I did the Hanes Valley trail last week as a trail run, but it makes for a spectacular day hike. Starting from Lynn Headwaters Park you’ll travel through a variety of terrains before finishing at the top of Grouse Mountain. This hike is best done late in the summer season due the some creek crossings. Early in the summer when the snow melt is at its peak, the creeks are quite large and flow with a lot of force, making crossings quite dangerous (or impossible). There is also snow for much of the year on the climb up to Crown Pass and on the Pass itself. The boulder field leaves much opportunity for injuries. Bears are also relatively common on this trail (here is the one I saw). In other words, BE PREPARED ON THIS HIKE.

The trail starts at the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. There are numerous trails in the park, including great hikes up to Coliseum Mountain and Lynn Peak. There is a great map available here. (You can also do this hike from the top of Grouse down, but where’s the fun in that?)

Starting from the northern tip of the parking lot, you take the Lynn Loop Trail north. As you enter the trail, there is a sign-board with a hiker check-in. Enter your name and trip details here (just in case).  The first part of the hike is easy, just follow the well-defined trail north for about 1.8km until you come to a junction and a trail sign. Keep heading north, now along the Cedar Mills Trail. Follow Cedar Mills for about 2.3km until you join up with the Headwaters Trail. From here the trail will start to become a bit more challenging.

Again, keep going north, following the numerous yellow trail markers. Before long, you’ll come to a junction where you can go right to Norvan Falls (and further on to Coliseum) or left. Left will take us over a metal bridge and onward to Grouse Mountain. From here the trail become a bit harder to follow, but there are plenty of markers to keep you on track. You’ll soon come to your first creek crossing:

After carefully making your way over the rocks, follow the trail and keep your eye out for a marked junction in the trail. Keeping north will take you to Lynn Peak. Heading west (left) will take you along the Hanes Valley route. You’ll follow the trail through the forest in the valley for about 2.5 km before coming out into the open.

Here’s a good place to enjoy the scenery and take a break, because now the trail becomes challenging.

The next 1.5km are an unrelenting climb up a steep rock slope. There is (hopefully) orange tape tied to rocks to guide you up the slope, but you’re basically going to go right up the gut of the valley, to the top of the rocky slope. This part of the hike accounts for about 500m of elevation gain and can be very dangerous if there is snow/ ice.

Once you reach the top, you’ll be back onto trail and soon be on Crown Pass. There will be a sign. Going right will take you up to Crown Mountain. Going left will take us up to Grouse. Go left and push up some more challenging and steep trail. After 1km of uphill fighting you’ll be at the trail head for Goat Mountain. There’s about 2km of hiking left, but the worst is over. Follow the signs down to the resort and catch the Gondola ($10) down the the Grouse parking lot.

Since this isn’t an out-and-back, you’ll either want to have 2 cars, or plan to take transit. Transit should be relatively easy as there is a bus from Grouse to Lonsdale Quay (#236), and one from Lonsdale Quay right up Lynn Valley Road (#228).

Directions. From Highway 1 take the Lynn Valley Road (exit #19 north) in North Vancouver. Follow the road all the way up the the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park parking lots.

Hike Specs:

• Rating: Difficult
• Elevation Gain: 1130m
• High Point: 1320m
• Distance: 18km
• Time Needed: 7+ hours
• Season: Late summer to early fall

GPS coordinates are also available here.

Hanes Valley

EveryTrail – Find the best hikes in California and beyond

Mt. Seymour trail offers three peaks of stunning views. Views of Vancouver, the lower mainland, the Indian Arm, and of what appears to be a never ending stretch of coastal mountains. On a clear day you can even see Vancouver Island. All of this is available from moderate hike from an easily accessible trail, which makes Mt. Seymour one of the most popular North Shore hiking spots.

Because this is such a popular trail, it is well marked and staying on track is relatively easy as long as you follows the signs and rocks marked with orange paint. That said, there are numerous side trails on Mt. Seymour, so always keep a keen eye out for trail markers.

The trail begins just north of the Seymour Mountain ski resort parking lot. As you begin the hike there is a map of the numerous trails so you can get your bearings. To begin, head north up the trail that runs parallel to the Manning ski run (if you take the west trail you’ll be heading to Dog mountain). Follow the trail uphill past a few junctions which will be clearly marked with signs to keep you on track. You’ll come out on a dirt road, which you can follow north and uphill.  Follow the signs up the trail until you come to your first clear viewpoint, which is Brockton point. About 15 minutes past Brockton point you’ll come to the turnoff for Elsay Lake, which is a much more ambitious undertaking the the trail we’re on today. Following the trail west and up a steep section for a while longer, you’ll soon be a the First Pump Peak. You can scramble on the rocks to your south to get a spectacular view of the lower mainland.

After a few photos and a quick rest, you’ll follow the trail down a bit as it heads north towards the second peak. You’ll descend into a little gully, before pushing up what is probably the most tiring part of the hike to the 2nd Peak. From the 2nd peak, you’ll be able to look north to the final destination of the 3rd peak. It looks close, but depending on the amount of snow/ice, the ascent to the 3rd Peak can be dangerous with some very steep and technical sections. Please be prepared as such, and don’t take any unnecessary risks. You can always come back later in the summer when all the snow is gone and push on to peak 3.

The top is a nice, rounded plateau with ample space for everyone to stretch out, grab a snack and enjoy the 360 views.

Directions. Take the Mount Seymour exit off Highway 1 in North Vancouver. Take Mount Seymour Parkway until you come to sign for Mount Seymour Road. Take a left onto Mount Seymour Road and follow it up to the ski hill area. Park at the northern end of the paved parking lot. It is $3 for day parking (as of 2010).

Hike Specs:

• Rating: Moderate
• Elevation Gain: 450m
• High Point: 1450m
• Distance: 9km
• Time Needed: 5 hours
• Season: July to October

GPS coordinates are also available here.

Mt. Seymour Trail

Plan your trips with EveryTrail Mobile Travel Guides

1. After 12 days of searching, the search for Tyler Wright was called off on Sunday. His family is continuing to search.
2. Kayak for a Cure Vancouver raised $30,000 last Sunday.
3. West Coast Trail Speed Record Attempt – A Report from Gary Robbins.
4. Melting Garibaldi glacier reveals ancient tree stumps
5. Biking the Sea to Sky Trail from Whistler to Brandywine Falls
6. Kayaking British Columbia: Paddling Where the Sky and Sea Are One
7. Vancouver’s Parks and beaches now smoke free.

After non-stop sunshine all month, we get a day of pouring rain on the last day of the month. Is the summer over? Definitely not. There’s still plenty of time to get out there and bag some peaks. But, the sun is setting a lot earlier and it is getting colder, so keep this in mind.

Check out the Events Calendar to see what’s on tap for September. But before you do that, here’s a look back at some of the popular posts from August:

1. I reviewed the Vibram FiveFingers.
2. We looked at a really useful website called Animated Knots.
3. I posted a template checklist for day trips and overnight trips.
4. I reviewed Canada West Mountain School’s Wilderness Surival Course
5. Joe O’Blenis is attempting to regain the Vancouver Island Kayaking Speed Record
6. We had a profile of the beautiful Joffre Lakes trail

- Another great mountain biking video. 60 Days of BC Mountain Biking:

- From the Adventure Blog, Ride The Megatron – Monster Kayak Slide in Norway:

- Another great launch fail brought to us by Kayak Yak:

- The North Shore Rescue blog posted this picture from one of their recent rescues off the Lions.

1. Tyler Wright went missing during a 5 day solo hike. He was supposed to finish the trek Aug 16, but there is still an ongoing search to find him.
2. North Shore SAR has also been busy on Salt Spring Island and near Lions Bay
3. Woman critical after West Van scuba diving accident.
4. The Grouse Grind record time was shattered this week
5. B.C. senior begins ‘Grind’ climbs for Pakistan
6. VIA Unplugged takes us to Minnekhada Regional Park

Effective August 27th
Trail hours will be:

OPENING TIME: 6:15 am
CLOSING TIME: 6:00 pm

Effective Sept. 24th
Trail hours will be:

OPENING TIME: 7:00 am
CLOSING TIME: 5:00 pm

Effective November 5th
Trail hours will be:

OPENING TIME: 8:00 am
CLOSING TIME: 4:00 pm

Please allow yourself sufficient time to finish the trail before dark.

The Metro Vancouver Grouse Grind crew will continue with trail maintenance throughout the hiking season.

Joffre Lakes is a popular hike located just north of Pemberton in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. Its easy access and gorgeous views make this a well traveled trail during the summer (and winter) months. It’s also a popular destination for ice climbers for the same reasons.

From the trailhead, Lower Joffre Lake is a flat 5 minute walk. The view here will give you a good vantage point of your end goal; the spectacular Matier Glacier that looms above Upper Joffre Lake. Doubling back from the Lower Lake will take you to the main trail that leads to the Middle and Upper Lakes. From here, the trail is a 5.5km upward climb through old growth forest, over a boulder field, and over Joffre Creek.

After the initial 30 minutes of climbing you will come to the boulder field.  Traversing the large boulders, you will shortly get some views of the coast mountain scenery and hear the roaring sound of Joffre Creek running east of you.

Carrying on, you’ll soon be at Middle Joffre Lake at an elevation of 1540m. You’ve done most of the elevation gain from here and the final push to Upper Joffre Lake is fairly short. Regardless, the view at Middle Joffre is beautiful and it’s worth stopping here for a break.

Pushing to on the final stretch of the hike you’ll come to Upper Joffre, and you can walk around to the south tip of the lake for a close up view of Matier Glacier. From here there are also routes to Mount Matier and Mount Tzil – both of which require mountaineering experience. At the top, you can find a spot to rest, eat and soak up the view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains. Mount Cayoosh looks spectacular off in the distance to the north-west. You can also camp around the lake:

Overnight campers can set up their tents on the far (south) end of the lake in the small, but level campsites provided. The campsite, along a section of lakeshore and in the adjacent rock talus slope, is some distance from the toe of the glacier. The campsite may fill up on weekends so it is best to get there early. In the warm afternoon sun you can hear the thunderous crashing of ice as it calves from the glacier. Please keep in mind that because of the instability of glacial terrain, scrambling upslope to get a closer view is not recommended.

Directions. To get to Joffre Lakes, take the Sea to Sky highway north past Whistler to Pemberton. At the Pemberton Junction (Petro Canada) keep going towards Mount Currie. After about 7km, you will turn right on Duffey Lake Road. Once on Duffey Lake rd, you will wind up a paved road for about 21 km before seeing the signs for the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park parking lot. The trail starts right from parking lot.

Hike Specs:

• Rating: Moderate
• Elevation Gain: 400m
• High Point: 1600m
• Distance: 11km
• Time Needed: 5 – 6 hours
• Season: July to September

GPS coordinates are also available here.

2 years ago Joe O’Blenis lost the record for fastest solo circumnavigation of Vancouver Island by kayak to Sean Morley. On Aug 19, 2010 he set out in an attempt to regain the record.

From Wavelength Magazine:

NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA, August 19, 2010 – Joe O’Blenis is underway in his bid to win back the speed record for circumnavigating Vancouver Island.

Joe, a resident of Thunder Bay, ON, left the Brechin boat ramp in downtown Nanaimo this morning with a SPOT GPS satellite message reading “I’m right here and all is GREAT.” The official launch time: 8:15:16 a.m. PST. His target to complete the 1,150-km journey is 17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes, which means he has to return to the same spot by rounding the island by Sept. 5 at 1:04 p.m.

Joe first completed the circumnavigation in 2007 in 23 days, setting the record for the fastest solo time around the island. That record was broken in 2008 by Sean Morley of California, who shaved six days of Joe’s time not by encountering ideal conditions but rather by pushing through some of the worst with occasionally Herculean efforts. He completed the journey with several back-to-back 100-km days of kayaking.

Joe left from Nanaimo (home of the office of Wavelength Magazine) as an ideal base camp for this bid, convenient to the ferry and his on-land support network, but strategic also for being able to time his passage of the first hurdle: Seymour Narrows, a difficult and potentially dangerous tidal passage north of Campbell River…..

From the Great Island Race page:

The goal is simple: be the fastest kayaker to journey non-stop and unaided around Vancouver Island. There are no official rules, but Wavelength Magazine is setting them nonetheless. To claim the title kayakers must journey the entire outer shoreline of Vancouver Island by paddle. Once the kayaker first leaves shore the timer starts, and it doesn’t stop until the kayaker returns to the same location. No breaking the circumnavigation into portions. The kayakers must be self-sufficient – no support boat should provide nightly meals, accommodation or services. Part of the endurance is setting up and breaking down camp. If a kayaker stays at fixed roof accommodation during the trip the kayaker must return to the exact location to restart.

The record holders so far:

2006: Kieron Tastagh and Jeff Norville completed the circumnavigation in 19 1/2 days, setting a record for a double.

2007: Joe O’Blenis completed the circumnavigation in 23 days, 10 hours, setting a record for a single. He also continues to hold the record for the fastest clockwise circumnavigation.

2008: Sean Morley completed the circumnavigation in 17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes, setting and holding the record for the fastest time.

You can track Joe’s daily progress here.

Only a few articles this week, and they’re all from Globe and Mail. Weird.

1. B.C. ready to ban all backcountry activities (over forest fires)
2. Mountain biking puts an end to Whistler’s summer slumber
3. Sea kayaking on Vancouver Island’s wild West Coast
4. Seventh annual Crankworx festival attracts top international freeride competitors

- North Van’s Gary Robbins recently broke the speed record for the West Coast Trail with a time of 10 hours and 8 minutes. More videos available on his blog.

- @Arcteryx tweeted this hilarious climbing video. “While shooting my Squamish in a Day video, Jason Kruk got his knee stuck in a 5.11 offwidth called “Boogie ’til You Puke.” Luckily Andrew Burr was there shooting stills while I shot video and switched his 5d to video mode to capture what is perhaps the most horrific and hilarious climbing experience I have ever witnessed first hand. By this end of this short movie, you should understand why the climb is now officially renamed “Boogie ’til You Poop!”:

- Vancouver is Awesome posted this wicked bmx video of local Travis Collier:

- A great white shark paddles around dude on paddle board:

- Canadian wilderness survival expert Les Stroud is back with a new show that looks pretty awesome. Beyond Surival:

I’ve always done the weekly links post on Sundays but recently noticed not many people are visiting the site on Sunday. I thought I’d start doing a Friday Links instead to see it works out better.

1. Grizzlies spotted on Vancouver Island
2. Two hikers found safe as evacuation order ends after Pemberton landslide
3. Sea Kayaking British Columbia: Islands at the Edge of the World
4. Bikes, bugs and bear – The TransRockies mountain bike race
5. It’s getting easier to camp in BC’s Provincial Parks
6. Vancouver businesses battle new bike lane proposal
7. My guest post for Island Adventurer on the Grouse Grind

Last week I took the Wilderness Survival Course with the Canada West Mountain School.

You will spend one evening learning about pre-trip planning, hazard recognition and avoidance, emergency kits, survival psychology and navigation skills. An overnight field session will allow you to truly experience a night out in the local mountains with minimum survival gear.

Its a course I’ve wanted to take for a few years now to get some better backcountry experience and a basic knowledge of some survival skills for a worst case-scenario.

The first session was a 3 hour classroom session where we reviewed the basics of the equipment you should have on you while in the backcountry, the pros and cons of different types of equipment, and what to have in an emergency kit. We also covered some basics on bear safety and the like.

On Saturday morning the real fun began. For our trip we were hiking up the East Canyon Trail in Golden Ears. We met up at Tim Horton’s and moved as a group the trail head. We did a trip overview before beginning our journey, 10km to our campsite. We had a fairly large group of about 10. But there was a 8 year Search and Rescue vet in our group and also a Capilano University student doing his practicum with Canada West. I was lucky, because the experience of these two people made it so we basically had 3 guides. The group was great. Everyone was friendly, sociable, and not complaining about the steady rain that was falling on us. As we trekked towards our campsite, we would stop and discus various things such as hazards, using landmarks for navigation, and so on. The ‘lessons’ were very informal, which was great, because as we came upon different situations the guide would offer some great advice, and others would offer any related tips on the subject they might have based on their own experience. The learning this way felt really broken up into little nuggets over the weekend, instead of a classroom type of feeling where you’re listening to someone lecture for 2 hours. I learned so much by listening to not only the guide, but other group members over the 2 day trip I can’t possibly hope to ever remember everything.

After reaching camp we set to building our tarp shelters as our gear was getting pretty soaked by this point. We learned the basic knots we would need and were given pointers on choosing a location to set up shop and on the types of shelter that could be built. I found a nice soft mossy area as I didn’t have a sleeping pad with me. The end result was a pretty slick shelter where I would spend the night:

After the tarps were built, we grabbed dinner near the creek before talking about water (how to find, clean, etc). Then we set out to find a good spot for our food cache. After getting our food up and out of harm’s way, we talked about various wilderness survival tips and tricks before settling around the ‘campfire’ for the night. Even though it was raining, there was a fire ban in the park so our fire consisted of a tea light candle in pit. Which was better than nothing I guess, as the group actually gathered around for a few hours sharing various outdoor/ wildlife encounter/ scary/ and ghost stories until about 10 or 11pm.

Then came the task of sleeping in my shelter. It was weird not sleeping in tent. It was actually fun sleeping open air under the tent except for the hoards of moquitos that swarmed my face for the entire night (it was not one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had). But my tarp did the job and I was completely dry throughout the rainy night.

The next morning it was breakfast, then lessons on firebuilding and making a tarp stretcher. We finished things off by building a lean-to which turned out to be a pretty comfortable and sturdy make-shift shelter (top photo). Then we packed out back to the parking lot.

The learning was very non-structured which was great. The guide did a great job of going with the flow of the group and imparting his wisdom here and there as it fit into the situation. He also kept things interesting by telling stories of his days as a guide for a youth corrections program.

Overall, it was a great program and I’m glad I signed up. The only downside was that we didn’t have time to cover map and compass basics, but the cloudy weather wasn’t ideal for that anyways. I’ll likely be signing up for the winter camping version of this course down the road.

It was great too, because now I’m looking forward to using the skills I acquired into my future trips. For example. if I sleep under a tarp, I can save lots of space and weight in my pack, which is great. I felt, for a fairly beginner outdoorsman like myself, it was a terrific course. I did ask the search and rescue person if the course was a bit Mickey Mouse for him since he had so much experience, and he said not at all, that there is always an opportunity to learn new things or new ways to do things. So even if you have a good amount of experience, it may be something to look into.

Courses like this are something that become invaluable in the event that you ever get stuck in the backcountry. But even if you never use the skills in a survival situation, you’ll learn things that make hiking more enjoyable. Plus, these courses are just fun!

One thing I love doing is pre-packing for overnight trips. Laying out all your gear, deciding what you need depending on weather/ time of year/ nature of the trip etc, and deciding what to take and what to leave behind. One handy tool I have to help myself prepare for trips is a checklist. I’ve shared my own personal list below, which may be helpful for anyone who wants to make their own. You can download a .doc version here if you want to edit it.

This list is a good starting point of things you should consider bringing on trips, but really it depends on each individual on trip and personal preferences for what you pack along with you. The most important thing is having a little survival kit that contains all the essentials, then building out from there. It’s also good to consider what things you want to carry on your person instead of in your bag. Should you somehow get separated from your pack (fall in water or otherwise lose it), you’ll want to have a bare minimum of essentials in your pockets such as matches, a knife, whistle, and so on.

Day Tripping Checklist

Must Haves

• Appropriate clothes (jacket, layers, hat, proper boots, etc)
• Extra clothes (rain gear, gloves, toque, extra layer, etc)
• Enough high energy food plus extra snacks
• ~ 1L Water
• GPS and/or Map, Compass
• Cell phone
• Sunscreen & Sunglasses
• Water Purification Drops (Pristine)
• Headlamp (or flashlight)
• First Aid Kit
• Fire Starter (flint & steel)
• Lighter and/or Waterproof Matches
• Knife
• Whistle
• Emergency Shelter (Blanket, Bivy Sack or Tarp)

Good to Have

• Guidebook or printed description of trail
• Camera
• Multi tool
• Extra clothes (sandals, socks, etc) & towel waiting in the car
• Napkins or TP
• Hand Sanitizer
• Candle
• Binoculars
• Thermos – Hot drink
• Waterproof pencil & paper
• Trekking Poles
• Chapstick
• Care card
• Bear spray/ bangers

Other Things to Consider

• Does someone know where I am going and when to expect me back?
• What is the weather forecast?
• Do I need to be aware of the tides, sunset time, or other factors?
• If I get stranded over night am I prepared?
• Is my cell phone, headlamp, etc, fully charged – Do I have extra batteries for any of these?

Overnight Trips

All of the above plus these:

Must Haves

• Tent and/ or Tarp(s)
• ~ 75 – 100ft Rope
• Garbage bag(s)
• Contact solution and case
• Weatherproof bag for hanging food cache
• Sleeping Bag
• Stove
• Fuel
• Pots/ Cutlery
• TP
• Extra batteries for headlamp

Nice to Have

• Tiger Balm
• Extra buckle for bag
• Bug repellant
• Biodegradable soap
• Hygienics  (toothbrush, deodorant, etc)
• Lantern
• Sleeping pad
• iPod (portable speakers)
• Playing cards
• Book
• Swim shorts
• Mosquito net
• Sandals

- Also stumbled on this nice footage of Black Tusk by helicopter:

- A curious octopus in Barkley Sound, off Vancouver Island:

- Great footage of the Silver Star Bike Park:

- The Adventure Blog came across this awesome helmet cam footage of the Khumbu Icefall crossing on Everest:

- Its not Pics & Vids of the Week without a good kayaking vid. This one from Outside Blog:

- Also from Outside Blog, the trailer for Grey Whale Sessions surf vid: