The Forest In The Fall

Looking up into the tree tops and the sky while hiking Jack's Trail.

The forest was particularly pretty on Saturday. We borrowed the hiking partner's dog and went for a 3 hour wander in the woods.

A Walk In The Woods

On the weekend, we went for a walk in the woods. The vine maples had become a lovely yellow. It looked as if someone had turned on the lights under the canopy of fir trees. I wouldn't be surprised if those maple leaves lit up the forest at night.

The Stawamus Chief

We hiked up to the second peak of the Stawamus Chief yesterday. It was 11 kilometres of gruelling uphill hiking, hanging on to chains and climbing ladders. A few sections were extremely technical for me, but I made it to the top relatively unscathed.

Elfin Lakes

On Sunday, we hiked 22 kilometres up to the Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Park. Lots of snow, fabulous vistas and such a sense of accomplishment!

Snow In Summer

The view from my living room window this morning.

According to the calendar, there are 2 more weeks of summer left. The autumnal equinox isn't even due until September 22nd. And yet this is what greeted me when I opened the living room blinds this morning. SNOW ON THE TANTALUS RANGE! I don't mind when it rains in the summer. But seriously. Snow? As the kids would say "WTF?"

This Is Where I Live

The intrepid hikers tackle Crumpit Woods on a rainy day.

We had planned to hike the Joffre Lakes trail today. To get to the trail head on the Duffy Lake Road, one must drive 2 hours north of here. The hike itself takes about 4-6 hours meandering around three lakes with the Metier Glacier as a backdrop. I was reallllly looking forward to it!

But alas, the weather did not cooperate. At 7:00am the rain was slanting sideways, the trees were bent over and no one in our hiking group was keen to drive 2 hours in the rain to hike 4 hours in the rain, then drive another 2 hours home in the rain.

So we adapted our plans. We met at our place at 8:00am, had several cups of Joe's famous coffee with toast and jam (thanks Colleen) and then hiked 2 hours in and about Crumpit Woods. After baking in the sun and heat all summer, it was surprisingly lovely to be in a wet forest again. To make ourselves feel better about not experiencing the Joffre Lakes, we made up a list of the positive things about hiking on the local trails....

• our carbon footprint was smaller because we didn't have to drive very far.
• the fern fronds and vine maple leaves looked beautiful glistening in the rain.
• the air smelled wonderful.
• the fungi we saw was fluorescent orange.
• once we were finished the hike, it wouldn't take us long to get back to our cozy homes for a hot bath and a nap.
  

We are going to take a look at the long range weather forecasts and pick the next dry Sunday for another attempt at hiking around the Joffre Lakes.

P.S.
I must acknowledge Sue Shalanski for single-handedly getting me interested in hiking. Sue is a physiotherapist here in town and is currently organizing a '100 Day Wellness Challenge' starting on September 23rd. If you are interested in finding out more about it, please click here.

This Is Where I Live

The view of Howe Sound from the rock quarry high above Britannia Beach.

Ever since moving to 'Sea-to-Sky Country' sixteen years ago, I have driven my kids nuts by always forcing (I mean encouraging) them to look up at the natural beauty that surrounded us. "This is where we live!" I'd exclaim. "MOM," they'd groan. "WE KNOW!" Well, I didn't think they did know, so I was like a dog with a bone constantly pointing out amazing views and vistas. I got so insufferable that my two daughters moved to Vancouver and haven't looked at a tree since.

That feeling of awe came over me this morning after I hiked straight up 'The Britannia Grind' and came out at the rock quarry high above Britannia Beach. The hike to the quarry was pretty much vertical on a dry, dusty forest floor. I even felt like I had vertigo a few times. But the panorama view over Howe Sound was the reward for such an arduous walk.

I just wish my kids had been with me to experience it.