Now that we had all this backpacking gear (from the West Coast Trail gear-up) Justin and I thought maybe we ought to y’know, use it. We cast our eyes on the Willmore Wilderness Area, situated near Hinton and Grande Cache.
Willmore has about 750 km of trails, and can be hunted in. Horse trips are common, with many outfitter base camps, with their distinctive canvas wall tents, and stovepipes. There are a couple gentle mountain ranges in the park, and great many valleys. We hadn’t been there before, but our first choice of the Skyline Trail was very booked up, and Willmore doesn’t actually require reservations, or even park passes. A note: Willmore is rustic. Like, no markers at the trail junctions, just pathways in varied states or repair and upkeep. Doesn’t seem too important right now, but this fact becomes relevant later on, I assure you.
Justin was quite keen on some free topographic maps he downloaded to his phone. Tho there was no cell reception in the park, of course, the maps should persist offline, and give us an idea of where we were headed.
I was not completely sold on relying on the technology, especially of a phone he had to charge every night. So just to be safe, I bought a topo map at MEC. We planned to leave on Friday after I finished work, and drive out to Hinton to stay with Justin’s brother Dan, conveniently located. We spent the night with him, and proceeded to our starting point, Rock Lake campground. Due to some much needed brother bonding time, the night was late, and so our starting time was a bit late as well. It was about noon by the time we left the backcountry staging area, following a broad trail much used by horses. My pack started at 30 pounds, Justin was near 40. Justin was also carrying the wine, however!
Wherever you are, Be There 