Squamish to Indian Arm and Back: First Dead Cougar
This trip started with a drama at the Chief parking lot as there was a lot of commotion and a few rangers around. We weren’t sure what was happening till a group of rangers showed up dragging a dead Cougar behind them. Apparently this cougar killed a dog the day before, and the solution was to kill it…We left the parking lot a bit shocked and confused from the sight of the dead cougar and started the most strenuous trip of the season. Some sections were steep, some sections were impossible to ride because of big rocks and loose gravel, and on some sections we had to ride or push…
Garibaldi Lake: Maya’s First Overnight Backcountry Skiing trip
Last weekend we did a two day backcountry skiing trip to Garibaldi Lake. It had been foggy for a few days in Vancouver with a forecast for continued fog. Just a bit higher than the city it was sunny with blue skies, which is what we had for the two days. When the temperature gets higher as you go up, it is called an inversion. Apparently on that weekend it was 6c in the city, and 18c on Mt.Seymour (a ski hill on the North Shore), at least 1000m higher! The road to the parking lot had not been plowed, so we parked on the side of the road and…
Brandywine-Fee Loop: Steep Trail and a Snowy Ridge
Our car overheated on the way to the trailhead, and we had to stop and wait, and then drove a bit more before it overheated again. While we were thinking what to do a jeep stopped and a guy came out to ask if we needed any help. We ended up catching a ride with them, which was pretty good as with the four wheel drive they could go much higher and saved us an hour of hiking in the forest. After a short while we reached Brandywine Meadows, with some picturesque combinations of streams and flowers. Our route took us up talus slopes to a ridge that leads to…
Wedgemount Lake: Mt. Cook, BC Version
On Saturday morning we drove just past Whistler to the trail head for Wedgemount Lake. The hike up to the lake is quite steep – 1200m in about 7km, but still takes only a few hours. It was foggy and gray in the morning, but around noon the sky cleared completely and we were treated to a beautiful day. On the way we enjoyed wild Huckleberries and Blueberries, but wished there were more of them. We finally made it up to the beautiful glacial lake, surrounded by rocky peaks and a snowy summit – Mt. Wedge, the namesake of the lake. There were quite a few people on the trail…
