Marriott: A Doohickey Campsite
We were looking for a scenic and relatively short and easy overnight hike to do with my dad. Marriott Basin came to mind. What I didn’t take into account was that our previous trip was in September. This time it was mid-summer and we were accompanied by a blood-sucking cloud of mosquitoes that hovered around us constantly. Shortly after leaving the dirt road The trail kept us on our toes The spiciest log on the trail We all made it across safely At the junction of the trails – go left Just another break In the subalpine the views started opening up We made it to Marriott Lake Arriving to…
Red Heather: Two Dads and Four Kids Go Snow Camping
Somehow, two dads and four kids, we ended up making plans to take the kids snow camping in March. It was a semi-secret goal of mine, so I was quite pleased and excited that we were finally doing it… Our friend picked us up, and we stopped at Tim Horton’s in Squamish. It was only at this point that we clued into the full extent of the plan – our friend had conscripted a few of his kid-less friends to come along! This was great since they carried some of the gear, helped to set up tents, and provided entertainment all around. The approach to Red Heather is definitely kid…
Keith’s Hut: A Functional Coffee
Before this trip, Keith’s Hut was a distant memory. You see, this hut is popular in winter with backcountry skiers. That’s something we used to do most weekends in winter, but seldom do now that we have two young kids. So when we were planning a weekend fall trip with friends and they suggested Keith’s Hut, we were quite excited to revisit it. The log crossing near the start of the trail After the long drive we arrived to the trailhead to find just a couple of cars there. This meant we could happily leave our (backup) tent in the car – there would surely be space in the hut.…
Garibaldi Lake: An Unexpectedly Snowy Weekend
Locals (including us!) often complain about how you have to book campsites months in advance. This is the case for Garibaldi Lake, and it sure is annoying. So, when I saw a site come open due to a cancellation for the weekend I jumped on it. I realized well why the cancellation had happened – the forecast called for a cold and rainy weekend. But my mind was made up to finally try an overnight trip just me and the kids. Especially since I was going away the next week for work, so I wanted to give Maya some child-free time too. Happy campers, full of energy Still, I wasn’t…
Slhanay Peak: A Magical View of the Chief
We met up with friends in Squamish for an after-school hike. They suggested Slahanay Peak rather than the more standard and well-traveled Chief – which I’ve been up a few times. I’m always excited to try out a new trail, and in fact had been eyeing this one for a while (when it was still called the Squaw). The trailhead for Slhanay Peak is easy to miss – it’s on a nondescript section of the Mamquam River FSR. From there we started up the trail. Our friends led us off to the much adventurous and challenging scrambling route. It was a steep chimney that required using our hands to clamber…
- Carfree, Cycling & Cycle Touring, Metro Vancouver & North Shore, Trip Reports, Trips with Kids, Urban
Vancouver to Coquitlam: The Boy Who Biked 80km in a Day
Our son Neil (then eight) had been asking to break his cycling record of 72km in a day for a while. I figured that the long warm summer days would be a good time for this. My dad was visiting, and he loves riding, so he joined us. We didn’t train for this ride, but a steady diet of riding to get around, as well as a few weekend trips (such as a five day trip to the Gulf Islands) were likely helpful. Crossing the Coquitlam River I used RideWithGPS to plan an 80km loop, using as much dedicated bike infrastructure as possible and without too much climbing. Our ride…
Echo Lake: It’s a Kind of Magic
This hiking trip started with a canoe trip across the Squamish River. At least, for most of us – one of us chose to swim across, braving the frigid water. This was a rare weekend on which Neil and I had the opportunity of doing a more strenuous trip. I had been eyeing a hike to Echo Lake for a while, but wasn’t sure of the logistics. Going with friends who know the way made this easy. Either way, hiking trips that start with a canoe trip have always captivated me. The canoe trip adds an element of excitement and adventure, and drives the crowds away. Crossing the Squamish River…
Lake Ann: Escape from the Tent City
After our very scenic trip to Chain Lakes last year, we were easily tempted to do another trip to that area. We drove up the Mt. Baker road, parking just below Artist Point, at the Lake Ann trailhead. We had gotten a late start as usual (border delays didn’t help), so we weren’t fazed by the overfull parking lot and long line of cars parked up and down the road. Sure enough, while we had our lunch and geared up, a parking space opened up (“late bird gets the worm?!”). The views soon after we started, Mt. Shuksan This trail is a bit weird, because it starts out by going…
Whistler: Spanky’s Ladder
I can’t believe it’s the ski season of the year after, and I’m catching up with blog posts from last winter! Anyway, like the year before, we headed to Whistler over the Easter long weekend, this time for six days. It’s hard to beat the views there on a sunny day! The views from Seventh Heaven are some of the best Here are some highlights / observations: Our lodging this year was in the centre of Whistler Village. Since it wasn’t close enough to walk, we caught the (free!) shuttle daily. This worked out really well, except that the return shuttles were very oddly spaced out, sometimes leading to long…
A Mini-Guidebook to Cycle Touring in the Yucatán: Cenotes, Beaches, and Tacos
At the end of last year we did an excellent five week cycling trip around the Yucatán. In this blog post I put together some notes and recommendations about the route and practical tips related to traveling around the Yucatán. I hope you will find them to be useful for planning your own trip, by bike (or not). Scenic cycling between El Cuyo and Las Coloradas It was definitely hot at times, especially on the road from El Cuyo to San Felipe when we were fully exposed to the sun the whole time. We took plenty of breaks to rest in the shade, drink coconuts that we found on the…
