I am absolutely certain there are no bears in these woods. I have to be certain, because we didn’t bring our bear spray. We do have our walking staffs with carbide points. Reportedly, the larger grizzlies use these as toothpicks.

More seriously now – we do not take bear country lightly, and we know that we are in a relatively populated area just outside Smithers, with no known bear sightings. Hopefully that record does not get broken today. We left our lovely wifi-powered camp in late morning, and are now wending our way up a steep but not criminal trail. From the parking lot, we’ll travel about two miles out and over 700 feet up, to get to the Malkow lookout.

The trail takes off from the parking lot in fairly innocent fashion, crossing a ditch on a dead-man’s plank, then working gently uphill into an aspen grove.

Once in the grove, things get decidedly different. The aspens have leafy, open canopies, and a lot of light gets to the forest floor. This, and considerable moisture, makes for a deep, lush growth reminiscent of rain forests. This pathway, two feet wide and buried within 6-8 feet of dense vegetation, is where I spend most of my time convincing myself there are no bears in the vicinity.

Later, it widens out a bit. Travelers have an interesting sense of humor sometimes. This spruce is ready for Christmas.

Halfway along, the trail intersects the roadway (well, 4X4 roadway anyway). This is clearly a track negotiated by thimble-brained sportsmen such as myself, or – through necessity – by the cell-tower maintenance truck.

Wild roses are blossoming everywhere. They make a gorgeous accent to the whites and greens of the aspen forest and meadows as we pass by.

Far off (too far off?), the end of the trail is marked by the cell tower atop the lookout. Yeah, it’s a shame to mar the natural appearance of the hilltop – – – but ain’t it great to have the coverage?

It gets sunnier, and warmer, and the grade up the hill gets our attention. But the views from the top are, predictably, wonderful. Hudson Bay Mountain overlooks the valley where Smithers nestles, and it’s all laid out for us to gaze at, relax, and gratefully know that it’s mostly downhill back to Ralph.

Cattle on a nearby ranch start to cuddle up for the evening as we trek past.

Finally, around 4:30 we round the last turn. Ralph is waiting patiently in the parking lot. Mr. Faithful.

Yesterday, we took a much shorter hike up to Twin Falls, named for the dual waterfalls cascading down from the glacier above. The sun was in precisely the wrong place for a decent pic, but you get the idea.

Both of the falls converge into one stream, which zigzags down the mountain and past the climbing trail.

Glacier water, even after its trip down the mountain, is on the chilly side. 48F shivering degrees.

Picked up a handsome hitchhiker along the way. He apparently was not satisfied with the jostling or slow pace (or both), and flew on his merry way. Too bad, I was hoping he’d eat some of the dang mosquitos.

Despite the extra weight, I made it comfortably back to Ralph. Saved to hike yet another day.

• Miles driven (Howie): 2,118
• Miles driven (Ralph): 423
• Days traveling: 18
• Miles from home: 1,638