Sean Camps

06/26/2022

A friendly reminder!

Planning a trip to bear country? Bear activity is currently high and there have been several reported encounters in provincial parks and recreation areas. Earlier today, a bear closure was put in place for Stoney Trail from the Troll Falls parking lot to the Hay Meadows/Troll Falls junction and Hay Meadows trail in Kananaskis Country due to a black bear that has been involved in multiple incidents. A closure is also in place for select trails in Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park due to a grizzly bear bluff charging park users and multiple bear sightings in the area.

Be Bear Smart. Carry bear spray, make noise, keep dogs on a leash, watch for signs of bears, travel in groups and manage attractants like food and garbage.

For more tips, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/bears-and-outdoor-recreation.aspx.

For a complete list of current advisories, visit: https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/advisories-public-safety/.

06/09/2022

Hello everyone. Before I go out on a camping trip with my girlfriend I just wanted to share some content from a previous trip!

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting my parents at their campsite over at the first come first serve campground called Paddy's Flat. It is a gravel road campground with some holes on the road but we'll maintained sites with a fantastic, family friendly trail accessible right from within the campground! There is playground structures for kids and amazing scenery to boot.

Personally, I have never set up camp but have spent many years visiting this site and with the proximity to so many attractions, it can serve as a pedal bike paradise. From Elbow Falls to Forgetmenot Pond and beyond, this area of Alberta is incredibly special and deserves to be treasured and respected.

Take a walk by the river and along the ridge. You will be surprised at what you might find as you wind through the branches to find the viewpoints!

Where have you been hiking/camping recently?

04/24/2022

Backyard campfire and burger still cuts it! :)

03/22/2022

Hello everyone! Before I get to what I want to say I just had to mention that I am sorry for not posting sooner as I have been dealing with a heightened workload. I will continue to post, but it might not be every week.

Well, as of recent, spring has arrived. Recently I had the joy of exploring one of the many parks available around Calgary. Even though it is not all green and lush, it is still beautiful. It is proof that beauty is beneath the surface. It isn't just the lack of bugs and irritating critters, it is the chance to spend time with the ones you love most. This part of Fish Creek is one of my favorite because of how spread out the tables are. There is also some with free to use fire pits!

I personally enjoy this time of year almost as much as I do the fall season. Here you can spend as much time as you want during the day, cooking and playing your favorite games. I am hoping to visit Little Elbow campground again this year, as I spent what might be some of my better times at the campsite. What is a place you are hoping to camp at this year?

02/12/2022

Hello Everyone! As this week comes to a close, I just want to talk about one thing that I think is important and that is how you set up your campsite.

When it comes to the safety of yourself and all inhabitants of the wilderness, food safety is key. Aside from having a container that your food sits in, it needs to be secured in a bear proof container like a bear bin, your trailer, or your vehicle. One other thing I like to do is to try to set up so that the distance between my storage and where I cook is a relatively short walk. This allows for safe and efficient use of your storage space, while making sure that nothing is left out for any critters, bears, or any other scavenger. Inside my canopy I will have a garbage bag and recycling bag strung from the frame so that I can manage all my waste in one place during and after food prep, with the bags promptly thrown out when full or stored safely when there is still space to add things.

One thing that is especially important is the management of your fire. As you can see I have spaced my canopy well enough away from the fire so that sparks do not land on top and burn a hole in the tent. The type of wood you are burning also plays a part in the sparks. Just because you have a picnic table or canopy does not mean you should be pulling it up close to the pit, especially with things like propane tanks and stoves nearby.

Naturally, in conjunction with my efforts on food, I also try to keep my tent as far away from where I am eating as possible, as that is where the animals will tend to go. This, along with not bringing any food into your tent will allow you to have a more pleasurable experience, knowing that you can sleep safely at night without a bear knocking on your door, or a conservation officer!

All these things along with common practice of wastewater disposal, keeping bear spray handy at all times, and always being alert and aware are key to being safe while recreating in the wilderness.

Be safe out there and have fun everyone!

-Sean

02/06/2022

Hello everyone. Thank you for being my first followers. Today I want to inform you a bit about how I plan to run this page as well as what to expect in terms of content.

First off, I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I am a born and raised Albertan who has had the pleasure of being able to explore the amazing landscapes of the prairies and the neighbouring rocky mountains. The rolling hills, forests, and many mountain tops are the reason why I call this place home. Whether you choose to venture out to Bragg Creek and beyond, stop for a visit in our south east quadrant of the province, or even a visit up north, you are bound to find something new and exciting. I personally started my camping journey in the highly popular Kananaskis Country, spending many nights at Boulton Creek Campground and hiking the surrounding trails. My first tenting journeys started with a robust tent and tarp setup and I have since graduated to something more worthy of being a storm breaker. Initially growing up camping with my parents was and still is fun, but there is something special about camping by yourself or with your significant other. It removes you from your comfort zone and forces you to think outside the box, being mindful of what you need to survive the day and night. By spending multiple nights car camping I eventually built up the confidence to try backpacking in the backcountry with my girlfriend. This was a blast as we got to sleep far away from civilization under a beautiful night sky. Not long after that I was booking my first solo backpacking night. I experienced a wide range of weather events during that time and I can safely say that even with radical weather from wildfire smoke to rain, wind, and snow, nothing will deter me from exploring what great terrain the Alberta Parks system has to offer!

As for how I plan to conduct this page, it is going to be a dynamic experience with changes always coming. For starters I plan to release weekly content blasts every Friday morning or noon. Throughout the week I plan to post about once a day in relation to what is happening in parks, how I am doing, what my plans may be, personal reflections on the past, or anything that comes to mind.

As for you, I want you to reach out to me in the comments below to let me know what kind of things you would like to see, places I should visit, or any other recommendations related to anything camping and hiking in Alberta Parks.

More to come!

Thank you,

Sean

02/04/2022

02/04/2022

Hello everyone.

Here is some media from my 2020 backcountry trip to Point Backcountry Campground, where I went with my girlfriend Agnes to spend our first nights in the backcountry! 90% humidity and rain for both nights led to a hunkering down kind of experience. We did manage to sneak up to hidden lake to get some good views and even had a momma moose and her baby walk past our campsite during supper time!

Always remember to store your food in appropriate bear bins or with a bear bag on one of those posts. It is especially important in these times to protect our wildlife and ecosystems so that they are here for future generations.

02/04/2022

Hello everyone! I am creating this page as a starting point for my social media presence as I attempt to make myself more publicly known with regards to camping, hiking, and more. I will be creating all my content from scratch and will be starting off by sharing some content from the past in which I was both backcountry camping and frontcountry camping over the course of the last couple of years, with more to come from this year!

I look forward to getting to share my content with the world. Thank you!

02/04/2022