2013 Summary and Five-Year Statistics

2013 Summary and Five Year Statistics (2009 to 2013)

These tables tell the story of an amazing five years of adventure in the Canadian Rockies, between 2009 and 2013.  At the end of 2012, I wrote: “It is probably time to ease off a little in 2013.  I still have plenty of places I want to explore, or return to, but sometimes it becomes a little obsessive.”  Nevertheless, this past year, 2013, saw some memorable highlights.

Some of these highlights of 2013 were:

• Two trips up the Highwood Valley in early June, to Lineham Ridge and Nameless Ridge, just before the devastating floods which closed large areas of Kananaskis Country for most of the year.
• Exploring the Crowsnest area of Southern Alberta in June.
• Yet more stunning hikes in Banff National Park, including Twin Lakes/Arnica Lake and Mount St. Piren in July, and Molar Pass and Bow Glacier Falls in August.
• Finding tiny fish fossils high up in the mountains at the Sparrowhawk Tarns.
• Taking pictures of the post-flood scenes across Kananaskis Country.
• An action-packed two weeks in September, during which I explored the mountains and lakes of central BC’s mining country, entered the magical kingdom of Lake O’Hara, and spent a few days camping in Jasper with M and friends.
• Late season trip to the Windy Hills, pushing my bike to the top of The Hump pass – and speeding back down again.

This first table compares the past five years and highlights in red which year holds the record for each category.  While 2013 broke no new records, the statistics are comparable with the previous years.

Category↓ Year→	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Total 5 years
Distance (km) (see details below)	970	1,099	960	1,006	848	4,883 km (3,052 miles)
Vert. Height Gain (ft.)	64,760	94,430	81,670	74,355	65,981	381,196 ft. (72.2 miles)
Max. Elev. (ft.)	8,253	8,415	8,860	9,150	8,692	n/a
Time on Trail (hrs.)	234	300	276	269	244	1,323 hrs. (55 days)
# Nights Camping	22	19	22	26	18	107

This second table breaks down the modes of transport used over the past five years, and again, in red, highlights the record year.

Distance↓  Year→ (km)	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Total 5 years
Hike	564	626	591	478	520	2,779
Bike	396	321	223	404	287	1,631
X-C Ski	9	75	77	39	5	205
Snow Shoe	0	77	70	85	36	268
Total	970	1,099	960	1,006	848	4,883

BOLD RED = record year

These statistics show that, on average, over the past five years, every week I travelled 19 km and climbed 1,466 vertical feet. 

Now, as for the future, things will look very different.  While the venues may change, you can count on The Passionate Hiker being out there on the trail, and still probably capturing the statistics!