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Cameo and Ken are a couple of working stiffs who discovered long ago that life's more satisfying when they're chasing grizzlies and climbing mountains.
So far their travels have taken them from Tuktoyaktuk to Tasmania with a few stops in between.
This is their adventure.
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Category Archives: travel
Kilimanjaro Selecting the Best Route
Porter nearing the summit of Uhuru Peak - Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania ©theexplorerslens.com
Airfare – $1200. GoreTex jacket, fleece jumper, and glacier glasses – $695. Four sleepless nights with a throbbing headache, wretching your guts out, and missing your summit opportunity – Pricey.
If we were to recommend one thing regarding selecting the best route up Africa’s highest peak it would be take your time, acclimatize properly and spend at least 8 days on the mountain.
As economical and efficient as shorter routes, such as the Marango (aka ‘the coca cola’ route) appear, recent studies have demonstrated “budget” routes are associated with poor summit success rates and higher occurrences of acute mountain sickness, a potentially debilatating condition caused by poor acclimatization due to ascending too quickly.
Consider the following excerpt from a study following trekkers on the Marango route:
The incidence of AMS for all trekkers was 77%, which is among the highest incidence rates of any trekking location in the world. In addition, only 61% of trekkers reached the summit (5895m).
Davies – Determinants of Summiting Success and Acute Mountain Sickness on Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m) Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 20, 311-317 (2009)
Odds are this is something you’re only going to want to attempt once. As the old adage goes – if something is worth doing then do it right the first time.
Also posted in one thing
Tagged acute mountain sickness, africa, ams, climb kilimanjaro, kilimanjaro, success, summit, tanzania, trekking
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One Thing – On Safari in Africa
Leopard on a Kill - Serengeti National Park, Tanzania ©theexplorerslens.com
What lenses should I take while I’m on safari in Africa?, is a common question we see many people post on various travel and photography forums. The one thing we’d recommend for those going on safari is to beg, borrow, or rent the biggest lens you can get your hands on. A good guide and a little luck will get you within viewing distance of most African wildlife. A big telephoto lens will help you close the remaining distance allowing you to capture those magical moments.
Best Day Hike in Jasper National Park
Overview of the Athabasca Glacier nearing the summit of Mt. Wilcox - Jasper National Park ©
What’s not to like about a hike that quickly gets you above the treeline with gobsmacking views of fluffy snow draped peaks habouring an icefield that feeds 6 major glaciers? How about a quick non-technical hike and scramble up an adjacent peak (Mount Wilcox/Wilcox Peak, 2884m/9462′) for even more impressive views!
Many guide books and trail maps extol the virtues of Jasper National Park’s Wilcox Pass trail so we won’t go into that any further other than to say if you do not intend to summit Mount Wilcox the 4km hike to the pass alone should be on your ‘To Do List’ next time you visit – the views are that good.
This article focuses on accessing the summit once you have hiked to the pass trail marker.
The Trail
By far the easiest way to access the pass is to start at the Wilcox Campground trailhead and follow the well worn trail to the Wilcox Pass trail sign at approximately four kilometres into your hike, you can’t miss it. At this point you’ll have a couple of options to ascend Mount Wilcox.
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Option A – An unofficial established trail to the west will take you closer to more Icefields viewing. From the viewpoint faint pathways heading northward along Mt Wilcox’s western edge will eventually intersect with a more defined trail on the south slopes of Wilcox gaining the mountains signature ridge line viewpoints. After the view point(s) the trail becomes a single braid up to the summit. This option is the easier of the two.
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Option B – Continue north past the Wilcox pass marker, heading toward Tangle Creek. Hang a left (west) when your path becomes parallel with scree slopes of Wilcox. By this point you should be able to pick out trail markers (rock cairns) on the slope and adjust your approach accordingly. This ‘eastern approach’ offers a more direct route to the aforementioned ridgeline with more valley exposure.
The Scramble
Once you have reached the ridge line you have another key decision to make because the ‘easy’ hiking portion of the trail soon ends and a short scramble with a minimal amount of exposure is required to make it to the top – about 20 to 30 minutes of effort. But before you make that decision have a look to the west… peaks, glaciers, and an icefield. Pretty spectacular. If you are proceeding further now would be a good time to get your gloves out as the rock you will scramble over is quite rough and sharp. The route to the top is clearly marked by cairns leading to a false summit with a brief exposed ridge/saddle crossing to the actual summit.
Enjoy the view… you earned it!
The Fine Print
- A National Park entry fee is required to access the area.
- You are hiking in an alpine area, please take care to avoid damaging plant life and sensitive soil.
- Jasper National Park is bear country, both black and grizzly, and although not considered frequent to the area, carrying and knowing how to use bear spray is advised.
- This hike, particularly the scramble is NOT for everyone. If you have any doubts about the trail, heights, or your ability give this one a miss. If you choose to attempt this hike and summit bid, do so at your own risk.
Do you have a favourite trail and or viewpoint in Jasper National Park? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Tagged athabasca glacier, day hike, jasper national park, mount wilcox, scramble, viewpoint, wilcox peak
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