2021 Reflection

2021 was another unusual year with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing and everyone flocking to the great outdoors to stay safe and healthy. We also had extreme heat in the Kootenays followed by almost a month of thick wildfire smoke. A challenging time during the height of hiking season!

New Trails Added

Only a handful of new trails were added to West Kootenay Hiking in 2021. I brought a new tiny hiker into this world and we adventured on shorter trails, closer to home while navigating the new world of parenthood.

• Lyon’s Bluff Trail
• Nancy Greene Lake
• 100 Acre Wood
• Mount Thompson Rim Trail

I also went back to re-hike many favourites and update the information on this site. A real gem is the Kalso River Trail which now has “Koot” sculptures to explore!

Donation

Once again, West Kootenay Hiking made a small amount of money through merch sales. Each year I pass the profits onto a local trail society and for 2021 I’ve donated to the Kalso Outdoor Recreation & Trails Society.

What’s Next?

West Kootenay Hiking has over 100 trails documented and gets over 300,000 visitors a year. Over the last few years, I’ve really tried to keep the site updated with new trails and changing conditions.

But looking forward, I won’t have the same capacity to get out and hike the big alpine grinds over the next few years. I’m starting to think about bringing on a co-editor or handing this project off to another local person with technical experience and an adventurous spirit who’d like to keep it going. I’ll start exploring possibilities in 2022 and see where it goes!