The Rim to Rim Trail - The adventure begins – fly from Vancouver to Las Vegas – arrive at 9pm – rent a car and drive to Boulder City just outside of Vegas.
The next morning we were up early to drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon – 277miles and 5 hours later. At the South rim we park our car and get a shuttle to the North Rim another 210 miles and another 5 hours of driving.
This adventure includes Phil, Grace and Annette (Phil’s mum) and we finally reach the North rim Kaibab lodge where we eat some food and stay the night. The shuttle leaves at 5:30am the next morning to drive another 10 miles to the trailhead -
At Last the 42km hike/run begins – we don’t really have a plan in mind just to finish before it gets dark. Annette has been dreaming about this adventure for years and her fear of not making it was not going to come true. She would make it no problem she just had to drink and eat enough and the heat shouldn’t take too much out of her. It was cool at the top of the North Rim a little dark when we started but when sun came up.
WOW what an amazing Canyon…it was huge. It quickly warmed up as we dropped in elevation and at the bottom it was a desert so super hot and dry. The trail offered everything from clean drinking water to plenty of places to take a break.
14 miles later we reached Phantom Ranch the switchbacks down were awesome and we made good time. We ran most of the way down took our time at the bottom and then headed out to hike up to the South Rim.
First we crossed the Colorado River and had about 2000M of elevation lay ahead. Lots of rock staircases and just an amazing trail not knowing where the top was almost a good thing as we didn’t notice it was taking a long time.
Indian Gardens was a great site as it was half way up the South side. Then we hit the 3 mile resthouse and then the 1.5 mile resthouse. Almost at the top and Annette pipes up and says if we run to the top we can make it in 10.5 hours.
This was a great adventure – we would even go back as there were so many other trails to discover.
42km in 10.5 hours with a lot of elevation well done team!
Check out the pictures below to see all the pictures from our Rim 2 Rim trip in the Grand Canyon.
Grace and I made a quick trip up to one of our favorite Fishing holes up near Fort St. James a couple of weeks ago. The fishing was great as usual but we were also rewarded with the opportunity to see a family of eagles catching and eating fish. It was quite amazing to watch the two adult eagles collecting fish and bringing them to their young in the nest. Here are some of the best pictures from the two days we spent up there.
How to get to Isabel Lake in the winter time – either have a 4×4 or don`t go… is the message here – luckily no one got stuck and I hope everyone had fun. Maybe next time we will stop when the road is not ploughed anymore but not for sure.
It was a great group going out for a fun snowshoe all 17 of us. Parking close to the Grasslands Community Park access area the group hiked along a lake with some gentle up and downs. The temperature was perfect and wind was calm. Following the orange trail the group reached the cabins at McQueen Lake what a great spot for a marshmallow roast maybe next time. Doubling back we took a detour to the lake to play a game of Fox and Geese a fun game introduced to us by CA. This really means playing tag around a peace sign great game and lots of fun especially with the snow spraying up in your face.
The group soon found themselves back at the road for a quick hike back to the cars.
Great time had by all…..hope to see you out next time!!
Snowshoeing is a great way to get out in the wintertime even just for a few hours. The last 2 weekends we ventured out to Lac Le Jeune – there was a lot of snow and lots of fun running downhill in the fluffy snow. Making snow angels and falling in the snow is all part of the snowshoe adventure.
Picking the right snowshoe is always the question that comes up with some many options how do you narrow it down? What are you mainly going to use the snowshoes for – walking, hiking, running? If it’s mainlywalking with a bit of running then you have a huge selection. If it’s hiking will lots of steep hills you want to make sure you get some snowshoes that offer a lot of traction to prevent you from sliding too much on the snow when walking up steephills. Snowis generally light and fluffy – you will still sink into the snow when wearing snowshoes. Really? Things to look for in a snowshoe…. easy of putting the snowshoe on, are the straps easy to loosen and tighten, is there traction on the bottom of the shoe, what size boot will the straps allow and unixex or women’s specific shoes. The size of thesnowshoe you wear is determined by how much you weigh. Smaller is better if you are mostly going to travel on packed trails – larger shoes are best for breaking trails. Women’s shoes are narrower and have different lengths, which can make them lighter then Unisex shoes.
A venture out to Lac Le Jeune today looking for some great trails near the ski hill. Plans were to go to the Ski hill to check out trails but with new snow on the ground and the gate was closed we didn’t want to park on the road. Deciding to see what was at the end of the road we found a dead end with an opening in the fence to walk thru so this must mean there are trails there. So out of the car, snowshoes on and headed thru the fence and…. hooray there is a trail; Quite a good trail!
Following the trail not sure where we are going but having a great time hiking thru the snow and shaking trees and having the snow fall on us. We then came out on a main trail and there was a sign with Stake Lakes trail area – wow did we get to the Stake lake trails already? Following a few snowshoe tracks we were headed back the way we came hopefully coming back out to the car. Lots of trails there still need explored we will be going back there for sure.
The trolley cars were a blast although we could have walked around some of them… it was a nice break to be off our feet. The trail was in great shape with little rain this year we were lucky to have a dry trail. Chez Moniques was on our radar from the beginning the plan was to have dinner there although will last minute warnings from other hikers that the food was questionable we found ourselves only buying chocolate bars and pop. This was a great pick me up. This kind of threw a wrench in to the meal planning so we stocked up on chocolate bars, as that may be all that is left for day 7. Whoopsee!
The ocean and the whales were beautiful at Chez Monique’s. The trail has changed a lot in the last 4 years since the last time Phil and Grace hiked it. A lot of boardwalk has been destroyed and lots of trees have come down and re-routed the trail. The trail was now getting easier to walk on and Gale was getting board without any tricky trees to step over or ladders to run up his pace slowed but we kept his spirits up. Annette on the other hand was ready to let loose and run…easy trail, light pack and determination to finish this trail with no injuries she pushed on and pushed Gale along the way.
On the night of Day 5 Phil and Grace met some great people from Seattle who were camping near us at Kanawa Campsite. They were totally impressed that Gale and Annette were hiking this trail and even better that Phil and Grace were carrying all the gear so they could experience a great adventure. We would meet again the next night. The weather was still warm and amazing everyday was awesome.
The last night of camping was interesting a tent pole broke on the tent. Whoops! But Gale was to the rescue using his McGivor skills. Taking the lid from the kippers container he moulded it, using a rock, into a tent pole sleeve – we should have kept it for next time we need a repair. It totally worked!! Phil and Grace chatted with their hiker friends from last night and mentioned that they packed a little light on food and looks like noodles and sauce was all that was left for dinner. A few moments later our Seattle friends were over giving us some food as they had extra and didn’t want to carry it out the next day. Lucky for useveryone wants a light pack on the last day. They had a lot of extra food in the end they gave us 3 freeze dried food packs – We had the biggest feast yet out on the trail – it was awesome.
Although the next day we still had chocolate bars for lunch as we didn’t want to stop and cook some food as it was only going to be about 4 hours of walking- If you don’t loose something off your pack – Phil? Carry everything in your pack as we usually do but thetent fly was wet so it was being carried on the outside of Phil’s pack – about 3km down the trail Grace said to Phil “are you carrying the tent fly inside your pack today???” Phil says “No, is it not on my pack?” Hunting through Phil’s pack…. andno tent fly? We drop our packs and Phil is going to run back to find it – at the most he will have to do is 6km that’s not too bad it’s pretty easy and flat trail today. It’s decided that Annette and Gale will hike on ahead and if we don’t reach them by km 5 then they will wait for us. Grace stays with Phil’s pack and anxiously awaits his return. Only took about an hour and Phil comes running down the trail with the tent fly in hand – Yeah tent fly it’s going on the inside of the pack now.
Phil and Grace are now on the go to catch Annette and Gale before Km 5 and they did it. Finally some speed hiking for these 2. It was a great trip but too bad Gale didn’t let us know his sleeping mat had a hole in it. We may have been able to fix it. The West Coast Trail,conquered by great backpackers and great guides. What’s next? I think I heard Annette and Gale talking about the Chilkoot Trail??
The Packs – Phil Hiom –54lbs, Grace Hiom 43lbs, Annette Hiom 16lbs, Gale Lutkehaus 18lbs to start the hike.
The West Coast Trail with all the talk and the hype has finally become a reality for some very impressive hikers. It says on the brochure this trail is only for ‘experienced backpackers’ which is something both Annette and Gale commented on.
The boat lands at the start of the trail and everyone was chomping at the bit to get started soon after our pictures in front of the trail sign. With a drop of a hat Gale and Annette were gone and Phil and Grace were still extending their hiking poles looking around going where did they go. The anxiety was high for Annette she had a hard time eating this morning and Gale had something to prove. He had one speed and it was fast on the technical walking and slow when the trail was easy.
We soon caught up to Annette at the first tricky part of getting over a log and a small ladder. Where is Gale? Long gone trying to keep ahead. The packs were heavy for Phil and Grace but no complaining as it was supposed to be hard and slow – one foot in front of the other the hike was on. Luckily the trail was dry but logs were big and the roots were high — it was tough for Annette with big steps as Grace offered many boosters up over logs and rock steps with a heavy pack it was quite an accomplishment for Annette.
Calling for Gale… he’s up ahead…. on the first ladder and had climbed to the top having a rest. As we encountered more ladders thus, became the question “Annette are you going to take your pack on this one?” and most of the downs she kept her pack but the up ladders it was just too much weight. Phil would climb up the ladder and drop his pack at the top and come back down for Annette’s pack Grace helped out a few times.
Some of the boardwalk was amazing as it winded its way through the forest and other was broken and not very stable. No turtles here for this crew.
Knowing this was the hardest part of the trail everyone felt confident we would be able to make it to the end as planned. The first night was kind of crammed as we stopped at beach access B. This meant we didn’t have to make the long ladder trek down to Thrasher and back up again it was worth it. By this time we had met 3 groups of people that knew Phil and Grace from Calgary – who would have thought?
The days were long enough each day pushing the envelope a little for Gale, as some of the planned camping areas were either closed due to landslides or Cougars being in the area but non the less the camp spots were awesome with some great ocean views. The trolley cars were coming next and so was the beach walking, lots to look forward to.
Annette Hiom (phil’s mum)– active runner, trail runner, outdoor enthusiast – has Brittle Bone disease
Gale Lutkehaus (Grace’s Dad)- farmer, logger, active outdoorsman, fisherman, former guide – prostate cancer survivor
The Trail – A 75km hike along the west coast trail for 7 days Grace and Phil Hiom have signed up to be sherpas for Gale and Annette for their quest to finish the West Coast Trail. Knowing the difficulties of the trip with lots of ladders, trolley crossings, deep muddy trails, slippery boardwalks and tiring beach walking.
7 days of food and gear is a lot for 2 people to carry but Phil and Grace are looking forward to the challenge. They like challenges but usually they cover a lot more distance in a lot less time so going slow will be the challenge but the heavy load will help to slow them down. Gale and Annette will be carrying daypacks with clothes and water. The rest of the gear could add up to a lot but totally worth the challenge for these 2 young adventurers.
Phil and Grace recently left some of the best jobs in the world in Calgary and travelled to Australia and New Zealand for 3 months when they returned they moved to Kamloops to be closer to family and have longer and warmer summers. Although missing their jobs and friends they had in Calgary it was time to make the move. Sometimes it’s worth the sacrifice to be closer to family to give your support. With Gale turning 68 this year and now recovered from prostate cancer why not take on the west coast trail, which is named one of the hardest hikes in Canada.
Annette also just being diagnosed with severe Brittle bone disease or Osteoporosis had a few things on her bucket list – one being the west coast trail and an other one she conquered last year when Phil and Grace took her to the top of a mountain in Lake Louise. Annette is very active; running road marathons and trail runs up to 25km maybe 50km this year. I’m sure there will be more after this trip.
Although each have their own concerns Annette has a fear of ladders and whether she will be strong enough to finish the trail. She has been practicing the ladders with one set up in her yard. Also hiking many stairs every day with a pack getting ready for the long hike. Not sure what the neighbours think – maybe lots of leaks on the roof?
Gale has concerns of being slow and getting exhausted too quickly but with encouragement we can get him through it. Needing some motivation to exercise he decided to build an extension on to his hay barn so the ladders will not be a concern for him.
Phil and Grace ran the West Coast Trail 4 years ago in 2 days so they know what they are getting into. With all the scary websites out there saying how hard this trail is Annette is starting to have doubts but as part of her training now she is not going to look at anymore websites on the WCT
Conquering this trail will be a trip to remember for everyone. The gear is going to be light and the story is going to be great. Wish us luck and good weather for the trip
The best place we know so far for fishing is Grassham Lake located near Fort St James a small town where Grace grew up. It’s always a great fishing day almost every cast or a few minutes of trolling it’s either a bite or a fish landed in the boat. A favourite location for camping or take the catch to shore and cook up some fish with salt and vinegar chips on a bun who needs hot dogs when you have nice rainbow trout.
We caught enough fish for dinner for a week and we spotted a moose and calf on the lake. Always a great day out if you go fishing at Grasham Lake. If you are looking for a guiding outfit to take you out for a great day these guys can take care of you and show you a good time at Grassham – Omineca Outfitters.
Do you want to go riding in Salmon Arm? Hell’s ya!! It’s hard to believe it’s mid April for the past how many years riding in April meant wearing lots of layers and piece mealing a trail together. NOT NOW, for Phil and Grace it means great climbs, awesome trails and lots of sunshine.
There were 12 of us riding; the climbing was awesome as we pounded our way up to the top of the hill where we rested so the group could catch up. Cruising down the other side with some dips, berms and gates. At the bottom was a bike trials and jump park. Time for some pics and a snack and the dreaded climb awaits. Watch out for Phil the creepy guy along the trail taking pics of everyone else riding, well not really creepy.
Reaching the top again and awaiting the arrival of the rest of the group was a great time to work on our tan. Did someone say DOWN, WOW that was amazing the down was filled with tight corners fast descents, more corners, trees, rocks and GATES!!! what a rush we loved it. Just another day in paradise. Thanks to everyone for letting us tag along can’t wait for next week.
Picking the right snowshoe is always the question that comes up with some many options how do you narrow it down? What are you mainly going to use the snowshoes for – walking, hiking, running? If it’s mainlywalking with a bit of running then you have a huge selection. If it’s hiking will lots of steep hills you want to make sure you get some snowshoes that offer a lot of traction to 
Whoops! But Gale was to the rescue using his McGivor skills. Taking the lid from the kippers container he moulded it, using a rock, into a tent pole sleeve – we should have kept it for next time we need a repair. It totally worked!! Phil and Grace chatted with their hiker friends from last night and mentioned that they packed a little light on food and looks like noodles and sauce was all that was left for dinner. A few moments later our Seattle friends were over giving us some food as they had extra and didn’t want to carry it out the next day. Lucky for useveryone wants a light pack on the last day. They had a lot of extra food in the end they gave us 3 freeze dried food packs – We had the biggest feast yet out on the trail – it was awesome.
Although the next day we still had chocolate bars for lunch as we didn’t want to stop and cook some food as it was only going to be about 4 hours of walking- If you don’t loose something off your pack – Phil? Carry everything in your pack as we usually do but thetent fly was wet so it was being carried on the outside of Phil’s pack – about 3km down the trail Grace said to Phil “are you carrying the tent fly inside your pack today???” 
Phil says “No, is it not on my pack?” Hunting through Phil’s pack…. andno tent fly? We drop our packs and Phil is going to run back to find it – at the most he will have to do is 6km that’s not too bad it’s pretty easy and flat trail today. It’s decided that Annette and Gale will hike on ahead and if we don’t reach them by km 5 then they will wait for us. Grace stays with Phil’s pack and anxiously awaits his return. Only took about an hour and Phil comes running down the trail with the tent fly in hand – Yeah tent fly it’s going on the inside of the pack now.
Phil and Grace are now on the go to catch Annette and Gale before Km 5 and they did it. Finally some speed hiking for these 2. It was a great trip but too bad Gale didn’t let us know his sleeping mat had a hole in it. We may have been able to fix it. The West Coast Trail,conquered by great backpackers and great guides. What’s next? I think I heard Annette and Gale talking about the Chilkoot Trail??
Calling for Gale… he’s up ahead…. on the first ladder and had climbed to the top having a rest. As we encountered more ladders thus, became the question “Annette are you going to take your pack on this one?” and most of the downs she kept her pack but the up ladders it was just too much weight. Phil would climb up the ladder and drop his pack at the top and come back down for Annette’s pack Grace helped out a few times.
Knowing this was the hardest part of the trail everyone felt confident we would be able to make it to the end as planned. The first night was kind of crammed as we stopped at beach access B. This meant we didn’t have to make the long ladder trek down to Thrasher and back up again it was worth it. By this time we had met 3 groups of people that knew Phil and Grace from Calgary – who would have thought?
