On a crisp, clear November day, we took a stroll amongst 900+ year old cedar trees where we were afforded sweeping views of the Soo Valley and Showh Lakes.
Biking the South Chilcotin Mountains
The imminent arrival of fall is becoming apparent; the balmy 30+ degree weather seems to be behind us and cool evenings are setting in. To take advantage of the final long weekend of summer, we headed off to the South Chilcotin Mountains to get in one more epic summer adventure.
Known for some of the best biking in BC, the Southern Chilcotin Mountains offer breathtaking vistas, old growth forests, low elevation aspen meadows, glaciers, alpine lakes and meadows, numerous ridges and towering peaks as well as a variety of wildlife including wolves, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and grizzlies. A highlight of our excursion was a close range sighting of a moose, a first for me! The trails of mountain goats and sheep were etched into the mountain/hillside, evidence of the presence but we did not see any ourselves.
Just outside of Gold Bridge (12 kms up the Slim Creek FSR) is the Jewel Bridge trailhead. This was the starting point for our 26 km round trip ride to Spruce Lake along the Gun Creek Trail. The trail ascends rather gradually up to the junction with Gun Meadows trail. We were advised by a rider at the trailhead to take the right split at the junction up Gun Meadows, instead of continuing on Gun Creek trail, to Spruce Lake. From the junction to the last ~2 km stretch to Spruce Lake, the trail rises steadily for an elevation gain of 200m. This is what we refer to as the “hike-a-bike” section of the trial. The alternative is to continue along Gun Creek Trail which gains all 200m of elevation in just 1km. A group of hikers we met at the campsite confirmed that the Gun Meadows trail is far more enjoyable than continuing along the Gun Creek trail.
There are two campsites at Spruce Lake. The southern campsite is more treed and does not offer the best waterfront access yet is quieter than the northern campsite. The northern campsite offers waterfront campsites with stunning views. There is also a dock and private cabins flanking both sides of the campsite. The cabins are visible from the campsites but may be more noticeable if they were in use. Both campsites offer pit toilets and a food cache. We chose the north campsite for the views.
The Gun Creek Trail to Spruce Lake is just the tip of the iceberg. We look forward to exploring more of this region and might consider a float plane drop next time!
Sayward Forest Canoe Circuit
Serene and secluded best describe this 48 kilometer circuit just north of Campbell River on the east coast of B.C.’s Vancouver Island. The twelve lakes connected by streams and portages can be navigated comfortably in 4 days. We spent five days exploring this route and enjoying the calmness of this pristine backcountry oasis.
The larger lakes are accessible by logging roads and provide numerous put-in points allowing you to tailor the route to your preference. It is recommended that you circumnavigate the route in a counter-clockwise direction to take advantage of the current in the creeks. We chose to start at Gosling Bay Recreation site along the shore of Campbell Lake. We began with the portage from Gosling Bay to Gosling Lake, finishing our first day on the island campsite in Goose Lake, also known as Mohun Lake North. The island is found just beyond the wooden trestles that separate Mohun Lake from Goose Lake. The decaying trestles are remnants of the old railway that served the logging industry years ago and also act as a deterrent to motorized boat traffic in Goose Lake. Isolated and silent except for the loon calls, this campsite was the perfect stop for our first night.
On day two we paddled from Goose Lake to Amor Lake. This involved maneuvering two small, shallow ponds created by the backlog of a beaver dam and a meander down the outlet of the ponds to Twin Lake. Amor Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes on the circuit. Three island campsites along the east shore of Amor Lake bask in the later afternoon sun whereas the beach campsites on the west shore are shaded earlier in the day. The most southern island campsite invites you with a “Welcome Home” sign on the tree and offers a sheltered, private campsite with great swimming opportunities.
Our next stop was the recreation site on the northern peninsula of Brewster Lake. A sandy beach site with sweeping mountain vistas offer stunning panorama views at this campsite. We decided to pitch our tent on the tip of the peninsula as opposed to the developed recreation site tent pads that are set up from the water. Although a bit windy, this site was also a beauty. Next time, however, I might camp at Brittany Bay Recreation Site on Gray Lake.
The paddle from Brewster Lake to Campbell Lake includes two rapid sections that can be paddled if the water levels are high enough. Fry Lake is dotted with dead cedar stumps just below the surface of the water, a result of the dam that filled up Campbell Lake and backed up into Fry Lake. The submerged area of Fry Lake was previously logged before the water had risen. A dead tree in the channel between Fry Lake and Campbell Lake has been made into a ladder from which you can plunge into the lake. A rope swing on the right side of the lake is also a great chance to cool down in the lake.
We spent our final night at the wilderness campsite on the north side of Campbell Lake. The pebble beach is great for swimming and the mossy, shady campsite was a nice refuge from the sun at the end of the day. The north shore of Campbell Lake is scattered with many recreation sites that are the most easily accessible from Campbell River. Consequently, Campbell Lake is the most developed and busy of all the lakes. Our final paddle along Campbell River brought us back to Gosling Bay and culminated our five-day trip.
Pacific Rim Whale Festival
The Pacific Rim Whale Festival celebrates the West Coast’s traditions, environment and the spring return of the grey whale. Every February to April, 20,000 grey whales migrate from their breeding grounds in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. The whales travel at a speed of 2-5 knots, around 160 km per day and a total of 20000km. This migration is thought to be the longest migration of any mammal on the planet! My dad and I headed out in hopes of catching a glimpse of the grey whales. Unfortunately, the weather was too stormy to head out on the waters and our excursion was cancelled. Instead, we visited the Aquarium in Ucluelet, hiked the Wild Pacific Trail, spotted Bald Eagles, listened to the booming horn of the Amphitrite Lighthouse, voted for the best “storm wave” in the festival’s photo showdown, revelled in the ocean views from our room, watched some seals, strolled on the beach and indulged the in the many culinary options offered by Tofino and Ucluelet’s unique eateries. Most importantly, Dad ate his first, fresh, whole Dungeness Crab! Here’s a snapshot of our weekend on Vancouver Island’s west coast: 
Whistler Train Wreck
The Whistler Train Wreck site is a unique refurbishment of seven train cars that lay strewn on the bank of the roaring Cheakamus River. Just south of Whistler, the cars came to lay here after a train crash in the 1950s. At that time, Whistler wasn’t the four season resort it is today and it was deemed too isolated and expensive to remove the cars. Local artists Chilli Tom and Kris Kupskay have transformed the seven abandoned cars into striking works of art that lay in both contrast and unity with the surrounding nature.
The Whistler Train Wreck is now a popular hiking, mountain biking and snowshoeing route. Here’s a look at our snowshoe to the site:
Ski Touring at Keith’s Hut
Although the Brook(e) has been in a deep freeze, thanks to the rising temperatures (+10 at the top of Whistler Mountain this past weekend) the waters have thawed and are Babbling once again!
Recently Jeff, Steve and I ventured out to Keith’s Hut on skis with our dogs Nika and Milly. The trailhead to access the hut is located along the Duffey Lake Road just north east of Pemberton. The hike into the hut ascends through cedar forest, alpine meadows and along the Cerise Creek for a total elevation gain of 450 m. We made the hike in 3 hours.
Keith’s Hut was built memory of mountaineer Keith Flavelle and continues to be maintained by his friends and family, supported by donations from users of the hut. According to the cabin’s guest book, Ketih’s father and a group of volunteers visited the hut in September to carry out renovations that included a new roof and table top, as well as flying in 10 helicopter loads of firewood for use by visitors throughout the winter! The care shown for this cabin by the friends and family who maintain it is evidenced in the guest book entry by Keith’s brother expressing his gratitude that no one has yet to carve their initials into the new table top that his father had dedicated to Keith.
The hut offers basic amenities including a wood stove and sleeping loft. Often the backcountry cabins in this area are packed but luckily we were the only ones there! Large pots are used to melt snow on top of the wood stove and a designated “Pee Tree” attempts to keep the male variety from peeing all over the snow to ensure fresh snow is available for drinking. The effectiveness of the Pee Tree is yet to be determined.
The next morning we skinned up the ridge toward the Matier Glacier to get in a few turns. This being both Nika and Milly’s first day skiing, we were excited to see how they would would like the experience! Nika is easily bribed with snacks and immediately chased after Jeff and her snack. Milly however was not as convinced. At the bottom of the run, we looked back up to find Milly about 3/4 of the way up. Fifteen minutes of coaxing wasn’t enough to convince her to come down so we had to make our way back up to rescue her!
Although the snow conditions weren’t the best, sunny blue skies and a cabin to ourselves made for another great excursion in our beautiful backyard!
A [Whistler] Dog’s Life
More than 6 months after I initially broached the idea of getting a dog (and continued to raise the subject by way of posting photos of dogs for adoption on Jeff’s Facebook, changing his desktop and phone background to photos of dogs for adoption, etc), Jeff finally agreed to a furry comrade.
Here’s a sneak peak into the life of a dog in Whistler:
Visiting the Hemloft
Cross country skiing
Hiking the Chief
Playing at the beach
Riding the ferry
Polishing up
Celebrating St. Patty’s day
Making big friends…
…and little ones too!
Destroying things
and plenty of snoozing!
Alice Lake Provincial Park
Here are a few pics from mine and Nika’s adventure at Alice Lake In Squamish today!
Reality Check
As if on cue with my last post, 6 skiers were involved in an avalanche on the Spearhead Glacier today, March 19th. This area of the backcountry located just outside the Whistler Blackcomb ski area boundary is often refered to as ‘slack-country’ or ‘side-country’ because you can gain access to Garibaldi Provincial Park via lifts on Blackcomb mountain , where you then commence the hike to the Spearhead Glacier.
The avalanche was classed a Size 2 which is defined by the Canadian Avalanche Centre as being able to bury, injure or kill a person. One of the 6 skiers was buried for approximately 4 minutes. When recovered he was unconscious but regained consciousness and was transported by helicopter to the Whistler Medical Centre. Video footage of the slide can be veiwed on the CBC website.
This area is extremely popular among backcountry skiers due to its proximity to Whistler Blackcomb and ease of access. This is often our go-to choice for touring on weekends and just goes to show the importance of being prepared when travelling in the backcountry, even if it’s just the “slack country”.
Only yesterday did Pat, a friend and I travel through this area to Husume, a popular bowl beside Corona bowl where this avalanche reportedly occurred. We witnessed some evidence of small avalanche activity in the area ,but not more than usual. As was the case today, the avalanche advisory in the alpine yesterday was moderate and if the necessary precautions are taken, such as snow and terrain evaluation and identifying features of concern as suggested by the Canadian Avalanche Centre, then the backcountry can be accessed safely.
Every time an avalanche is reported, the “ban everything brigade” strikes up and admonishes backcountry skiers, arguing that the risk outweighs the reward. Many in this group, such as commentor “golfernut” on the CBC article, also argue that backcountry skiers requiring rescue by Search and Rescue teams should be responsible for the cost of their rescue. I hope ‘golfernut’ doesn’t get sucked into a sinkhole and need rescue!
Here’s a chance for you to weigh in: Should backcountry skiers pay for their own rescue?
Pineapple Express
Backcountry skiing isn’t limited to “ducking under the rope” out of a ski resort boundary. There are also many areas not developed by ski resorts that are accesible by ski touring. Multiple trailheads are located along the Duffey Lake Road, north east of Pemberton, which we decided to explore a couple weeks ago. Unlike touring from within resort boundaries, there are no chairlifts to aid your ascent up the mountain. The hike begins from the parking lot along the side of the highway. Gazing up at the craggy mountain peaks looming in the distance makes the thought of travelling there on foot extremely daunting!
You can see from the map below the numerous routes and descents accesible from Duffey Lake Road. The yellow lines are the skin routes and the blue lines are the suggested lines to ski. This particular day, we parked at km 21 and took the Cerise Creek ascent to Keith’s hut. This route travels across a single track bridge over Cayoosh Creek and then climbs steadily through old growth forest until you reach the open moraines below the glaciers. One wrong turn and 2.5 hours later, we arrived at our destination. Keith’s hut is located at the base of Anniversary Glacier. Built in memory of mountaineer Keith Flavelle, Keith’s hut sleeps 20, has a wood stove (wood is brought in by helicopter) and cooking area. There is no fee to use the hut, but a drop box encourages users to leave a donation towards the upkeep of the cabin and delivering wood. There are numerous skiing opportunities accesible from Keith’s hut. If you aren’t planning on an overnight excursion, an early departure is required to allow enough time to travel to the hut and then ascend further to the skiable terrain. Our purpose was simply to find the hut and scout out the area, so no skiing ensued this time. However, I sure know that I would prefer an overnight excursion as I couldn’t imagine ascending further after reaching the hut on my noodle legs!
Unlike skiing in-bounds at a mountain resort, backcountry skiing involves many risks and those who travel out of resort boundaries have to be aware and knowledgable of the inherent risks involved. You should also ensure that you are properly equipped to travel in these areas, always preparing for the worse. Each winter season is rife with reports of backcountry skiers running into trouble. This year has been no exception, with numerous cases of skiers/snowboarders venturing out of bounds only to become lost, such as the Quebec snowboarder at Cypress Mountain and the father and his 3 sons all under the age of 18 at Revelstoke Mountain, or worse swept up in an avalanche, which often culminates in deadly consequences. Even the most experienced backcountry travellers find themselves in marginal situations; travelling without the proper knowledge or equipment is extremely irresponsible and downright stupid. Not only do you put yourself in danger, but you also endanger those that selflessly risk their own lives to rescue you! In addition, you could be slapped with a hefty bill for your rescue.
Before heading to Keith’s Hut we engaged in route planning, carefully assessing the weather, snowpack and recent avalanche activity. This helps to determine the risk of avalanches occurring. Determining these risks involves many factors, such as the slope’s orientation to wind and sun, angle, elevation and shape. It also involves assessing the terrain and avoiding “terrain traps” that make injury or burial in an avalanche more likely, such as cliffs and gullies. Accurately assessing the avalanche danger requires in immense amount of knowledge. The Canadian Avalanche Centre issues Avalanche Bulletins providing backcountry travellers with an expert assessment of the current conditions and level of avalanche danger: .
The Canadian Avalanche Centre also offers courses to educate new and experienced backcountry enthusiasts about safe backcountry travel. The Avalanche Skills Training courses educate students on the science of avalanche formation and release, identifying avalanche terrain, route planning and travel techniques in avalanche terrain, rescuing victims caught in an avalanche and the type and use of safety equipment you should carry, including probe, shovel, beacon and survival items such as matches, first aid kit and knife. MEC has a very good checklist of the items you should pack for backcountry ski touring. You should also leave a trip plan with a trusted friend that includes your intended route and timeframe.
One of the lastest developments in backcountry safety equipment is avalanche airbags. Incorporated into backpacks, the avalanche airbag is designed to be deployed if you are involved in an avalanche. The compressed air cylinder fills a large airbag that ejects from the top of the backpack behind the skier’s head. Avalanche airbag manufacturer Backcountry Access explains how the airbag works:
Inverse segregation, more commonly referred to as the “Brazil nut effect,” is the science behind why airbags work. The turbulent movement sorts different shaped objects by size (similar to the way large Brazil nuts will rise to the top when a bowl of mixed nuts is shaken). Smaller objects are more likely to fall into the voids created by the turbulence, while larger objects move to the top. In addition to increasing your overall buoyancy, the Float avalanche airbags are designed to make a backcountry user “bigger” than the surrounding pieces of debris in an avalanche. The Floats use compressed air in the cylinder to fill the bag and make the user’s volume larger, reducing or eliminating burial depth and increasing your chances of survival.
Check out the BCA Float bag in action:
As CBC news reported this month, “The first Pineapple Express storm of the season — a blast of warm, moist, sub-tropical air and torrential rain — has hit B.C.’s South Coast, hiking the avalanche danger rating and setting up conditions that are perfect for a major snow slide.” For the first time this year, the Canadian Avalanche Centre hiked the avalanche rating to ‘extreme’ for the Sea-to-Sky corridor. However, when managed properly and knowledgeably, backcountry ski touring offers incredible reward!
A special thanks to guest photographer Patrick Hui for the photos from Keith’s Hut. Check out his other work here.
Babbling Brooke 