Pebble Creek Hot Springs: and Mushroom Picking Too
On the way in we stopped to admire the devastation of the Capricorn Creek drainage by a huge slide (2nd biggest in recorded Canadian history) a few months ago. The section of road through the slide debris consists of a deep a trench cut through these mounds of mud and broken trees. We spent hours and hours of sitting in the hot springs. They were so hot that we couldn’t use the upper pool and had to add cold water from the river all the time. The location is very impressive, right on the side of a raging river. On Sat evening it rained like crazy, and we watched the…
Tomyhoi Peak: and Yellow Aster Butte too!
Some things are different in the US. The cars are bigger, the people are fatter, and the trails are much wider. We still had fresh memories of our eight day traverse on Vancouver Island where we seldom saw a trail, people, or any sign of humans at all. So we actually enjoyed the wide trails and excellent signage – no need to wonder if we’ll manage to drive up this rough gravel road to the trailhead, whether we are at the trailhead and where this particular trail goes. This was our first trip in years to the North Cascades, and we were dumbfounded by the beauty of the mountains and…
Dickson Peak: Yet Another Stormy Labour Day Weekend!
Over the long weekend we headed to Dickson Peak with our friends Jan and Warrick Whitehead. We were looking for a destination with some solitude, and we certainly found it. The lengthy drive, around four hours from Vancouver, the long bumpy logging road (the Hurley) and the fact that this peak is not well known, must deter people. At the Jewel Bridge trail head we had breakfast, and I made sure to tie up our left over cornflakes in a mesh bag hanging from the ceiling of the car – when we got back we found that the dreaded mice had managed to find their way in. We hiked up…
Broken Group Islands: First Multi-day Kayaking Trip
A four day trip to the Broken Group Islands on Vancouver Island. Some highlights: – We were a group of 10 on a trip organized by Lisa, mostly since her parents were visiting. We met the evening before at a campground in the fishing camp at China Creek. This was the start of the huge Sockeye Salmon run. Maya and I bought four fresh and cheap fish for the group, which we then cooked on our new portable BBQ. – The next day we caught the Lady Rose ferry up the Alberni Inlet, to Sechart Lodge. It took us a surprising amount of time to load up the kayaks. –…
Elk-Westmin Traverse: Serendipity Strikes Twice in Strathcona
I love those funny coincidences that make so much sense and yet are so surprising. On the first day of this eight day trip, while hiking up the Elk River Trail, we met a group that had turned around from a similar route to the one we had planned. They spoke of huge amounts of snow and a narrow gully with truck sized boulders, partially covered with snow, making for treacherous footing, where any moment one might fall into the creek. They had roped up, which sounded weird to me. The guy in the front noticed a piece of paper I was referring to, and said “that’s my trip report!”.…
Lytton to Lillooet: A Loop Along the Mighty Fraser River
The plan was to cycle from Lytton to Lillooet along a gravel road running up the west side of the Fraser from Lytton to Lillooet, and return via highway #12 on the east side, in two days. We had meant to leave early, but were tired and the days are long, so in the end only left Vancouver at 9am. The previous time we had driven to Lytton it took us two and a half hours, but due to traffic and lots of construction it took us three and half hours this time. We parked our car near the information center and got organized. Finally we were on our bikes…
Ring-Callaghan Traverse: Clawing the Thin Ice
I love frozen lakes. The thin ice covering them is like a call to arms. I feel drawn to the ice, to test it, walk on it, throw sticks and rocks at it, and am always surprised to see them bounce off the ice instead of making a splash in the water. Maybe this has something to do with growing up in the Middle East, where ice exists strictly in the freezer. My wonder at ice formations extends of course to the biggest pieces of ice we are likely to bump into, glaciers. Getting close to glaciers and traveling across them is still a novelty to me. This trip took…
Brodie to Spences Bridge: Another Spur of the Kettle Valley Railway
Three years ago we rode most of the Kettle Valley Railway, following the old rail bed from Midway to Hope, with a side trip to Osoyoos. The Kettle Valley Railway has another side spur or two, and on this weekend we followed the spur going from Brodie to Merritt and on to Spences Bridge. On the previous trip we had passed through Brodie, but had headed south to Hope, whereas this time we were headed north to Merritt. It must have been a huge job to dismantle the railway, but it is much appreciated by cross country cyclists. The old bridges, tunnels, washouts, old stations and water towers provide an…
- British Columbia (and nearby), Cycling & Cycle Touring, Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast, Trip Reports
Pender Island: Alpacas, Beaches, Yellow Flowers and Sunshine
Cycling season has started. Although ski season is still alive and kicking, it’s great to get out on a bike and enjoy some sunshine and greenery. Maya and I drove to Tsawassen, hopped on our bikes, and rode to the ferry terminal. There we met Doris and Avery from the VOC, also on their bikes (albeit light road bikes), but heading to Galiano Island. After one stop and one transfer, we arrived to Pender Island. Our ride took us past an Alpaca farm, where each Alpaca was a different colour. At this time of year, the farmer’s market seemed to carry mostly knick knacks and a few baked goods –…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Duffey Lake Road, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Anniversary Glacier: More Spring Turns
Yet another trip up the Duffey Lake Road, this time a few kms beyond Marriot Basin, which we had gone to the previous weekend. The route to Keith’s hut is in the forest for the most part, but it is very mellow. There were a few entertaining creek crossings, and soon enough we arrived to the cozy hut. Apparently the hut can be very crowded on the weekend. In fact, I had read a report written by someone who had spent the night with three dogs on the bottom floor. For this reason we brought tents, but in the end didn’t use them. It had started raining not long before,…
