• British Columbia (and nearby),  Duffey Lake Road,  Hiking & Scrambling,  Trip Reports

    Downton Creek: Hot Weekend and Fires Close By

    On the August long weekend (yes, three weeks ago!) we went to the Downton Creek area for three days. We were there at the end of August last year and got chased down by a freak snow storm and very low temperatures. This time it was sunny with blue skies until we got into the alpine and it started pouring with no warning. We thought – this place is cursed! We found a boulder to hide under for half an hour, during which it rained and even hailed for a bit. Finally the sun came back out and we hiked up to a small lake, right below Linus and Faulty…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Cycling & Cycle Touring,  Hiking & Scrambling,  Hot Springs,  Rockies & Kootenays,  Trip Reports

    West Kootenays: Adventures in the Kootenays

    About two weeks ago we returned from three weeks in the Kootenays. The days before we left were a flurry of activity – we subletted our apartment, so we had to tidy and clean up, dehydrate food for the trip, pack and tie up all sorts of loose ends (such as doing our taxes three months late…). Finally we managed to leave in the early afternoon, and drove east through the Okanagan. We stopped near Osoyoos to pick purple and sweet cherries, and bright red apricots. A wonderful rainbow greeted us next, followed by lots of rain into Grand Forks where we spent the night. The next two days were…