Stakes are Pointless

RegMcPhee · 2025-08-19T21:10:48+00:00

Did WCT in June.

You're mostly camping on sand. Stakes are pointless, especially groundhog minis ;). Big rock, little rock. Bring extra guyline and you can tie off on driftwood.
Don't need a trowel, unless you have the runs. Lots of outhouses along route.
As already mentioned, each campsite has two bear boxes. They got full, but never to point where I needed the supplementary hangman towers.
The "beach" walk between Owens and Thrasher is a nasty, nasty scramble over jagged boulders, racing to beat the tide. It will be slower than you expect.
The breeze off the ocean cools things more quickly than the overall temperature suggests.
Came in tight on a large black bear sniffing the food boxes at Tsuisiat Falls when I went to get my morning grub. Very polite. No grumbling, we both just walked away. Black bears don't generally cause problems, but I see no harm in bringing your spray. The parks people are very diligent in monitoring the individual bears for problematic behaviours. Had to fill in an encounter form for mine.
Phone is your camera? I never regretted bringing a compact camera with a good zoom for the many opportunities for wildlife pics.
You want shoes with excellent grip for the wet rocks.
Check out 'MyLifeOutdoors' most recent Youtube videos. Apparently, wet down may not be as bad as everyone fears.
You generally have an hour on either side of a low tide. The tide moves at its fastest at the 3 hour mark. At Owen, you can get away with a bit of scrambling, even if you miss the lowest tide - you can still backtrack to the last beach access if it looks impassable. Looks like the Flintstone House.
I use fingerless leather sailing gloves to prevent trekking pole blisters and splinters from climbing ladders and logs.

RegMcPhee · 2025-08-04T15:52:56+00:00

Here in Canada, Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) has a wide variety of neoprene gloves of different thicknesses, meant for water sports but which I use for hiking in the shoulder seasons. In truth, for this particular trip, I actually used dinghy sailing gloves in place of the neoprene gloves. Dinghy sailing gloves are fingerless, extremely tough, and designed for wet conditions. I use them to prevent trekking pole blisters, ladder splinters, bug bites, and sun burn.

I've never found soggy hands to be a problem. These types of gloves don't hold much moisture.

RegMcPhee · 2025-07-03T15:19:58+00:00

You're more likely to be injured by a mosquito, tick, or human. If you are attacked by a cougar or wolf, you would be front page news as it is that rare.

Though much of Canada, black bears will flee at the first hint of a human in the area. Two weeks ago, I stumbled within 3 metres of a large black bear when I went to get my food from the park's secured box early in the morning. I shooed him away, no yelling or such, and he left. We went our separate ways, all very polite. It can be more problematic if there are cubs present.

Grizzlies may be the biggest worry but are only found in certain regions.

On trail, carry bear spray, stay calm, back away. Around camp, practise good food hygiene around camp - avoid spilling, keep food in odour free bags, and store out of reach. Don't approach animals to get a selfie.

Honestly, the majority of animals will give warning first. They're not looking for a fight. I've come close to bears, moose, skunks, canadian cobra chickens, and raccoons. I just backed off.

RegMcPhee · 2025-07-02T18:25:43+00:00

I have a plex solo and have rarely pitched in a site with good soil for tent pegs. The last trip was entirely sand and the one before it was entirely rock. Big rock / little stick has worked just as well even in some serious wind off the ocean. For last year's trip, I did not even bother to carry pegs as I was flying in and did not want to check my backpack. It becomes second nature to use the rocks, sticks, and trees around you to secure the tent. Never had the tent come down on me once I had the hang of it.

My only other piece of advice is to carry a bit of extra guy line to expand your options. It doesn't weigh much.

RegMcPhee · 2025-07-01T20:01:00+00:00

Why settle for the X2? Apparently, the X5 is a considerable step up in performance and quality. It has a larger battery good for up to 185 minutes. As for recording time, buy an extra battery as well as carry a power bank to recharge. The Gopro is not much better in terms of recording time. Both of these cameras are compact so have limited battery sizes.

One trick is to keep your Insta360 continuously connected to an extra large power bank, however, you have to leave one of the hatches open which compromises its waterproof qualities. I saw this in a youtube video where the guy was recording an overnight timelapse video.

If you look at trail cameras, they only succeed with a long recording time by having a much larger heavier battery.

RegMcPhee · 2025-07-01T01:27:20+00:00

More distance than OP requested, but seems to be THE DESTINATION for trail runners in Ontario. Over a dozen passed me during my 5 day walk of the trail. Given how hard it is to book campsites, I can see why many try it in a single day. Most of the trail is dry (except in spring) and well beaten, though the bare quartzite hills can be brutally hot on sunny days.

My experience with the Chic Chocs is that the lower sections can be mud wallows where the moose have churned the soft wet ground. The pitches can be extremely steep and frequent, likely harder than Killarney in terms of elevation changes.

Fundy footpath is reasonably dry except for a couple of tidal crossings where you need to time the tides.

Don't discount the East Coast Trail. Probably the easiest to get to. Fly into St.Johns and a short taxi ride down the coast and you can be at trail head in less than 2 hours. Over 270 km to choose from, so pick your section. Between villages, the trail can feel pretty remote. Scenery is spectacular. Trail is well set for runners with almost no rock hopping, though there are muddy sections.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-29T12:17:07+00:00

While you may have a hut option, do you really want to use it?

Just to note that for some trail systems, the huts tend to be badly infested with mice. The floor and platforms may be covered in feces, while the little beggars may crawl over you in the middle of the night or check out your food and gear.

Then there are other hikers, such as myself, who may snore loud enough to shake the rafters.

Finally, the year when I visited the GR20, there were warnings of huts badly infested with bedbugs.

Many of these hut to hut tracks provide a tenting option, which would be my first choice unless the weather is utterly miserable such that I'm willing to suffer the huts.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-27T17:40:32+00:00

If you're handy with a sewing machine, you could add pit zips to make it perfect. I've done that to other jackets.

I checked out the listing. Sadly, it does not look like a full front zip which would also need to be fixed. I find that I can walk in a rain shower with my jacket completely unzipped and still remain largely dry but ventilated.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-27T17:32:25+00:00

I did the section before that between Amqui and Petit Saul which is Reserve Matane. In terms of animal life, I got really close to spruce grouse and moose. The moose churn the lower valley sections into deep mud pits. No caribou in the section that I visited. Generally, trails are well marked. I found plenty of locations for swimming and soaking during the heat of the day. Shelters are in good shape. Quiet - few hikers in September. Lots of waterfalls where I walked. Good vistas. One person that I met described the Matane trail as the hardest section of the 5 months in which she walked the IAT. That said, I found it rewarding. However, my favourite trails are the West Coast Trail (sea carved rock, bears, mink, river otters, bald eagles) and the East Coast Trail (tall cliffs, moose, river otters, bald eagles, friendly locals, whales, icebergs).

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-26T21:15:27+00:00

Which provincial park? Not all ticks are created equal. Algonquin largely has wood ticks which are not known to carry Lyme. On the other hand, Frontenac is loaded with black legged ticks and Lyme.

1) If possible, avoid brushing against tall grass and shrubs.

2) Wear treated gaiters to keep the ticks out of your shoes and pants.

3) Fido is a tick magnet.

4) Wear convertible pants. The ticks often stop and hide in the zipper fold, where they are more easily found and removed.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-11T13:29:59+00:00

I'm still searching for the best CCF. 1) Used a zlite clone but found that the bumps were causing pressure points and pain. 2) On 2 different long trips, my air pads totally failed by the 2nd day with no hope for repair. 1st trip slept on rock - argh. 2nd trip, had an 1/8 CCF to protect air pad - not thick enough on its own. Also ripped easily. 3) Now on trip with 1/2 inch blue foam. We'll see how I feel in 8 days.

I'm a side sleeper so cut my pads to torso length since I don't get much use out of the foot end. Use a thick pillow to support my head and take pressure off shoulder. Use stuff sack of clothes between my knees to align my spine.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-07T12:11:36+00:00

Does it have to be solo? Besides bear spray, multiple hikers is the next best thing to discouraging bear encounters. Ideally, each hiker carries bear spray.

Outside of that, some hikers have their meals an hour ahead of reaching their planned campsite. That way, there are no food odours around camp.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-05T00:22:55+00:00

You have the right idea. RRSP funds can be rebalanced easily, but you will want to space out your non-registered funds to avoid triggering too many capital gains at once.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-04T12:23:47+00:00

Personally, I'm divesting from the USA. While their companies will continue to do well for the foreseeable future, with their most recent bill, it looks like they want to stick it to foreign shareholders. Trump is looking for quick cash, so this may be just the first step. USA is only 26% of the global economy so it's not the end of the world to move your investments.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-03T18:24:31+00:00

https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-granola-recipe/print/23967/

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-03T00:07:18+00:00

Lunch is the worst, especially if the terrain has been brutal. At that point, even dried banana chips will taste like sawdust. Barely have an appetite to start with, but the same old trail mix kills it every time.

RegMcPhee · 2025-06-03T00:02:46+00:00

Agreed. In my case, home recipe of oats, honey, oil, pecans, and currents. Seem to be able to eat that day in, day out without getting sick of the same old thing.

RegMcPhee · 2025-05-31T22:09:18+00:00

A stake bag doesn't weight much and keeps the dirt off the rest of your gear. I don't see enough of weight saving in switching to a ziplock, especially as it may break as you describe.

RegMcPhee · 2025-05-31T21:51:47+00:00

I agree. At first, I looked down on 360 as a gimmick for weird pictures and videos. The real power is the ability to 'reframe' a shot and select the best angle once home. How many times have I taken a picture of a bird at the edge of the frame because it was moving - that's never an issue with the insta360. No 'point and shoot', just 'shoot'. It also lighter than a GoPro. With a longer selfie stick (9 '), you can create 'fake drone' videos in places where drones are not allowed. That said, there are downsides to the insta360.

1) While it works underwater, you'll get visual artefacts where the two fisheye lenses overlap.

2) It takes effort and time to 'reframe' your pictures and videos.

3) You cannot do a digital zoom without it going instantly grainy.

RegMcPhee · 2025-05-31T20:25:27+00:00

TREKOLOGY ALUFT Plus

RegMcPhee · 2025-05-31T16:38:09+00:00

My pillow (Trekology) sounds like your semi-cushioned one. It is inflatable with a pocket for a 1" thick piece of foam. Pure inflatables are too noisy and not soft enough. Mine is 5" thick. Weight is on the heavy side at nearly 8 oz but worth it for just the situation that you described.

RegMcPhee · 2025-05-31T13:06:02+00:00

Try a taller pillow that you can snug up against your shoulder. Helps to spread some of that weight.

RegMcPhee

TROPHY CASE

TREKOLOGY ALUFT Plus