Joffre Lakes: Glaciers and Lakes Up Close
British Columbia is mostly covered with beautiful mountains and lakes. But still, there are few places nearby that have easy access to the mountains, with a well maintained trail and rewarding views. Joffre Lakes is a rare example, and as a result it tends to be extremely busy. This year BC Parks introduced a day pass system for this trail. Without getting…
- Camping, Cycling & Cycle Touring, Kayaking and Canoeing, Trip Reports, Trips with Kids, Vancouver Island
Alice Lake Loop: The Bear Spray Explosion
This was one of those trips where things did not go exactly as planned… It started with total sleep deprivation and being overly occupied mostly with work prior to the trip. So only a day after we left Vancouver and already on the drive to Port McNeill we realized that Kai’s bike seat was not with us in the car. It was a…
Birkenhead Lake: The Winds of Change
During the summer Canada was slowly opening up, for the first time since COVID started. We hadn’t seen our family in over two years, so it was about time to change that. Gili’s dad came on a very last minute visit, and the boys were very excited to have their grandpa around. Usually we don’t plan car camping trips, but…
Callaghan Lake: The Broken Sandal
I was looking for neat places to go with our canoe. We decided on Callaghan Lake, intending to camp at the supposedly nice camping spot on the opposite end of the lake. I even recruited a friend and his two kids. However, when we arrived to Callaghan Lake, and looked at the park map, we discovered that camping at the…
Porpoise Bay: Car Camping by Bike
This camping trip was organized months in advance. Well, two months, to be exact, so that everyone would be able to book a campsite at the ever popular Porpoise Bay Campground near Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast. The families who were part of this trip are all from the outdoor preschool Kai was going to start in September. Since we’re…
Stave Lake: An Adventurous Canoe Trip
Gili wanted an adventure. For me the week prior to the trip was exciting enough. Heat Dome. A school closure before the last day of school because of the extreme heat. A toddler whose idea of a heat wave was to hug me as much as possible. I guess he was feeling overwhelmed, and it was his way of dealing with it,…
- Hiking & Scrambling, Kayaking and Canoeing, Metro Vancouver & North Shore, Trip Reports, Trips with Kids
Widgeon Creek: Trying Something New
The first time I took out our new canoe, I flipped it. The two kids who were on it with me, Neil and a friend, were shrieking with excitement. Or was it the shock of the cold water? Either way, they just kept on shouting and laughing for at least a half hour afterwards. I admit to wondering previously –…
Spring Local Bike Rides at a Six Year Old’s Pace
Spring. The season of change, the season of bloom and for the past two years the season of COVID-19 restrictions. Yes, in spring 2021 COVID-19 was still a big part of our lives. The number of cases was rising daily, anxiety was in the air and a travel ban was in effect. We spent much of last spring doing local…
Viewpoint Beach: The Same Trip Again?
After doing a trip to a certain place, how do you feel about doing that same trip again? On the one hand, there are so many other places to go, that it might seem like a waste to revisit a spot you’ve been to. On the other hand, as Heraclitus apparently once put it, so beautifully: “No man ever steps…
Alouette Lake: Missing Goat
When does summer officially start? Is it on June 21st? Or when school is out? Or is it on the first sunny weekend when you go on an overnight bike-camping trip? This year it seemed especially important to start summer early. In mid May when the forecast showed sun and high temperatures for an entire weekend we felt it was time. Neil asked to sleep in the…
