Category: Outdoor Adventures

  • VIDEO: A tour of Hišimy̓awiƛ

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    Here is a video tour that I made of Hišimy̓awiƛ, an Alpine Club of Canada hut on 5040 on Vancouver Island. The video covers burning questions such as: What the sleeping area look like If you can charge your phone (spoiler alert: yes) What dishes and cooking equipment is available in the kitchen How do…

  • A long traverse in Strathcona Park where many things go wrong

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    We set out to travel 80km from Mt. Washington to Flower Ridge over eight days. Our goal was to climb eight of Stratchona Park’s tallest and most remote mountains. This included Harmston, one of Island Qualifiers. I wanted a trip that was physically demanding but less scary than my usual mountaineering trips. COVID stress left…

  • VIDEO: Sky Pilot near Squamish, BC

    We climbed Sky Pilot, our first South Coast summit at 2031 meters. Easy access You can skip the first few hours of arduous uphill hiking by taking the Sea to Sky gondola. This was quite a different experience than climbing on Vancouver Island, where just the driving on old logging roads can take hours. And…

  • VIDEO: Nine Peaks and Big Interior

    We climbed the Big Interior and Nine Peaks despite persistent whiteouts, navigation struggles and rain.

  • Hiking during COVID-19 for folks in Victoria, BC

    Updated April 10, 2020 How do physical distancing rules apply to hiking? And what trails are even open anymore? Current guidelines in BC At the time of writing this British Columbians are allowed to go outside and get some exercise. But we all need to: Stay at least 2 meters away from others Avoid groups…

  • Hiking to Mt. Assiniboine in October and having it all to ourselves

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    The fall is the perfect time to head to the Rockies for experienced backpackers.

  • Climbing Mt. Rainier Without A Guide

    Then as we turned the corner, it came into view. A massive mountain of snow and ice filled the skyline. And that’s what we were going to attempt to climb without a guide.

  • VIDEO: Golden Hinde, The Highest Peak on Vancouver Island

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    We made it to the highest peak on Vancouver Island, the Golden Hinde! You gain over 5,000 m in elevation over the 60 km you hike to get there. You are constantly going up or down.

  • Mt. Shuksan via Fisher Chimneys

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    I learned to climb on Mt. Shuksan years ago. This course gave me a taste into a hyper-masculine culture where I did not belong. It was powerful to return to this same route on this mountain as a leader under my own terms.

  • VIDEO: Victoria Peak via the South Face

    We planned three days to climb Victoria Peak. At less than 20km of hiking and only 1200m of elevation gain, this is definitely a comfortable day trip for us. But driving that far north on the island takes forever. (Or six hours to be precise.) So this was going to take three days. And since…

  • VIDEO: Arrowsmith via The Bumps and The Nose

    This was the most enjoyable way I’ve ever gotten up Mt. Arrowsmith. And probably the most enjoyable scramble that I’ve done on Vancouver Island.

  • VIDEO: Red Pillar

    Red Pillar was not really on my to-do list. It’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s not an Island Qualifier. And the most reasonable access points are usually behind locked gates. But a little bit of rain inspired the logging company to open the gates for the Canada Day long weekend. So I found myself…