Taylor Basin to Trailhead I: 15 km, +145 m, -945 m, 4h 30m The rest of the night was just as quiet as the start. I stirred around 7 am and the quality of the light inside the tent had me thinking it was a cloudy morning. Sure enough I looked out to see leaden … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 6: Taylor Basin to trailhead, 21 Jul 2018
Harris Ridge: 9.5 km, +600 m, -600 m, 7h 10m The clouds had thickened overnight and we were greeted by grey skies as we emerged from the tent, with only a hint of weak sunshine in the east, barely enough to cast a pale shadow let alone provide warmth. We walked back up to the … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 5: Harris Ridge, 20 Jul 2018
Eldorado Meadows to Taylor Basin: 9.5 km, +555 m, -515 m, 5h 25m I stirred around 3 am and peered out of the tent to look at the stars. Mars was dazzling in the southern sky and I noted that the sky wasn't really very dark. I drifted off again and awoke around 6:20 am, … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 4: Eldorado to Taylor Basin, 19 Jul 2018
Windy Pass: 6.5 km, +380 m, -380 m, 4h 30m Well that was a really comfy and quiet night, and I slept perhaps as well as I've ever done when backpacking. At one point I thought I heard the sound of hooves in the meadow but it was faint and distant and I soon drifted … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 3: Windy Pass, 18 Jul 2018
North Cinnabar Basin to Upper Eldorado Basin: 12 km, +565 m, -635 m, 8h 20m For once, I had a decent night's sleep. Normally I listen for all manner of noises when it's so quiet but last night I wasn't bothered at all. I poked my head out of the tent during the night to … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 2: North Cinnabar to Eldorado Basin, 17 Jul 2018
Trailhead I to North Cinnabar Basin: 8.25 km, +850 m, -150 m, 5h 10m The night had been warm and I barely needed my sleeping bag, pulling only part of it over me in the early morning hours. We packed up and enjoyed breakfast in the morning sunshine, the heat of which soon had us … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 1: North Cinnabar Basin, 16 Jul 2018
Day 0: Drive from Vancouver to Gun Creek campground We opted for a relaxed approach to beginning our two-week vacation, leaving home around noon and enjoying a remarkably quiet drive through the city. Rounding the corner by Eagle Bluffs to get our first view of the mountains lining Howe Sound is always the moment at … Continue reading South Chilcotins Day 0: Vancouver to Gold Bridge, 15 Jul 2018
Looking back at 2018 I couldn't help but feel that it was an odd year, something we seem to say most years lately! We hiked a lot of trails that we'd hiked before, and the weather in what would normally be peak hiking season turned for the worse, with forest fires in August followed by … Continue reading 2018 in review
Opinion Always a fine destination for a short-ish hike, the first peak of Mount Seymour is one of my favourite North Shore summits. It's a great shoulder-season hike now all the bugs have gone, but it's not a place to expect solitude, even at this time of year. Fact We went as far as the … Continue reading Mount Seymour, 4 Nov 2018
Opinion As a way to get several hours of uninterrupted alpine sunshine, Elfin Lakes is a great destination. I don't rate it as the most interesting of hikes - it's long and the view doesn't change much - but the views are superb and the lakes make a great lunch spot. Just don't feed the … Continue reading Elfin Lakes, 18 Nov 2018
Being. Outdoors. 