Adventures – The Average Adventurer

Northover Ridge: Exposure, Lakes, and Wildflowers

May 20, 2020Bre Mirynech

Northover Ridge is a 36 km loop located in the Kananaskis Region in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park along the Continental Divide. With roughly 1500m of elevation gain, it takes you through amazing terrain, several beautiful lakes, high up on a stunning ridge traverse, and starting/ending your trip at the wonderful Upper Kananaskis Lake. I am grateful to be able to say that I’ve done quite a few backpacking trips here at home in Canadian Rockies, but this was one that had remained on my list for the past few years. I had heard about its beauty, its intensity, and its spicy ridge traverse. It intrigued me and caught my interest because of these things but for some reason, either campground bookings or timing with days off with friends, it just never happened.

US National Parks

January 9, 2019March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

I consider myself a very fortunate person to be able to live in such a beautiful place as I do. For those of you who don’t know, I get to call Banff National Park home; I may be biased (ok, I definitely am), but I’d say its one of the most beautiful parks and its definitely my personal favourite.

Winning the Lottery- The Wave

December 20, 2018March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

Visiting the wave is like winning the lottery. But seriously, you have to win the lottery to have a chance to visit this jaw dropping, peaceful, other worldly place. Is it hard to get a spot? Yes. Is it completely worth every effort in an attempt to get a spot? A million times yes.

What is The Wave?

For those of you who are perhaps hearing about The Wave for the first time while reading this, The Wave is a very unique, sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, just over the border from Utah. It is located in an area called North Coyote Buttes, in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness. It requires a three mile hike in to access it, with no official trail. The round trip hike is six miles (ten km), plus whatever hiking you do once you are at The Wave! Read more →

The Matterhorn of the Rockies

August 8, 2018March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

Standing at 3616m tall (11, 864 ft), Mount Assiniboine is one of the most recognizable peaks in the Canadian Rockies. Its nickname, the Matterhorn of the Rockies, comes from its massive pyramid and horn like shape.

The first time you see this peak, a common reaction is something along the lines of “Wow”, and than of course curiosity sinks in and you wonder what that mountain is. I remember this moment clearly. Over six years ago, I decided to move to Fairmont Hot Springs in BC for the summer to work. In order to get there from Calgary, you have to drive through Banff. I stopped in Banff for a few days on my way to visit someone I knew. She took me to Sunshine Village so I could spend a beautiful spring day snowboarding. As we got off the chairlift and started down the run, I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of Assiniboine. I had my “wow” moment, asked for a photo, and continued on. Read more →

The West Coast Trail

June 26, 2018March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

Nearly 3 years ago to the day, I did my first ever backpacking trip. It was the start of a beautiful love affair with the simplicity of carrying everything on your back and exploring new places. It is now something I crave. I get itchy feet to pack everything I need and take off. The simplicity of having maybe two choices of clothes, no cell service, no mirror, no electronics. It is refreshing and grounds you to what really matters in life.

My first backpacking trip was The West Coast Trail. It is located on Vancouver Island in Pacific Rim National Park. It is a 75 km long trail through forests, beaches, and over bridges, cable cars, and up many ladders. Originally, it was established as a life-saving trail for surviving victims of the many shipwrecks that occurred in the area. Now, it is used for avid backpackers to hike and witness the beauty that the coast has to offer. It is known for its terrible weather, and jaw-dropping beauty. Read more →

Heartline (literally).

May 23, 2018March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

This past weekend for one of my days off work, my friend Yanick and I decided to climb Heartline. Heartline is a multi-pitch sport climb on a nearby mountain called Heart Mountain. Heartline is graded at 5.9 A0 and is 17 pitches. Needless to say, I was looking forward to an amazing, big day out climbing in the beautiful weather with good company!

The climb took us roughly 8.5 hours, including a beautiful 45 min summit, soak in the sun and eat a sandwich. For those looking to climb this route in the future, we did it in less than 17 pitches by linking a few and soloing a few as well. Overall, it was an incredible day out in the mountains! Read more →

So you want to trek to Everest Base Camp?

May 9, 2018March 30, 2019Bre Mirynech

If there is one thing I NEVER thought I would do in my life, it was go to Everest Base Camp. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it just seemed like some far fetched thing that people like me dreamed of, not actually did. Well, turns out life had something else in store. Thanks to a mildly drunk message to my Dad one night, we ended up packing the bags and heading to Nepal a year and half later, with the goal of getting to EBC.

This trip required a lot of prep and planning, so I am going to break some of it down for you in case you are attempting to do the same yourself! This is less of a storytelling post and more of an informative tool. I hope it helps. Read more →