Author: Rain Scott
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Winter Weekend in Zion National Park
We decided to venture up to Zion National Park for the last weekend in December, since we were nearby in Nevada rock climbing . December is low season. There was a little bit of snow (beautiful), freezing cold temperatures, cheap hotels with empty rooms and far smaller crowds. In other words, a pretty perfect time…
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Climbing at Crest Creek, Strathcona Park
Crest Creek is an introverted climber’s paradise. Unlike nearby Squamish, there are no crowds, no ferries, no cell phone coverage and no kids in your campground blasting their boom boxes at 1:00am. There are just friendly climbers, trees and routes for days. The crags here are meticulously maintained by a group of volunteers called the…
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Tips for treating a climbing finger tendon injury
Early in the outdoor climbing season, I woke up and my finger was swollen. It hurt to the touch. Horrified, I started googling: finger tendon injuries, pulley tendon injuries, flexor tendon injuries. I found a lot out there, but the articles and forum posts did not help me. In some ways, they have made it…
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A snowy hike in the Sooke Hills
I woke up this morning excited to go on a hike with new friends. It was snowing a little bit, but as usual for Victoria nothing was laying on the ground. I didn’t even have to use a scraper on my windshield. We drove thirty minutes out of town to the Sooke Hills and the landscape…
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Snowshoe backpacking at Forbidden Plateau
Although Mt. Washington just got a huge dump of snow, the mountain was closed to most people a few weeks ago. It was the perfect time to go on a snowshoe trip. No skiers or snowboarders! Only the people who didn’t mind taking off their winter footwear and hiking through the dirt and ice could enjoy…
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Ten ways we can make rock climbing welcoming for more women
Update 2024: Some links have been removed or updated where possible to reflect changes in the ten years since this was posted. We live in a sexist world. Rock climbing is better than many sports, but does not get a free pass.This post is for everyone who thinks we can do better. For leaders in…
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Red Rock Canyon: Beginner Rock Climbing Trip
When I told a friend we were going to Red Rock because it seemed like it had good climbing for beginners, she asked me why I was going all the way to Nevada if I was just beginner! Of course, “beginner” is a relative term. I have climbed enough to know I love it. I…
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Learning to mountaineer with NOLS on Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan
I just came back from a two-week mountaineering course in the North Cascades with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Early challenges Mountaineering has the reputation of being a rather manly activity, so I would not have been surprised if I was one of only a few women on my course. However, I was the only…
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Snow in the Sooke Hills
Last week it snowed in the Sooke Hills. And it was simply beautiful. It’s mushroom season, which is my favorite. So the little mushrooms were covered with ice. And the rocks had icicles. My favorite part was that some good Samaritan had covered the bridge with metal treads so no one slips when they’re crossing.…
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Community driven mapping
Note from the future: This post was written in 2011 and a lot has changed since then. This post is about how many of the trail maps we use on Gaia and FATMAP were put there by volunteers like me entering data after a hike! Original post: I’m a big map-nerd. My office is just covered…
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Mt Quimper: Visitor facilities and vandals
Update: This post was written in 2011 and a lot has changed since then. This area is now called the Sea to Sea Regional Park. So summer is over, which means less time outdoors. More time to write about being outdoors! My hiking buddy and I went to Manuel Quimper this weekend. The CRD has been working…
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