Hurrian at Lynn Peak:
“Despite promises from the weatherman the sun never wanted to come out for our hike up Lynn Peak. The trail was steadily uphill and rocky with only a few small patches of snow at the top. The peak lookout was crowded with people eating their lunches but, because there was no sun to enjoy up there, we didn’t stay too long – it was actually downright chilly and we needed fleeces and gloves. It was only later, when we were driving back into Vancouver that we got to enjoy the sun. As always, good company and good conversation.”

Su-Laine at Hayward Lake:
“Great day and group dynamics on the beautiful Reservoir Trail at Hayward Lake. It reminded me of the walk to Norvan Falls, but quite a bit prettier, more open, and with about 1% of the crowd. The Home Restaurant in Maple Ridge served up good post-walk comfort food. NOTE: If you’re doing this hike between now and July 4, do NOT follow the driving directions here: https://www.bchydro.com/recreation/mainland/mainland1209.html as they bring you to a parking lot on the wrong side of the lake and you won’t be allowed to walk across to the other side due to construction. Instead, stay on Lougheed Highway and then turn left onto Hayward Street.”

Melanie in Cheakamus Canyon:
“Seven of us went for a hike to Cheakamus Canyon. Neither of the cars could make it the the trailhead so we parked along the road and walked part of the way in. It was a nice day, not too hot but a bit cool, no rain, a fairly short hike with a bit of elevation gain, good company, and fantastic views of the canyon. We headed to Brackendale Art Gallery for the après hike and had delicious homemade soup and salmon croissants. Highly recommended – artsy, west-coast atmosphere, yummy food and friendly owners!”

Eric on Eagle Ridge:
“Four of us accompanied Eric on his first Wanderung callout up Eagle Ridge. As promised it turned into a bit of an adventure to find the summit while remaining un-lost. In the upper sections, the trail was difficult to find with the snow (encountered at 800m) and blow down. We learned that during “moments of adventurism” to follow ones nose rather than the GPS. An honorable mention should be made to Mary’s car for suffering untold abuse in style. It is believed that marvelous views were lurking behind the curtains of rain and fog. However, they remain undiscovered as yet.”

Michelle on the BCMC trail:
“The rain held off on Saturday at Grouse. The Grind parking lot was packed on opening weekend, but luckily it wasn’t all that crowded on the lower portion of the Grind when we started. The BCMC trail was is good condition – wet but firm, not muddy/squishy or too slippery. We ended up intersecting with Paul’s group and some familiar faces three-qaurters of the way up (who had come up via the Larsen trail). As we all pressed on we hit remnants of snow…and then really hit snow. It’s compact and easily tread on, but it will definitely be hanging around for more than a couple more weeks. As we deviated from doing the entire BCMC “loop” we ascended to the top. Paul joined us to warm up with tea/snack in the Chalet. Now relaxed, we took the tram down ending the day a little earlier than anticipated.”

Merewyn at Hayward Lake:
“As expected, this was a fairly flat, easy hike with some ups and downs. What we weren’t expecting was that the landscape would be so gorgeous. The Railway Trail was what I expected, fairly utilitarian, but the Reservoir Trail took us up through extremely lush forests with moss-covered bridges and delightful views of the lake. The fact that it rained for the better part of the morning just made the colours of the forest even more vibrant though granted we weren’t complaining when the weather improved in the afternoon. While I do highly recommend this hike, I also have some bad news. A woman we met on the trail who works with BC Hydro says that the bridge over the Ruskin Dam that connects the two trails will be closed for a month starting next week and then this coming spring, the bridge will be closed for 3 years. You’ll still be able to hike both trails but not as a loop. If that’s the case, looks like our timing on this one was perfect!”

Merewyn on the Historic Mushroom trail:
“The day started out a bit shaky as our bus never arrived leaving 3 of us stranded at the SkyTrain (apparently they were short a bus driver today). Luckily one of our fellow hikers was able to swing by and pick us up en route to the trailhead. So much for our transit hike but thanks Melanie! Other than that and a few cancellations the day before, the hike went off without a hitch. Over the course of the day, we did a figure-eight loop through the Lower Seymour area, hiking 6 different trails in total, with a stop at the Historic Mushroom, a tree stump that used to be an information post for those hiking up the mountain (and the end point for those driving up) in the early 1900s. The trails were fairly dry, easy to follow and the group was great fun to hike with!”

Andrew at Gambier Lake:
“Six of us made the trip to Gambier Lake on Sunday. The trail has been recently re-flagged and had obstacles cleared (by, coincidentally, a local we met on the bus ride home) and is dry and easily followed all the way to the lake. At the lake, Gabriela and Erin went for a paddle and Andrew went for an unintentional swim. The canoe has been joined by a plastic runabout which is slightly tippy. At the general store (with longer opening hours!) we ended the day with ice cream, tea, and Strongbow. All the ferries matched up as planned and we had minimal waiting time.”

Carollyne at Levette Lake:
“Five of us hiked to Levette Lake (8 less 1 sick, 1 asleep and 1 at wrong meeting spot) via Copperbush Pond trail and back on Skyline and Fraser-Burrard trails. Trailheads are poorly marked for first-timers, but the trails themselves are well-marked, gorgeous moss gardens. The viewpoints would be even more beautiful on a clearer day. Copperbush Pond shelter is now a flattened pile – probably blown down as were quite a few trees on the trail. At Levette, Amy and Eric were brave enough to swim and get out into the even cooler air. Lake-front cottages, tents and the sound of a generator reminded us this is not a park. We shared the logging road section with several trucks, a couple of ATVs and dirt-bikes. Thanks to Andy’s kind warning, neither car bottomed-out on the access road – just how fast was he was going? Howe Sound Brew Pub ended a great day.”

Ahmad on Elk/Thurston:
“Five of us did the hike to Thurston peak on a clear day. Most of snow has melted from the edge of the south face of the ridge. It was just wide enough to walk on it most of the way. We didn’t need to use our snowshoes. The last kilometre was covered by snow. We opted to hike it and break our trail. There was about 1.5m of snow when we reached Thurston peak. The ridge offers better views that the peak itself. We met several groups on the way up. None of them summited it. Mount McGuire and Cheam seem still have loads of snow. It took us eight hours to do the hike.”