Hey Tracy,
Great to hear from you! I've just recently started pitching my tarp on a slope vs. A-frame as my new one is slightly larger - I do find it does well cutting the wind while having enough room underneath to keep dry during rain. I didn't have a chair, but rather a piece of blue foam I cut out from an old closed-cell pad (this doubles as additional padding underneath my thermarest around my hip area when I sleep). There is a very light-weight chair frame that holds a thermarest pad as the cushion, but I don't have one. Here's a link to the product on the MEC site: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5052-476/Trekker-Chair
As for terrain, the first 9 kms or so starting at Rain Lake are very flat and easy but once you approach the loop, and for the entire time thereafter, the trail becomes quite similar in technicality to that of the Highland Trail. My pack was about 35 lbs., which is 10 lbs more than I would normally take during a summer hike. The colder temps required a heavier sleeping bag, some more clothing and food, my white gas vs. methyl hydrate stove, and a larger pack to accommodate all of this.
If you're interested in checking out the northern loop, something like the following may be a good option:
Islet day 1,
Pincher South day 2,
Brown day 3 (taking shortcut at Gervais/Lady Slipper)
Out on day 4
Hope this helps. Cheers,
Rich
Last edited by hiker72 (11/21/2018 8:34 pm)
Methye wrote:
thank you again.