Hiking in Waterton Lakes National Park: The Tamarack Trail - Day 1 of 3...

Red Rock Canyon, Waterton National Park...on the way to the Tamarack Trail.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Just came back from Waterton Lakes National Park where I hiked the breathtaking Tamarack Trail with my friend Khalid.

The Snowshoe Trail Head. By the way, the entire trail was asphalt surfaced. Just kidding. The objective on the first day was to hike 8.5 km along Bauerman Creek to Snowshoe campground.

The first day was an easy, relaxing walk in the forest. The relatively flat trail was actually an old forestry fire road. Twin tracks! So, we were able to spend most of the time engaged in lively discussion over world affairs...how cultured...

A lot of people find forest hikes boring. I really don't understand why. Lots of beautiful flora and fauna around to keep us photographers happy. Especially these pretty pink flowers. If you're really lucky you might have a random encounter with a bear!! Wouldn't that be grand?

Rather bizarre looking fluffy plants... photo courtesy of Khalid

Sacrificing life and limb...(Photo courtesy of Khalid)

...for a pic of these puff ball-like fungi!!

Pretty butterfly/moth...(Photo courtesy of Khalid)

Pretty yellow flower...

Occasionally, there were pretty waterfalls along the way...

...and glimpses of spectacular crags.

After a 4.5 hour stroll, we reached the Snowshoe campground.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Tamarack Trail...

Source: Parks Canada

The Tamarack Trail is actually a combination of three trails: Twin Lakes/Kootenay Pass to the north and Rowe Lakes to the south.

We decided to walk the "loop" counterclockwise: beginning at Red Rock Canyon (refer to A on the above map), camping at the Snowshoe (B) and Lone Lake (C), and finishing at the Rowe Lakes parking lot beside the Akamina Highway.

DIY Pharmacy...Or, Please Make Me Come Over There And Count My Own Pills...

Clematis

Had this conversation with my local pharmacist the other day.

[I, BTOG, just handed over my prescription]

Mr. Pharmacist: So, do you find yourself going through a lot of this stuff?

BTOG: Well, I have good days and I have bad days [regarding usage]... Why? Is there a problem that I should know about?

Mr. Pharmacist: Skin cancer.

BTOG: I beg your pardon...did you say cancer?

Mr. Pharmacist: Yah, skin cancer is a possible side effect...

BTOG [clearly startled]: Wow, I didn't know that. What are the chances of me coming down with skin cancer?

Mr. Pharmacist: I don't know. This whole business about side effects is very complicated. There are many variables involved. I don't have time to explain it.

BTOG: Are there other effects I should know about?

Mr. Pharmacist: What I'd suggest you do is google the drug's name. There are quite a few websites that will give you more info on the drug and possible side effects.

Postscript: Suffice to say, I was blown away by his suggestion to google it. So, I went home and googled several influential online pharmacy sources for drug info. Skin cancer was not mentioned as a side effect...hmmm.

Of Bikes And Guns...Or, The Best Bike Touring Idea Ever.

Oh, how I miss the alpine meadows of Kootenay National Park...

I've been thinking of the next trip for a long, long, long time. Maybe too long.

With any trip, you can only prepare so much beforehand. There's just too much to know. In the end of the day, the most important facts to know are visa requirements and where to get them. With that knowledge, anything is possible.

Having said that, in my never ending research, I think I've overindulged a bit in surveying the various on-line bike touring forums.

Case in point, I came across this unique post in Bikeforums:

Anyone tour with a shotgun?

I've been thinking about bringing a shotgun with me on more remote areas or areas with lots of bears. Call me crazy but I feel a lot better having a 12 gauge slug as a last resort rather than bear spray. My question to you is how to carry it so it's not super obvious but not inaccessible? I thought of putting a shotgun scabbard on my front rack (it's a Surly Nice Rack) because there's plenty of rail there to attach it to and it's handy to grab in an emergency. Anyone done anything like this? Any ideas? tips? I know it's not as big a deal in the US but here in Canada even a lot of cops think anyone with a gun is a crook so I'm keen on tips involving discretion within towns. Kind of surprised more covert cases aren't available...

Wow. I was flabbergasted to say the least. I think the poster has mistaken a bike rack for one that belongs in the rear window of a pick up truck.

To each their own perhaps.

In the meantime, I need to embark on my own journey soon.

Very soon.

Calling occupants of interplanetary most extraordinary craft AKA Carl Sagan FT. Stephen Hawking...

Regular viewers of BTOG are familiar with my obsession for astrophysics (observational and/or theoretical).

No doubt concepts describing black holes, dark matter, superstring theory, cosmology, etc. are indeed fascinating yet mindbogglingly abstract and necessarily overtaxing on the ol' gray matter.

Today's video of the day, a rare jam session between my two of my boyhood heroes (former American astronomer, exobiologist, cosmologist, 1970's TV superstar host/guru Carl Sagan, and the illustrious Theoretical Physicist, former longtime Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (Cambridge), Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics, best-selling author Stephen Hawking) is meant to illuminate and elucidate any concerns or confusion you might have with regard to these concepts.

As always, here at BTOG, we make continuing education a priority.

Video Tribute To The FIFA World Cup 2010

Been watching a lot of World Cup soccer lately and thought I'd post this video as a tribute to the "beautiful" game. Be sure to watch in full screen and HD mode...

Hope everyone's having a great summer!!

2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final Prediction...Finally.

"March Towards Eternity" or "More Reasons to Hate the Western World"... Pic would make a good Far Side cartoon...

Wouldn't it be nice if they fit the entire NHL regular season into the time it takes to play its playoffs (in a couple of months?) and then have the top two teams play for the Stanley Cup in a best of seven series?

Wishful thinking on my part...but it would improve the on-ice product immensely. Guaranteed.

I'll get my head out of the clouds and make this year's most important (gag) and final (yeah!) prediction.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks...

Enough of the media hype: Captains Richards vs. Toews, Monsters Byfuglien vs Pronger, etc.

I'm up to here (my hand is one metre above my head) with the hype.

Weeks ago the prognostication for a series match up like this one would have been a no brainer. In essence it still is but for the fact that the Flyers steamrolled my beloved Habs. Damn the Flyers and damn Bobby Clarke and I may as well damn Bernie Parent (dunno why) for good measure.

Clearly, with the likes of Briere, Gagne, Richards, and Giroux they have the depth of talent to take on the Hawks. Plus, they're riding the coat tails of a pretty hot goalie.

Having said that, the Hawks still have the edge in talent. They just have too much speed, scoring, defense, and Jonathan Toews.

The Hawks have not had an exemplary record at Home.

For this reasons, it will be a closer series.

Henceforth, I predict the demise of the phenomenally fortunate Philly Flyers.

Blackhawks in 6.

2010 NHL Stanley Cup Semi-finals Ultimate Guide...

To humour BTOG's non-hockey fans, I give you this week's photo of note of a young Hamer girl at the Turme market in the Omo valley (Ethiopia) posing for two, two, two Birr. Where did she get those seashells for her necklaces???

I'm not the one who toots his own horn too often but I'll take a moment to point out that I've accumulated an outstanding prediction accuracy rate of .750 through the first two rounds of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not bad for a self professed part-time hockey observer.

I take great pride in predicting the demise of the Boston Bruins and the Penguins of Pittsburgh of all teams. I was a little nervous after the Flyers spotted the Bruins a 3-0 games lead to start that series only to come back from that deficit with a historical 4 game winning streak. I was pretty sure history was to made in that series.

I should get these 3rd round predictions off my chest...

San Jose Sharks vs the Blackhawks of Chicago...

I predict the demise of the Sharks who will finally fold like a house of cards this round. Where have I heard that before?

I'm surprised they are still in the hunt. I'm most surprised by the play of Joe "no longer chillaxin'" Thornton. I've never seen him show such urgency as I did in the series with the Wings. Scary stuff...

Even with Joe Thornton on the warpath, it won't be enough to derail the very talented Blackhawks.

It's going to be a close series though. The only chink in the Blackhawk's armour is their goaltending which seems to be a bit shaky at times.

Hence, my prediction is:

Blackhawks in 7 or much earlier if San Jose folds like a house of cards.

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers...

Hey look what the cat dragged in...two teams that weren't supposed to be here at this stage of the season.

The Canadiens have been a miracle on ice for the last two rounds, knocking off the Cup favourites (Washington Caps) and then the defending Cup champs (Pittsburgh).

In this round, they are in tough against the Broad Street Bullies. They're bigger and play a much more physical brand of hockey than any team the Habs have dealt with so far.

But in my books, you have to first catch up to a speedy smurf before you can drill him into the boards.

That's the only come back I have...

Keys to the series: the Habs have to shut down Flyers' Richards, Briere, Giroux, and Gagne. Hab's goalie Halak must stand on his head again and again...it's like a broken record, eh?

If the Habs stick with their total team concept, I predict:

Habs in 7 (maybe 6, but Habs win nonetheless).

So there you have it. I predict an All Original Six Stanley Cup Final.

Mirror, Mirror...in the Cabinet?

Most BTOG readers are familiar with my escapades in wedding videography.

I try my damnedest to be the best videographer in the business. Really I do.

It's a very difficult and challenging profession fraught with thrills of victory and agonies of defeat...

Pertaining to the latter, I cringe whenever I receive an email from my editor (who makes me look really good 99 percent of the time) with a subject line like "Man I hate mirrors..." and a photo attachment.


Doh! Usually I spot all the mirrors.

2010 NHL Crazy Eights Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions...AND a BONUS mystery photo!

Here at BTOG we are a full service blog. For those who could care less about the hockey playoffs (and some who do), I've dug out this photo from the vast BTOG archives as the first mystery photo in ages. What are those curious, squiggly streaks of light? Clue? The photo was taken in Etosha National Park, Nambia at night. Ok, I may have given it away. Good luck!!

The Long Awaited Prognostications.

Is it just me or was the opening round of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs kind of boring?

With the exception of a handful of games (the final 3 games of the Habs/Washington series and one Avs/Sharks game come to mind), there hasn't been much to write home about.

The second round of the playoffs seems, on paper, to have more potential in terms of entertainment. Perhaps not...

Just for notation sake: The BTOG series prediction record is 6-2! Not bad for a hack such as I. Those lousy NJ Devils and Buffalo Sabres choked and let me down.

Let's do it...

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks' party is over (again). Turn off the lights... It's going to be a tight series though. I was slightly surprised that Phoenix pushed the Wings to a seventh game in the opening round. But, if their performance in that seventh game is any indication of their prowess then they should take the Sharks to the cleaners.

Wings take the series on the road in 7 (Usual Sharks disclaimer: much less than 7 if the Sharks fold like a giant house of cards).

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks.

I'll be sucking it up and cheering for the 'nucks. However, I have a bad feeling that they may experience a deja vu (re: 2009 playoffs) moment at the conclusion of this series. The "young" Hawks have one more year of experience and that will most likely be the key factor. But then who knows? If Goalie Luongo and the Twins stand on their heads...they might pull a stunner out of the hat... But for now,

Hawks take the Canucks in a homer series in 7 thrilling games.

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Noooooooooo!!! Marc Savard, please don't come back for the Bruins. For the love of god, your brain has bounced around enough. I'm kind of scared for the guy. That's all I have to say.

Flyers in 6? They're like a wounded animal backed into a corner looking for a fight. I'll go with that...

Montreal Canadians vs. Pittsburgh Penguins.

DO YOU BELIEVE!! GO HABS GO!!

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, the Habs are in deep doo doo. You thought the Washington Capitals had an invincible multi-pronged attack. The defending champion Penguins have a similar attack force, but they up the ante by throwing into the mix, the world's best hockey player, Sydney Crosby.

If the Habs can semi-shut down Crosby and totally shut down Malkin and Staal and their goalie implodes (I can see that happening) and Hab's goalie Halak is god-like again, they may engineer another glorious miracle on ice.

I'll go against conventional wisdom and rational thought and predict:

Habs in 7.

Olympic Champion and the Big Tub of Goo!

Congrats on the gold medal, Kaillie!!

I had a photography gig at a Subway business conference the other day and guess who I bumped into?

My good friend, Kaillie Humphries, 2010 Winter Olympic Gold Medal Champion in the Women's 2 Man Bobsleigh!!

Ok, I wish she was my friend.

She was the guest speaker at the conference.

I was charged with taking pix of her with conference attendees.

It was a lot of fun.

In the end, I worked up enough guts to ask for a photo myself.

She was a really nice person.