Publications 3

In September 2017 I shared a post called Publications 2, which was an update about where some of my writing and photography work had been featured. I thought it was time for another one, so I created this post to highlight what's been happening since then. I hope you enjoy it!

On November 4th, 2017 Nakiska was the second ski resort in Canada to open to the public. Thanks to Seekers Media I was there for opening day. My photos and video were shared on the Snow Seekers website and I also blogged about the whole experience right here. It was the second time I was contracted by the Seekers Team (the first time was my mountain biking adventure in Cypress Hills) and I hope for more opportunities in the future!

Opening day at Nakiska was lots of fun!

The Great Trail (formerly known as the Trans-Canada Trail) was completed in 2017 in conjunction with Canada's sesquicentennial. In celebration of this major accomplishment Canadian Geographic hosted a photo competition and asked for submissions from across Canada in one of their five designated categories. I submitted a couple of photos and then forgot all about it. In late November I received an email saying one of my photos had been chosen as a runner-up in the People On The Trail category. The photo that was chosen was one I snapped during a bike ride on the High Rockies Trail that runs through the Spray Valley into the heart of Kananaskis Country. The High Rockies Trail also represents the highest point on The Great Trail, which is pretty cool itself. As a runner-up I received a copy of Biggest and Best of Canada: 1,000 Facts and Figures and a one-year subscription to Canadian Geographic. To view the winning photographs in each of the five categories please follow this link and to see the rest of the runner-ups click here.

My photo that was chosen as a runner-up in the People On The Trail category

In addition to the one-year subscription to Canadian Geographic I also won the book Biggest and Best of Canada

Also in November another one of my photos earned some praise from LifeProof. They were running a fall photo contest via Instagram. I tagged a few of my fall-themed photos with their hashtag #LifeProofFallContest and waited to see the results. The photograph below was chosen as one of the winners and I received a sweet prize pack containing some awesome LifeProof swag. The photo was taken from the summit of the Banff Mountain Gondola earlier in the fall.

My winning photograph as featured on the LifeProof Instagram page

The sweet prize pack that I won from LifeProof

At the beginning of February I was contacted by the Elbow River Watershed Partnership (ERWP) to inform me that one of the photos I submitted to their photo contest had been selected to appear in their 2018 calendar. Although I was not the grand prize winner, nor one of the two runner-ups, my photo was considered one of the top twelve and therefore would appear inside the calendar. To read the full announcement for the winning photographs please see the Vol. 2017 (4) - December 2017 edition of Eyes on the Elbow. The photo I submitted was of a coyote hunting in the Weaselhead area. To read about that unforgettable encounter and to see additional photos from that experience please visit my post titled, Mousing Around. Since my photo was chosen to be included I received a complimentary copy of the calendar.

The front of the calendar with the grand prize winning photograph on the cover

My photo of a coyote hunting in the Weaselhead was the feature photo for January

This spring Parks Canada was running an online social media contest called #ParksStories. Each week they put out a new theme and folks are encouraged to share their most memorable moments from national parks across Canada. The theme in early June was your best paddling stories, so I decided to share photos from the different glacier-fed lakes Christine and I have paddled on. Shortly thereafter Parks Canada contacted me saying congratulations as my story had been chosen as the weekly winner. As a result my #ParksStory was prominently featured across all of their social media platforms for an entire week.

This is the featured banner on their Twitter account

This is what their pinned tweet looked like

Here's the banner from their Facebook page

Here's their pinned Facebook post

In September 2018, Beakerhead rolled into Calgary for their annual festival dedicated to the crossroads of Art, Science, and Engineering. The Weaselhead Preservation Society had an interactive exhibit at the Mount Royal University Library and one of my coyote photos was part of this virtual experience. I was blown away to have some of my photos featured in this exhibit and to be apart of Beakerhead was really incredible.

The Weaselhead Virtual Experience was described as,

"Come explore the Weaselhead Park through an all-day immersive installation with 360-degree visuals and VR headsets. At 5:30pm meet those studying the Weaselhead and the biological impacts of the Southwest Ring Road. Presented by Weaselhead Park Preservation Society and Mount Royal University Library, Riddell Library and Learning Centre."

Please follow this link for a complete photo gallery of the event. If you're interested in seeing all of my coyote photos from that memorable encounter, please visit my previous post titled, Mousing Around.

A Tweet from Weaselhead Park about my photo feature

Another Tweet from the MRU Library that features one of my coyote photos

A hunting coyote on display at the Virtual Weaselhead Experience

Another one of my coyote features is in the background of this picture

In late summer 2018 AlbertaToursim.com, an independent tourism company, reached out and asked me if they could feature a couple of my blog posts on their website. Of course I agreed, as they're promoting things that I love to do, so now you can view a couple of my stories on their site.

Our camping trip to the Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation Area and our day-hike to Burstall Pass are both featured on the blog section of the webpage. They have also used one of my photos, another from Burstall Pass, on their post about the Town of Canmore.

It's pretty cool to have my work featured on another website and I feel honoured that they liked my writing enough to include it.


The night of January 20th, 2019 there was a Super Blood Wolf Moon in the Calgary sky. I was also invited to attend the launch party for the Last Best IPA. Albeerta Provisions partnered with the Calgary Tower to have the tower light up green to coincide with the release of their latest beer. On my way to the party I stopped downtown and captured the following shot, showing the tower, its reflection, and the shining moon. The photo was well received on social media, but I was quite surprised to see it featured in a Calgary Herald article showing some of the most popular shots from that evening. Definitely a first for me!

A screen shot from the Calgary Herald website that featured my tweet and photo

Minnewanka Shoreline

Trip Date: May 2019



The Minnewanka Shoreline has been on my mountain biking hit-list for awhile now. I was fortunate enough to pick the nicest spring day of the year thus far, to tackle this popular 30km out-and-back trail in Banff National Park. Please note this trail has seasonal closures in place for cyclists. These closures occur between July 10 and September 15 each year. The trail remains open during that time for hiking and backpacking, it's just closed to bikers.

The Stewart Canyon bridge that spans the Cascade River

The trailhead is the Minnewanka Day-Use Area. This is a very popular tourist destination, so you'll want to get there early to ensure you get a parking spot. To access the lakeshore trail you'll follow the paved trail/access road to the Stewart Canyon trailhead. From there continue on the dirt trail towards the canyon before crossing the bridge that spans the Cascade River. Keep in mind that the Stewart Canyon Trail is very popular so expect it to be busy with hikers, families, dogs, kids, backpackers, and other cyclists. The good news is once you're past the bridge the crowds will begin to thin out and they'll be even smaller beyond the Aylmer Lookout/Aylmer Pass turnoff at the 8km mark.

The amazing view from the top of the climb. I believe that's Mount Inglismaldie on the opposite side of Lake Minnewanka.

Jeff descending a fun section of the trail

 After crossing the bridge you'll encounter the hardest climb of the day (until your return trip), but the scenic views at its crest are more than worth the effort required. After the fun descent you're faced with moderately technical singletrack that's fast and flowy. There are roots and rocks to navigate, as well as several washed-out sections that appear to be casualties from the devastating 2013 floods.

Ryan enjoying a taste of mountain biking

Jeff enjoying the beautiful scenery that's laid out before us

Just look at that backdrop!

 Although you can ride this trail past Lake Minnewanka to the Ghost Lakes and eventually out of the park into Devil's Gap and the Ghost Wilderness Public Land Use Zone beyond, the most popular turnaround spot for bikers is the backcountry warden cabin at the 15km mark. This makes the perfect spot for a snack, to relax on the beach, and revel in the park's surrounding beauty before making the return trip to the parking lot.

Using this very narrow bridge to cross a stream

The boys entering one of the washed-out sections of trail

Admiring the view

Remember this trail rides through the heart of bear country, so ensure you've packed along bear spray and are making noise while riding. It's also recommended to travel in groups. Because this is a national park dogs must be kept on leash at all times. For additional wildlife safety information please review this website. You can also check the current Banff Bear Report by following that link.

Almost at the our turnout point

The Minnewanka Backcountry Warden Cabin

In closing I just want to thank the five guys who accompanied me on this ride. My brother-in-law put this whole thing together as part of a Diaper Party he was throwing for me. Although this trail and the length we covered may have been a bit ambitious, it was great having you all along to enjoy the day with. All that work just made the post-ride beers all the more delicious! Thanks gents!!

Tryst Lake

Trip Date: October 2018

Here in the Calgary area we got an early taste of winter with heavy snowfall in late September and the beginning of October. Calgary wasn't the only place to receive this early blast of winter weather though. The Canadian Rockies also experienced winter conditions and lots of autumn snow. Despite this fact we decided we still wanted to try a hike to see the golden Larch Trees, which has become somewhat of an annual fall tradition for us. Please see my previous posts, Chester Lake, Pocaterra Cirque, and Taylor Lake for a glimpse at some of our more recent Larch adventures. You can also read my story Those Golden Larches, that was posted on the Calgary Guardian website for more information.

Hiking along the old logging road with Commonwealth Peak on the horizon

Good friends of ours decided to join us, which meant three little ones in tow, so we opted for an easier trail this year. The Tryst Lake Trail is 6km roundtrip with approximately 350m gained in elevation. The trailhead is located along the Mount Shark Road in Spray Valley Provincial Park. Drive about 900m past Mount Engadine Lodge and cross the bridge before turning left into the unmarked parking lot.

Slowly making our way up to the lake with the peaks of the Spray Valley in the background

Despite it being peak Larch-viewing season the parking lot only had a handful of other cars when we arrived mid-morning. Perhaps the reports of this being an often-overlooked trail were true and therefore we'd avoid the large crowds that occur at other Larch hot-spots such as Larch Valley in Banff National Park or Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis. Keep in mind this is an unofficial trail, so there are no signs either at the trailhead or along the trail itself, so you need to be prepared.

Chris and Rome on the trail

The trail begins at the south end of the parking lot and for the first 1.6km follows a wide, flat decommissioned logging road. The trekking is easy and the kids were happy to be walking beside us instead of stuck in the child-carriers for the entire day. You will need to keep a keen eye on your right-hand side for a small rock cairn and some blue flagging tape tied to an overturned tree. These mark the location for the turnoff that leads up to the lake. They're easy to miss, especially when engaged in lively conversation and enjoying a leisurely wilderness stroll.

Starting to get to the right elevation where the Larches grow

From the rock cairn the trail begins ascending up the lake. The rooty, rocky trail follows a trickling creek and provides views of Tent Ridge to our right. Over the next 1.4km we gain all of the 350 metres mentioned near the start of this post and none of the kids were walking by this point. Despite the chilly weather all of the adults were sweating while the kids relaxed comfortably in their carriers. Keeping them warm was more important now than before as they weren't trudging uphill, so they'd get colder much faster. There were solitary Larches scattered throughout the ascent, just hinting at the beauty to come.

The Fist peeking through the grove of Larches

As the trail leveled off we found ourselves only a few short steps from a clearing overlooking the picturesque lake and surrounded by so many golden Larches. The hard work was worth it with the small lake, which is quite shallow at this time of year, sitting below the commanding peak known as The Fist. We broke out some snacks and other than two other people we had the entire place to ourselves.

Tryst Lake sitting below The Fist and surrounded by Larch Trees

Chris and Coop enjoying a snack at the lake

The wind picked up quickly and Cooper was pretty cold, so we didn't stick around very long. I ended up wrapping him in my down jacket for the return hike to the truck. He must have been warm and comfy because he fell asleep on the way back down. Near the bottom we unexpectedly ran into Karen Ung and her amazing family. We're both Alberta Parks Ambassadors and have been following each other online for years now. It was great to finally meet her in person and hopefully we can link up sometime in the future for an adventure together. Please check out her website, Play Outside Guide, for all the best outdoor adventure tips, tricks, guides, and more.

Our crew sitting lakeside

Cooper all bundled up in dad's jacket for the trip back down

Despite the chilly weather I have no regrets about the day's experience. Sunshine and warms temps are always preferred, especially when hiking with little ones, but it did feel great to get out into the mountains. With the early snow this might have been our last hike of the season, but with snow comes winter sports like cross-country skiing and snowboarding, both of which make me very happy.

Etherington Creek Provincial Recreation Area

Trip Date: September 2018

In early September, despite the unseasonably chilly weather, we packed up the camper and headed southwest to the Highwood Region of Kananaskis Country for our last camping trip of the season. Good friends of ours joined us for the outing and neither family had stayed at Etherington Creek Campground before, so we were all looking forward to seeing someplace new. Due to a couple of unforeseen mishaps while trying to leave the city, we didn't roll in until well after sunset, which provided a new challenge for us; setting up the tent trailer in the dark. We manged to get things setup relatively quickly considering the darkness and had a roaring fire to help take a bit of the chill off. Our friends pulled in shortly after us and were also setup in no time.

Welcome to Etherington Creek Provincial Recreation Area. Someone added a little something of their own to this sign!

This campground has spacious campsites and some, like the photo above, are close enough to share with friends

Our campsite for the weekend

After a long week of work, sleep came quickly that first night. The next morning was quite chilly and I suspected that the weather played a role in how empty the campground was. We didn't exactly have the entire place to ourselves, but it sure felt that way. This PRA is also a staging area for snowmobilers in the winter time and for hunters in the autumn. I noticed two different pair of hunters hiking into the bush, shotguns in hand, searching for birds while I was out for my morning stroll with Cooper.

I was greeted by a moody sky Saturday morning

The fall colours had already started making an appearance

After a hearty breakfast and a leisurely morning hanging around the campsite we decided to get out and go for a short hike with the kids. We settled on Cat Creek Trail in Cat Creek Provincial Recreation Area, which was a short 15-minute drive north from the campground. Cat Creek Trail is an easy 2.6km return trail with a gorgeous little waterfall squeezing through a canyon at the end. 

Cat Creek Trailhead. You can tell the woodpeckers have been busy on this sign.

Chris and Coop enjoying a fantastic view

With views like this it's easy to see why this trail is so popular

The weather changed for the better as we continued along the trail. The clouds cleared out making way for the warm sunshine. We all had to get rid of our warm outer layers as it was way too hot. The entire area is rife with history. The trail passes the long-abandoned site of the Ford Mine and crosses the Lineham Company Road, which predates Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) and used to run between Longview and Kananaskis Country. All that remains of the Ford Mine is the footing of the bridge that used to link Ford Camp with its coal mine.

Cat Creek Falls

Cooper and I playing along Cat Creek

Hiking back to the parking lot

We couldn't believe our luck with the weather, so we spent some time exploring the day-use area, which provided some great views of the Highwood River and the peaks of the Continental Divide.

The Highwood River as viewed from the day-use area

A tree scarred from bear claw marks

After a delicious meal and some more campground relaxation we all headed out for a post-dinner stroll. Despite all their exercise already, the kids were ready for even more! 

Etherington Creek as it flows through the campground

Evening stroll with the family

We were greeted to a stunning sunset Saturday evening. Unfortunately this didn't last very long, but we enjoyed it none the less.

Sunday morning was again quite chilly, but that didn't stop Cooper, Rome, and I from getting out and having a long walk before breakfast. We walked throughout the campground and then explored Etherington Creek downstream from the PRA. It's a picturesque spot with small waterfalls and deep pools that would be extremely refreshing to swim in on a hot summer's day.

Etherington Creek

Crystal clear, clean, and cold!

I guess this is the 'Beer Bridge' that was mentioned in the first photo of this post!

Poor guy couldn't stay awake for our entire walk

Back in the campsite, ready to play!

The kids found this impressively large spider on a piece of firewood

On the drive back home Sunday afternoon I just had to stop and get a closer look at this abandoned caboose that rests in a field along Highway 541

Unfortunately I haven't been able to uncover any details or information about this little piece of history

We really had an awesome final weekend of camping and lucked out overall with the weather. We talked at length on this trip about all the camping adventures we hope to go on starting next spring. Stay tuned for all of our fall/winter escapes happening soon!