Stiletto Diaries™

Always Bring A Compass, It’s Awkward When You Have To Eat Your Friends

Posted on August 24th, 2010 in Does All Her Own Stunts, Featured, Made In Alberta

For months I’ve been pondering and planning a multi-day hiking trip in the backcountry of Banff.  Aiden and I picked up a copy of Backcountry Banff by Mike Potter, and spent more than a few hours pouring over the pages, discussing the pros and cons of various trails.  Jack eagerly agreed that a hiking trip is precisely the perfect way to celebrate my 28th birthday, and so we’ve been collecting gear, and gathering necessary information to facilitate the trip.

On Thursday we leave for the mountains, where we will spend a night camped at the base of the trail.  At the crack of dawn on Friday morning, we set out for Johnston Falls, and beyond to Luellen Lake.  We should be able to make it all the way to the lake in one day, and spend the entirety of Saturday exploring the area around the lake, and maybe doing a little fishing.  I hope we see a lot of wildlife.

On Sunday we hike out and head for home.  Depending on the schedule and how things go, we may hike part-way back on Saturday afternoon, but that will be decided based on how long it takes us to get from the tailhead to the lake on the first day.

Fortunately, this trip has allowed me to indulge my inner gear-whore and buy all sorts of useful and awesome items for hiking and backpacking.

From left to right, beginning at the top:

1. High Sierra Long Trail 90L Backpack

2. MSR Miniworks Ex Microfilter

3. SealLine Baja Dry Bag (20L)

4. Platypus Big Zip SL Hydration System

5. GSI Halulite Minimalist Cookware

6. Sea To Summit iPood Pocket Trowel

7. The North Face Double Headed Toad 44 3-Season Tent

8. Therm-A-Rest BaseCamp Mattress

9. Ascend -29°C Mummy Sleeping Bag

Not shown, but still awesome:

1. Esbit Pocket Stove

2. MSR PocketRocket Stove

3. RedHead 116L External-Frame Pack

4. Stainless Steel Spork

5. Brunton Compass

I plan to take my big Canon camera, even if it weighs quite a bit, in the name of good photography.  I will also do my best to update my Twitter and Twitpic accounts with photos and quips about how the trip is going.  I have no idea what cell phone service will be like in the backcountry, so updates may be sporadic at best.