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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
- 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…
- 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…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Duffey Lake Road, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Marriot Basin: Time for some Spring Turns
Last weekend we headed to Marriot Basin with Lisa, Julian and Colin. After strapping the skis to the roof in a jumble of ropes and bungee cords, we drove three hours to the trailhead. While we were getting organized, a rental car pulled over, also full of VOC’ers, but going to Mt. Rohr on a day trip. We headed up…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Brew Hut: Another Misadventure to Brew Hut
Easter long weekend requires an adventure, it’s not every week that we get a four day weekend. Gili and I signed up for the trip to Brew hut organized by Philippe LeBillon a few weeks in advance. We were hoping for a nice weekend in which we’d skin up to Brew, enjoy some spring skiing and warm up in the…
