretty close to my original conception.

I started off on a bad foot by trying to match my book to the town to find the start of the trail out of town. After mucking around a bit and asking for directions, I was off for another day.

The trail continued up all day, but with the grade so low I barely noticed. A few hours in, I was on a cliff side overlooking the valley. The trail was reasonably well-covered by trees and made for a very pleasant hike.

I went through my first two tunnels today and was impressed by their size. It was very dark in the middle. I'm camping just east of the historic site of the former town called Eholt.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sun July 29, 2007 - Day 37

Greetings from the trail,

As Futurama's Professor Farnsworth would say, "'Huzzah's are in order." After a short walk beside the highway, I finally reached the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. This long stretch of abandoned railway will be my home for the majority of the remaining journey.

The abandoned rail line is simply a gravel right-of-way winding through the countryside. Occasionally there's a detour into a city or onto a road, but over 90% of the time it's just the rail grade. This is great as I no longer need to dodge cars. I also know that I need not fear steep grades. As I said previously, trains don't like hills.

All that being said, there's one thing I didn't like about today's path: it did not have much shade. It was just a path through wide open fields for much of the day. I hope that changes in the days to come.

I'm camping at the municipal campground in Grand Forks. It's not the greatest spot, but there's plenty of large trees nearby to hide under.

I was hoping to get a decent restaurant lunch today, but found that most places in the city center were closed. It was nice to see a town that is calm enough to close down on Sunday. It was, unfortunately, also inconvenient.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sat July 28, 2007 - Day 36

Greetings from the trail,

It turns out that I did only need 1 more day to reach Christina Lake, and the trail was kinder (though not by much). I skipped my journal entry yesterday, and I think you'll soon see why.

The day started as expected: uphill. I climbed and climbed, taking many long rests along the way. After climbing up very steep grades and back and forth on switchbacks all morning from just after 6:00am to nearly noon, I finally reached the summit. All that climbing brought me a grand total of 10km. After that, I was looking forward to fopping at another rec sit ~8km ahead according to my map.

I reached the spot where the map showed the rec site about 2 hours later. The climb down was a welcome change from toiling uphill, but still wore on my feet. I did not see the campsite, but continued, hopeful that it was just around the next bend. After 2 more kilometers, I was convinced I'd missed it. A sign along the road read 12km, which I took to mean the distance to Christina Lake. At least I got that right.

After another 3 hours of walking plus a few short breaks, I was finally in Christina Lake. I found a lousy campground nearby and bought a couple of cold drinks at the Esso station. I set up camp in the massive heat of the evening. In total, I travelled over 32km over top of a freakin' mountain from 6:05am to 4:55pm.

At least the campground had a decent shower. I went in for a cool shower to relieve the heat and stress of the day. It was nice to cool off, but I could barely stand up in the stall - my feet were so tired.

After a decent night's sleep it was clear that my feet were still recovering from the previous day. I let myself sleep in a little longer than usual and trotted off to have a restaurant breakfast. It was nothing fancy, but it was good to feel full.

I returned to camp and packed up, feeling quite confident I could find a better place. A kilometer or two down the road I found just what I was looking for. For $10 I'm staying in a site just above the campground's river beach area. The swimming is excellent, with cliff jumping available across the river (my favourite).

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Thu July 26, 2007 - Day 34

Greetings from the trail,

Today was one of the most unusual days on the trail so far. It started with how I woke up. I'd camped on a bit of a slope, but nearest to flat as I could find on the side of the mountain. When I woke up, I found that the tent base had become a wall as I'd rolled the tent in the night.

Recovering from that, I set off to continue my descent down the narrow trail. The trek was extremely slow moving as I fought gravity over the steep slopes all the way down. I wanted to take no chances of sending myself tumbling down the mountainside.

When I reached the bottom, the trail intersected with a dirt road and had no trace on the other side. This was contract to the book, which showed the trail continuing straight across. I continued cautiously, following a series of white marking flags and nearly completely overgrown trail up another large hill. I nearly lost the trail several times before it finally opened up into a properly marked, clear path.

When I first imagined the TCT through BC - before I ever set foot on the trail - I imagined it to be like many of the hiking trails I've been on for short, 1-day hikes. I imagined tall cedars and pines blocking out the sun around a wide, clear trail progressing ever onwards toward my destination of Vancouver. I already know this image was not entirely true, but I imagined it was a lot closer than reality has proved over the last 34 days. Anyhow, this short piece of trail finally matched my imagination nearly spot-on. I found myself revelling in its exquisite goodness.

Shortly after that, the trail rejoined the gravel road that I followed yesterday and I began climbing again toward the Santa Rosa Summit. I stopped at the Santa Rosa recreational campground, which is very nicely shaded with a freezing cold stream running by.

I doubt I made it over 12km today, but it took all day to get here. There's a chance I'll make it to Christina Lake tomorrow, but only if the trail is kinder.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wed July 25, 2007 - Day 33

Greetings from the trail,

I missed making an entry yesterday, but I think you'll soon understand why.

Yesterday was characterized by 3 choices. The first of those choices I handled poorly. When I woke up, I was still tired from the combination of too much reading and too much heat. It was too hot to sleep. Pam offered to take me back right away, or wait a few hours 'til she returned. My laziness kicked in and I decided to rest and read.

The second of my choices was excellent. I got into Trail a little before 10:00am and was planning to walk up the hill ~12km to Rossland. When I was the sign flash 33 degrees Celsius, I changed my mind and decided to hide in the shade and read. I crossed the bridge to the shady and cool Gyro Park and spent the afternoon reading in the shade. I finished the book a little after 6:00pm as I was also enjoying a live musical performance in the park. I can scarcely remember a more relaxing time.

My last choice was dangerous and could have worked out very poorly. In the end it turned out all right. I could simply have made my way back to the campground nearby and gotten an early start, instead I decided to try to press on with the temperature dropping and the sun still up. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

The sun set more quickly than I'd anticipated and the hill was steep and long. As time wore on, I grew increasingly concerned about making it and increasingly frustrated by the stupidity of the drivers who seemed incapable of grasping the concept of changing to the inner of their two available lanes.

When I finally made it into camp, I was very relieved and carrying my flashlight. Luckily, there was no need to check in, as it was getting late. By the time I got into bed, the night air was getting cool. It made for one of the best night's sleep I've had out here on the trail.

This morning I woke up later than usual, but pressed on to hike up the Old Cascade Highway. Another uphill stretch for 12km before reaching the summit.

Part way up I was getting hot and tired, so I stopped at the side of the road to lay down. When I looked up after a while there was a bear standing by my gear about 20-30ft away. I was very surprised and a little scared as I jumped up and grabbed a branch. The bear looked surprised as well and quickly ran off in the opposite direction. That one got my heart going.

I've now crossed the Cascade Summit and am camping at the edge of the Dewdney Trail. It's nice to be on a real trail again.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon July 23, 2007 - Day 31

Greetings from the trail,

As I mentioned yesterday, today was a big hike. I decided to get going as early as possible and was on the road at 4:50am. It was a good idea with such a hot day and more climbing than I expected. I couldn't tell you why the road climbed so high above the reservoir, it seemed totally unnecessary.

After climbing up and out and back down to the highway, I was still left with several kilometers into Trail along the highway. As I passed the industrial area south of town a flashing sign reported the time and temperature: 8:36am, 26 degrees Celsius. It was then that I knew I was in for a really hot day.

After a while I got into a more populated area. The first shopping place I saw was a Wal-Mart. I was getting hot, so I sat in the store's shade drinking 35 cent Wal-Mart pop. I finished off 3 for a total of $1.05. I love cheap pop! I then went inside and found some food and, more importantly, a copy of Harry Potter.

I completed my hike into Trail and stopped for lunch in McDonald's where I called the Lyttles. As I couldn't reach them right away, I decided to find a nice spot to read my new book.

Later in the day Pam called me and arranged to take me to their place for the night. While I was waiting for her to pick me up, I saw another flashing time and temperature sign: 3:34pm, 41 degrees Celsius. Never before have I seen a temperature in the 40s without a minus sign in front. I hope never to see either again.

I went to the Lyttle's place and talked and had supper. Later I watch a little news on their TV and grabbed a refreshing, cool shower. I'm off to bed now, probably to read a couple of chapter of Harry Potter first.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sun July 22, 2007 - Day 30

Greetings from the trail,

Today's hike was a pleasant change from the past week or so. I walked along the Pend d'Orielle Reservoir along a relatively unused dirt road. The views over the reservoir were excellent. Unfortunately, the heat was catching up with me by the end of the day.

I camped at the Buckley Campground run for free by BC Hydro. It's got great access to the reservoir for swimming, but not a lot of shade. I found enough to make do with, however.

I also met an interesting, and very drunk guy who claimed to be on leave from the army. He was quite a charmer to those camping around me, but had a personality that quickly put me off. It made for some amusement for a while 'til he argued with his friend over the keys to drive home.

I'm afraid I've left myself a considerable hike to Trail, which I plan to reach tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet some old family friends - Wayne and Pam Lyttle. They have offered to feed me and to put a roof over my head for a night. Who am I to turn down such an offer after a full month out here on the trail?

The other good thing about getting to Trail is that I should be able to buy a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Ever since watching the Order of the Phoenix in Creston, I've been eager to read the final book.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sat July 21, 2007 - Day 29

Greetings from the trail,

I woke up early today and got on the road by 5:15am. That may be the earliest start to date. The trail continued downward for some distance until I hit the highway 6 junction. I then followed highway 6 south to the Nelway border crossing. I made it to within 50ft of the border, but didn't want to cause trouble by trying to get into the US for just a moment.

I travelled about 20km today. My legs are pretty sore from the last couple days, so I'm hoping they'll heal with some well-earned rest.

One final note is that as I crossed the pass yesterday, I finally left what my book calls the "Rocky Mountain Region." The book says it is 419km long, though I would argue for a little more. I'm now in the "West Kootenay Region" which is much shorter. I plan to cross it in 4-5 days.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Fri July 20, 2007 - Day 28

Greetings from the trail,

Today was a tale of two days, or portions of a day anyhow. The first half of the day started at 6:15am and lasted to 12:00 noon. I continued struggling up the hill, but did not have the energy of yesterday's climb. I took more and longer rests than on any other day on the trail so far. When I reached the summit, I rested at a picnic table and made myself a warm lunch using my camp stove.

The second half of the day was all downhill, and I felt energized by my lunch. It started at 1:00pm and ended at about 5:00pm. This was certainly my longest day on the trail yet. However, I still only covered slightly over 20km. After such a day, a nice rest would be welcome. Unfortunately, my campsite today is less than ideal. Oh well, time for sleep.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Thu July 19, 2007 - Day 27

Greetings from the trail,

Today started out great. It rained overnight and continued to lightly sprinkle in the morning. The rain made the entire forest smell and look richer and thicker than it had before. The mist hung low and covered some of the trees. I love that.

Along my trek I've climbed a number of hills. The particularly long or steep ones I've called "the hill of death" as I struggled toward the top. None compare to today's hill of death. It started right out of camp and hasn't ended yet. There have been grades as high as 8% and the hill kept going up all day. Even with the hill I made ~22km today, so I'm quite proud of myself.

With hills come great views. I've seen a lot of them today looking across the valley and down toward Summit Creek, which runs beside the highway.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wed July 18, 2007 - Day 26

Greetings from the trail,

I'll start with yesterday evening. My aunt showed up a little before 6:00pm and took me out to a nice dinner. I had streak, prawns, a baked potato, and vegetables. There may be something I'm forgetting. Anyhow, it was very good.

Better than the meal was the chance to visit with someone I know. I've had a lot of thoughts and experiences so far. It was nice to have someone to share them with. Thanks again Auntie Shirley!

I only walked ~13-14km today to the Summit Creek campsite. The guidebook said ti was a nice place to camp, but reminded me to bring the mosquito spray. They were right about one thing: there's lots of mosquitoes.

The camp is quite an eerie place. It appears to have been abandoned for several years. There are many structures that have fallen into disrepair. This included a fully plumbed bathroom that has been taken over by animals and what appears to be an old bridge crossing the creek. There's a rather imposing set of concrete steps leading up, with two large broken beams set in the top. At the back of the stairs are two sturdy-looking, metal eye-hooks. On the other side of the creek it appears to have a twin. I can only assume this was once a cable bridge over the creek.

Anyhow, it's warm here and tomorrow I start up the "Kootenay Pass." The forecast is cooler for tomorrow. I hope it holds true.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Tue July 17, 2007 - Day 25

Greetings from the trail,

Today is a rest day. The past five days have taken their toll in the heat of the sun. I only walked a short distance across town to a campground. The hostel I stayed in was decent, but would have made leaving early tomorrow difficult.

I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. It was pretty decent and had some impressive special effects. I was most intrigued by the portrayal of Luna Lovegood. In the audio books, her character's voice and deliver are very unbelievable. I think I liked the movie character better as she seemed almost believable. Anyhow, it was nice to watch a movie.

I'm currently waiting for my laundry to finish. It'll be nice not to smell of rancidness for a change. I've done my best to keep things clean and fresh. Washing in a stream just doesn't cut it really.

The rest of the day will be spent hiding in the shade. My aunt Shirley will be driving to Airdrie, AB from Mission, BC and is planning to follow highway 3 so she can stop in Creston and meet me here. I expect to see her around supper time this evening. It'll be nice to see someone I know.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Mon July 16, 2007 - Day 24

Greetings from the trail,

Today I completed the 5-day trek from Cranbrook to Creston. 4 of those days went along highway 3. As best as I can figure, that's about 105km in 5 days. I'm pretty satisfied with myself today.

I'm staying at the Snoring Sasquatch Hostel today and it's still early in the day. I'm not sure what I'll do this evening - maybe I'll catch a movie at the local theatre.

I saw some fantastic views today as the highway climbed over the Goat River valley. The mountains here are covered by trees and, therefore, a little less spectacular than those at the start of the trip. Nonetheless, they are fantastic when you enter a narrow valley enclosed on all sides.

I was thinking today that I did not stress enough about the severity of the wind storm earlier in my trip by the town of Hosmer, just north of Fernie. People I've met have asked me about it for over a week following. Right through to Cranbrook, I've seen an abundance of freshly fallen trees. I can only assume they are a result of the storm. I hope nothing of the sort happens again while I'm out here.

I was also thinking today about the people I've seen more than once out here. There was the taxi driver I met north of Elkford who later spotted me in Sparwood. There was a truck driver who offered me a ride on day 3 or 4 and later stopped to ask me about my trip near Elko. There was the lady who I asked for a drink by Wapiti Lake. The next day she stopped to chat briefly half way to Bull River. There was a gentleman who simply said hello by Moyie Lake and then came to ask me about my trip at Yahk. The strangest of all may be the park attendant I discussed directions with at Moyie Lake Provincial Park. Two days later his wife, an attendant at Yahk Provincial Park, came and talked to me about my journey. It's quite amazing the way things go. I wonder how many more I'll meet along the way.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Sun. July 15, 2007 - Day 23

Greetings from the trail,

It's hard to say exactly how far I made it today. I'd put it at least at 25 kms, but other than time on the road, I've seen very few landmarks or signs to indicate distance.

I'm staying at the Rider's Ranch biker campground. I figure "biker" and "hiker" aren't too far apart. So far I'm the only one here anyway.

The owner is a nice guy. He pointed out the local cafe and a decent swimming hole nearby. I'd have found the cafe anyway, but it has great food at reasonable prices. If you're ever in Kitchener, BC, check out the Home Style Cafe.

I would not however, have found the swimming hole just down the road. A small, little sandy spot in the local creek that was great for cooling down in the afternoon sun.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Sat. July 14, 2007 - Day 22

Greetings from the trail,

Beginning week 4 today. I wonder what happened in the middle there. I started on a rapid pace to Fernie. From there it took far too long to reach Cranbrook. Now it feels like I'm back on track as I reached Yahk today.

I'm staying at the provincial park here and it seems nice enough. The heat wave continues.

Like I said, I'm making good time right now as I've traveled about 70 kms in three days. I'm quite proud of that. I hope to keep it up and make Creston about 45 kms away in the next two days.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

P.S. I also finally made it into the Pacific time zone today.

Fri. July 13, 2007 - Day 21

Greetings from the trail,

I HATE roadside barriers and narrow bridges! Most of the day went as expected today. I travelled alongside the highway and saw many great views over Moyie Lake. The problem is when there's a small wall beside the road. The road narrows and I become a prime target in "squish the hiker against the wall." So far I'm winning, but not entirely pleased.

The worst of the day was a narrow bridge over the river. I waited for all visible traffic to clear, but several cars still passed me about half way across. Nowhere to run and hide, but do the cars slow down? No. Argh!

Anyhow, I made it about 24 kms in the heat of the day. It's getting late and it's still a scorcher out there.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Thurs, July 12, 2007 - Day 20

Greetings from the trail,

Today was much more productive than yesterday. I walked about 22 kms from Cranbrook to Moyie lake provincial Park. The trail started as a main road, then turned into a country road, and eventually became a dirt road. The first half of the day seemed to be uphill. The later half made good by coming back down again.

The campground here is nice. it has plenty of space and a beach on the lake. I took a quick dip in the lake and managed to avoid the heat of the day while I dried off.

I'm not looking forward to the next while, as the TCT follows highway 3 for several days.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Wed. July 11, 2007 - Day 19

Grettings from the trail,

Not much to report today. I only walked a short distance to the municipal campground here in Cranbrook. My right pinkie toe was having problems, so I decided taking it easy for one more day would be best.

After eating a little more regularly here in town, I'm feeling a little more chunky than when I arrived. I'll need it though as the trail is clearly having an effect on my weight. I tried out a store scale yesterday and was down about 20 lbs.

The only other excitement was a power loss at Safeway while I was shopping for supplies. It was kinds cool to wander the dark aisles for a few minuets before the power came back.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Not a great typer

Hi! This is Josh's Mom. I'm not the greatest typer so sorry about the mistakes on the blogs. I'll try to do better. Hope you can figure out my mistakes and enjoy the blogs anyhow. I have a few more days to post, but it's late and I'm tired. I'll try to get back to it soon. Wedding plans keep me busy so I can't always get to this as fast I'd like. I'll try to keep up. Bye for now.

Tuesday July 10, 2007 - Day 18

Greetings from the trail,

I'm happy to report that today for the first time since Day 1, I actually walked on an actual trail. After a few kms along a gravel road, the trail broke off from the road and ran through the open country side.

The only problem with this was that it lead to a few extra mosquitoes. The trail wound its way around and went up and down some significant slopes. It seems that it it has not been maintained recently as I had to climb over, under, and around several fallen trees. After some time, the trail came to a picnic table at the top of a grassy hill. You could see mountains and hills for miles in all directions. Certainly a sight to behold.

A short while after that the trail joined an abandoned CP Rail line that brought me the final 7 kms into Cranbrook. It was nice to follow the rail grade as I knew the slopes would not be too severe. Trains don't like hills.

I'm staying in a hotel tonight. It's nice to get a little taste of civilization. I was surprised to see some of the large hotel chains are charging over $120. per night. Ouch!! This place is decent and has everything I want at a much more reasonable rate.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Monday July, 2007 - Day 17

Greetings from the trail,

Today was largely uneventful. If it's possible to have an ordinary day out here, this was it.

I got up and thankfully, the mosquitoes were far less aggressive. I walked about 17 - 18 kms to the camp at Fort Steele, just across the Kootenay River. Nothing particularly eventful happened. It's been a decent day.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Sunday July 6, 2007 - Day 16

Greetings from the trail,

Today I continued to break away from the TCT. Not because it looks inefficient, but because I'm taking it easy. I only traveled about 9 kms to Norbury Lake Provincial Park. Tomorrow I'm off to Fort Steele.

Taking down camp this morning was quite an ordeal as I was swarmed by hundreds of mosquitoes. I'd kill dozens by scraping my hands across my legs and arms only to have more take their place. Where do they all come from? Doesn't nature ever run out?

I'm currently at camp relaxing. The only thing keeping me from being eaten alive is that I smell like a can of Off. I certainly hope these bugs die and go away soon.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Saturday July 7, 2007 - Day 15 (07/07/07)

Greetings from the trail,

After yesterday's troubles I made a decision. My goal has always been to walk to Vancouver, not necessarily to follow the TCT. As such, when the TCT wanders pointlessly, I will not hesitate to take a more direct route.

Today instead of wandering "Pickering Hills" route, I simply followed the Wanderer - Fort Steele road. The trip was short and landed me beside the exceptionally cold and fast Bull River.

This seems to be a popular spot as several people have stopped by for a quick dip or to go fishing. One guy simply dove in, Cast out, and immediately hooked a large fish. It was certainly big, but I'm no expert. He said it was a 5 pounder. Not bad for such a simple effort.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

Friday July 6, 2007 - Day 14

Today my book lied to me again. The day started well as I headed north to Jaffray where I stopped to mail my Journal entries and grab a quick snack on my way through town. I quickly found the TCT heading west along the railroad tracks. That is where the book failed me.

Instead of the gentle curve to the south suggested on the map, the trail plunged deeply to the south before heading west, and just slightly north. When it finally started heading north, it became the dustiest (sp?) road known to mankind. The dust was a fine powder at least 2 inches deep in the ruts and maybe 6 inches between them. Walking was like walking on sand. I felt like I was being pulled backward with each step. It was truly an awful experience.

Since the trail took me nearly 2 hours further than expected in the heat of the day, my water planning was not panning out so well. I did not see any streams or lakes past Jaffray and there were no people around to help either. As such, at the first house I saw, I stopped and asked for something to drink. I hate doing that, but it was starting to be a pressing concern. A very kind lady invited me in to drink and to chat. I nearly drained her pitcher of iced tea.

My distrust in my book cost me another hour when the unnamed road I was to take to Wapiti Lake was not marked with a trail sign. Instead I went around the lake before coming to it the sure way.

The lake itself is nice enough to look at but is no good for swimming and is difficult to fetch drinking water from. A poor reward for a hard day's efforts.

The worst part of today's mess is that I looked at the map in Jaffray and thought it might simply be easier to continue on highway 3. Had I done so, I probably would have saved 2-3 hours of walking. Ugh!

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes

July 5, 2007 Cay 13

Today's trip went a whole lot smoother than yesterday. After a quick jaunt from the campground back to the main road. I followed the main road until a sign told me to go right for North Star Lake. The road I followed was not technically the TCT, But it was a much clearer route. I traveled about 18 km.

This recreational campground is one of the nicest I've visited so far. It's clean and well organized I'm sitting right beside the lake. After hiking far too long in the hot summer sun, it was great to go for my first swim of the trip. The water was quite warm, but cool enough to relieve myself from the heat.

Tomorrow I plan to reach Wapiti Lake. Hopefully it's as nice as this place.

See you on the trail.
Joshua Ganes

Greetings from Creston

Greetings from the trail,

I'm in Creston today, and managed to find an internet kiosk to use. I'm doing well and am sending my next set of journal entries home today. Let's see how long it takes Canada Post to get them to Camrose and for my parents to get them up.

Glad to hear some of you are thinking of me anyway. I hope you're all having a good summer and look forward to seeing some of you come August for Leah's wedding.

See you on the trail,

Joshua Ganes

Wednesday July 4, 2007 Day 12

Greetings from the trail.

Today my book attempted to defy reality several times. My guide to the trail has been pretty decent so far, but today it turned against me.

It began by sending me south from Elko on a trail eventually destined to intersect highway 93. This would be fine if the trail existed, a fact the book neglects to mention on the map page, but instead comments in passing about it in the description. I then tried a convenient looking road near by that would by-pass the gap in the trail, only to find that the road is highly restricted. Once again, no comment about this can be found on the map.

I then decided to back track and walk highway 3 to 93 and rejoin the trail there. Once again, the book lied to me about the access route's location. The book had it clearly beyond a major curve in the highway. Luckily, I noticed the TCT signs as the road crossed the highway.

From there the trail continues to a small, marshy lake. The map said the trail passes to the west of the lake, while in reality it is really to the east. This was simply another point for confusion.

I continued on to the small town of Baynes Lake. It would appear this town is at the nexus of the universe, as when the map lied to me yet again about the location of a near by campsite I asked a few passing vehicles. The first 2 I asked were both lost too. Excellent!!!

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes