Lake Colden base camp

Camping at Lake Colden turned out to be an inspired choice.

The view across the lake toward Avalanche pass, with Avalanche mountain on the left and Mt Colden on the right - #11 of the 46ers with over 4,700 feet - was awesome. Apart from other hikers/campers and a forest ranger there was just wilderness.

A couple of mornings were cloudy which made for a fine show as the clouds lifted slowly, revealing the mountains.

We used chemical water treatment taking the water right out of the creek near our camp site. That simple act made me think about water in totally new ways, again. Reminded me of the 2 weeks we spent in the desert in Joshua Tree in 2002. Everything changes when water is something one must actually think about and take responsibility for.

Here it is -- the itinerary

There is something quite wonderful about planning an adventure on a Saturday morning, coffee in hand. With the weather data spread out on the bed and a calendar in hand, I scribbled down our ideas. (There is something equally wonderful about writing ideas down on a piece of paper.)

Gear guide has arrived

Just got the new Explore Magazine today: It has the full meal deal on gear. Not that I am a gear geek but I'll be scouring through this issue. Still in the market for a few odds and end. ... like back packs - I have been convinced to go modular on that, so we can leave a few items behind depending on what hiking we're doing.

Blogging on the go

I am now set up to post travel musings on the fly. So here is one (just because I can): landscapes are compelling.

Lightweight cutlery and other equipment

The excitement that can be generated by the smallest things ... :)

For my birthday I got the GSI Cutlery Set Halulite. I had been dreading researching and picking from among the various sets. And now it just appeared - and it's perfect! Thank you, Jan.

Other upcoming purchases that require a bit of research still:

• hiking/backpacking backpack. I have quite a number of backpacks - some large, some small and some in between. None are designed for backpacking - and they just won't work for the 3 months duration we are planning for. 
• a pair of sturdy and comfortable hiking boots. Finally, there are women's hiking boots on the Canadian market in my size (depending on the make I take a 41.5 to 42.5). I got 2 pairs of hikers last fall that work great and fit, but neither are designed for mountains and really rugged terrain. 
• camping stove and pots. We want  multi-fuel since we need to be able to get fuel wherever we are.
• water purification system. We really liked the one used by the Four Seasons Guides on our Grand Canyon trip: it was so easy and all chemical. Need to do some research on this for sure.

We've got our tent already. We went with the MEC Twin Peaks tent - a 3-season tent. We wanted to balance weight (3.1. kg packed), ruggedness, versatility, size - and cost. This one had the best combination for our needs and the reviews were spot on, too. 

All of our other gear is well in hand from first aid kits to rain gear.