Phelix Hut: J. R. R. Tolkien Lives On
The well known author of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy supposedly died in 1973. However, in a small almost unknown corner of southwestern British Columbia, J. R. R. Tolkien lives on. I know this since I visited his snowy throne. Yes, with my comrades I scaled the steep ice walls of his castle, to stare face to face with the literary giant, and to view his kingdom, or failing that, at least his magnificent creations, notably: Gandalf, the white bearded wizard, his fearless and fast as lightning horse Shadowfax, and Aragorn, the tall warrior. Together, they make quite the bunch, or group of mountains, it depends…
Cuba: Cycling Journey to the Land of Socialism and Endless Coconuts
When you think of Cuba, what do you think of? Perhaps Fidel Castro, Cuban cigars, cheap rum, old American cars, communism and the US embargo come to mind. But the experiences we had, such as riding alongside more horse carts than cars, gulping coconut after coconut given to us for free and watching kids ride to school on a tractor, never failed to surprise us, and gave us a glimpse of another Cuba. A Cuba that keeps marching on to its own special drum, despite huge obstacles that have been put in front of it (thanks in large part to Uncle Sam). Not all Cubans are happy, naturally, but Cuba,…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Telemagique Ridge: Blue Skies + Powder = Magic?
This weekend I organized an “intermediate friendly” trip to Telemagique Ridge. I chose this destination since I was hoping that the high access road would cut down our elevation gain to get to the good snow, especially important for a day trip in mid winter, when the days are short. We woke up “dark and early” and drove up the Sea to Sky. Speaking of the sky, it was clear, very clear. It was starting to look like stellar weather, better hurry up to get to the trailhead. I was feeling giddy, hyperactive, charged and ready to go. At the trailhead, it was quite chilly at -10c, cold enough to…
Bagley Lake: Soft Start to the Ski Season?
On the Remembrance Day Long Weekend we set out to get some early season turns with Anne and Marcin. The Mt. Baker area is supposed to be a good place for this, so we booked a cheap cabin and planned to do day trips from there. On the first day, as we were driving up to the ski area, I was starting to get worried. There was no sign of snow. Only when we got to the very top it started looking like there was enough snow to ski. It was chilly, and there was a strong wind that blew snow sideways into our eyes. We attempted to maximize our…
Saint Marks Peak: Definitely Not Unnecessary
St. Marks Peak is a small peak, more of a bump actually. However, it is quite a spectacular bump, due to the steep topography to the west and to the east, dropping down 1400m steeply to the ocean. The access is easiest from the Cypress ski area, where we began our trip. The ski area was still closed, but quite a few people were milling around. It turned out that around 25 of these people were also heading up our trail, an organized Korean looking group. We let them pass us and slowed down so that we could enjoy the peace and quiet. I guess this is how others feel…
Crown Mtn: The Crown of the North Shore
I have often looked at Crown Mtn. while enjoying a BBQ with friends down at Jericho or Locarno beaches, near UBC. I knew I would make my way to the summit, it was just a question of when. We drove to the Grouse parking lot, and were surprised to see it so crowded: what were all those people doing there? We chose to hike up the BCMC trail, shunning the Grouse Grind and its many artificial steps and spandex clad hikers jogging up and down. After just over an hour and a half we arrived at the chalet and took a quick bathroom break. I always find it weird to…
Saxifrage Mtn: In the Footsteps of Rachael and Jonathan
I only met Rachael once before she disappeared. It was Canada Day 2010, and we were both on a large VOC trip to Skypilot. The weather was crappy, there were no views, but we still had a good time and some people got to the summit. I had a short chat with Rachael, she seemed nice. I remember she mentioned hiking naked with a few other girls in Garibaldi Park and coming upon a somewhat shocked hiker. Two months later, on the Labor Day Weekend, Rachael and her boyfriend Jonathan went missing. It is believed they were hiking in the Valentine Lake area. To the best of my knowledge, no…
Brazeau Loop and More: Two Weeks in the Rockies
After our cycling trip we decided to chase the sun, which led us east, where it looked sunny. Originally we had planned to spend two weeks in the very remote Spatsizi Plateau Provincial Park, but the weather was looking bad enough to warrant changing our plans. Ironically, we had been in a hurry on our cycling trip in order to leave enough time for Spatsizi, but in the end didn’t end up heading to Spatsizi at all… On our way east we stopped at Moricetown, a first nations community, to buy salmon. First we bought fresh pink salmon, which was caught to the order by a youngster wielding a long…
Prince Rupert to Skagway: Looking for Sunshine
Some people say it rains a lot in Vancouver. I suggest them to take a trip, or better yet, a cycling trip to Prince Rupert, the rainiest and cloudiest city in Canada. In an average year, they get only 100 days with some sun and the total precipitation is 2552mm. But this year wasn’t an average year. It was a cold and wet summer in this part of the world. Ignoring all those facts, or simply not knowing the exact details, this is where Gili and I chose to start our cycling trip through Northern BC, the Yukon and to Skagway Alaska. Like every great adventure it all started by…
- British Columbia (and nearby), Cycling & Cycle Touring, Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast, Trip Reports
Salt Spring Island: Birthday Cycling Weekend
My birthday is in July and therefore associated in my mind with sun and warmth. It didn’t look like I was going to get any of those this year. The forecast called for rain and clouds, so our initial plan to do a hike somewhere fell through. For some reason we thought that cycling in the rain is not too bad compared with hiking in the rain, so we came up with the plan to cycle to Salt Spring Island. We cycled in the rain to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, just like we did on the May long weekend when we cycled the Galloping Goose Trail. We caught the direct…
