The latest issue of The Great Outdoors has an eight-page feature by me about what has changed in the world of long-distance hiking since I walked the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988. It's illustrated with photos from the new edition of High Summer, my book on the walk, which has just been published by Enchanted Rock Press. This is the first time these photos have appeared in a magazine. The book has dozens more photos that have never been published before.
Sometimes the days pass by and something you think you did
recently turns out to be six months ago. I was thinking it was a little while
since I’d been on a favourite Cairngorms walk, through Ryvoan Pass and over Meall
a’ Bhuachaille, but on checking my journal I was surprised that the last time was
actually back in May. It’s not often there’s such a gap. I definitely needed to
go again soon. The forecast seemed right for such a walk too as it was for mist
and gusty winds above 1000 metres but clear with light breezes lower down.
Meall a’ Bhuachaille is 810 metres.
I was also thinking about recording a little video on the
new edition of my book High Summer, about my 1988 walk the length of the
Canadian Rockies and wondering where to make it. In my study if I could cut out
most of the disorganisation? In the front room if I could arrange it when I
wouldn’t disturb the rest of the household? In the garden, which is mostly
fairly wild? Then a thought popped up. Why not take the book for a walk? It
seemed appropriate. Make the video in the hills. The book would come up Meall a’Bhuachaille.
An Lochan Uaine
The day was quite warm for November – no jacket needed – as I
set off on the familiar path to An Lochan Uaine and Ryvoan Bothy. The lochan
shimmered in a gentle breeze, quiet and subdued, the last autumn colour gone from
round its shores.
Ryvoan Bothy
The bothy looked bright and smart following its renovation
by the Mountain Bothies Association in the spring. There’s a new bigger porch,
a woodshed, and a red roof now.
Climbing the path from the bothy up the eastern slopes of
Meall a’ Bhuachaille, a path that has several sections of steep stone staircases
that always remind me, fancifully, of the one climbed by Frodo and Sam in the
Lord of the Rings up to the lair of the giant spider Shelob. Not that thoughts
of giant spiders bothered me here. I was more thinking about the weather and whether
the summit would be clear for making my video.
View from the ascent
It didn’t look promising. All the hills were cloud-capped.
The wind was picking up too and there were hints of dampness in the air. There
were hints of blue and a slight orange glow that suggested the clouds weren’t
that thick. Maybe it would clear.
Sunshine over Abernethy Forest
I could soon see the mist not far above though. It didn’t
look like shifting. Just before I reached it bright sunshine illuminated a
strip of Abernethy Forest. Then I was in the grey dampness.
No book video here!
At the summit I
stopped briefly for a snack. Light rain was falling and the breeze was chilly.
The mist was thick. Not the ideal place for a video.
Pearly-edged clouds
Descending I was soon out of the mist and heading for the
forest. As I reached the first trees the edges of the clouds over the high
mountains were edged with a soft pink and orange lustre. A fallen pine not far
from the path looked a good seat and so it was. The video was soon made,
shorter than it might have been as drizzle began to fall after a few minutes.
Probably long enough though.
I'm delighted and thrilled that my book on my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies is available again in a brand new edition packed with photos that have never been published before. I'm amazed too. I never thought this long out-of-print book about a walk thirty-six years ago would ever reappear. For that I have to thank publisher Andrew Terrill.
Here are a few of the photos.
Going through my old slides and working on the book meant reliving what was a grand adventure. I loved doing that. I hope readers will enjoy my story too.
I'm very pleased to announce that High Summer, the story of my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988, will be published in a new updated edition through Andrew Terrill's independent publishing imprint, the Enchanted Rock Press, on November 1st.
Rereading the book for the first time in many, many years for this edition reminded me how different it was to undertake such a walk in the days before GPS, the Internet, smartphones, and satellite communicators. I really was out of touch for days and weeks at a time. Some of the stories in the book made me feel nervous! I've written a new introduction about what a different world it was then and put in some footnotes to clarify or explain things that might be puzzling but left the story as originally written.
On Kiwetinok Pass, Yoho National Park, July 2, 1988
High Summer was first published in 1989, in an edition long out of print. Back then all photography was on film and I took over 3000 colour slides during the walk. Just 21 appeared in that first edition. For the new edition there are 98 black and white photos in the paperback and 105
colour photos in the ebook, most of them never published before. One of my main tasks for the new book has been selecting and scanning slides, work that took time but which was very enjoyable. Even so it made me grateful for digital photography!
Working with Andrew Terrill has been a delight. His enthusiasm for my work is infectious and the magic he works on my old slides is astonishing. The new book is his design and I think it looks much better than the original one. Andrew has also redrawn the maps and made them far more attractive and informative. I never thought I would see the book in print again and I am very grateful to Andrew for republishing it and putting in so much work to make it look as good as possible.
High Summer will be available on Amazon from November 1st, 2024 as a paperback and an ebook, and from other online book retailers shortly after.
Mount Sir Alexander, a great view on a tough day of cross-country travel. September 3.
As it's over a month since I mentioned the new edition of my book High Summer about my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988 I thought I'd give a brief update and show a few of the pictures I've scanned so far.
Unnamed lake near the Graham River. October 5.
The book should be out in the not too distant future once I've sent more images to Andrew Terrill, who is publishing the book through his imprint, Enchanted Rock Press. Andrew then works some magic on the images to prepare them for publication, which will be in colour in the e-book and black and white in the print edition (due to the cost of colour printing). Andrew has also recently posted an update on his blog with some of the pictures he has prepared.
Brew stop on a cold sunny day in the forest in the Hook Creek valley. September 18.
There will be far more photos in the new edition than the twenty in the original one, which will, I hope, show much more about what the walk was like and the variety of landscape, weather, and terrain involved.
