Tag Archives: bear

Cape Scott, 1 Aug 2015

Backpacking, Multi-day, , , ,

Andrew W. at Cape Scott:
“Six hikers planned to hike in Cape Scott Provincial Park on the August long weekend. Planning was a breeze, meals were arranged, group gear sorted and carpool and tent space for all confirmed.

The Cape Scott Trail itself was very dry (a far contrast from the mud that Cape Scott is famous for) and the beaches all so sandy and beautiful. The weather was incredible with only a little bit of rain in the morning while we were safe in our tents. Surprisingly the trail was not very busy at all nor were the campgrounds. It was cooler temperature wise than in Vancouver but still warm so everyone went for a swim a couple afternoons to cool off and relax the muscles. Sleeping with the sound of waves crashing on the beach made for restful nights.

Nels Bight was our campsite of choice for two nights with a day hike to the lighthouse part of our journey. We camped at San Josef Bay for our final night as to provide a change of scenery and a shorter hike out to the car before the long drive home.

Plenty of food was shared among all, including a buffet of freeze dried meals providing ample opportunity to sample!

Lots of wildlife was spotted, including but not limited to: black bears, humpback whales, eagles, squirrels, I’m likely forgetting one or two sightings, there were a lot!

A wonderful way to spend a long weekend with great company!”

Sunset

Cheakamus Lake, 26 May 2013

Day hike, ,

Andy at Cheakamus Lake:
“I’d forgotten just how nice this trail can be. If you’re thinking of a good little leg-stretcher, Cheakamus Lake should be on your list for sure, especially at this time of year with the forest flowers at the start of their bloom. Our full group of eight chatted its way up to the Singing Creek campground and back, hardly noticing the distance and time. No snow and only one fallen tree to go under/over/around. The road is in decent shape and 2wd can make it to the trailhead easily – just take it slow as there are many potholes. The few drops of rain that fell went unnoticed, and the sun came out again on our return. A hungry pika kept us entertained for a few minutes, munching its way through some of the horsetails. A great group – thanks all for coming out and making this hike such a good one! The only thing that could have improved this hike would have been a bear sighting… Oh wait – we got that on the drive home!”

Cheakamus Lake, 26 May 2013

Mt Strachan 18/09/10

Day hike, , , , ,

Michelle on Mt Strachan:
“Four drivers standing around with no hikers to drive. “No fair weather hikers please” means being prepared to hike rain or shine. Our group of 9 withered down to all the willing drivers, one of which still dutifully showed up to offer people a lift despite no longer being able to go on the hike last second due to unforeseen circumstances. A group of 4 of us took on the BP/Old Strachan Trail. Paul G’s trail report in the Wanderung archives proved to be the ticket to getting us there (indeed, don’t follow Dawn Hanna’s description use Paul’s, thanks Paul!). We decided to stop just short of the final summit approach as we came across a mama bear and cub who decided to go the way we needed to go, in poor visibility conditions (and it was also evident the view was not going to clear in time for lunch – the view would wait to appear until after we were sipping hot bevys in West Van). 😉 All in all, a good time had by those who went. But how many call outs for “drivers needed” this weekend (while 4 drivers were bailed on for this trip)? What a shame. Bailers, think twice about how taking a seat on a trip affects others – on your trip and potentially other people’s.”

Mt Seymour 30/08/09

Day hike, , ,

Carollyne on Mt Seymour:
“Four of us had a great day on Mt. Seymour. Few cars were in the parking lot when we arrived at 9:45 and the trail up and peaks were quiet – for Seymour on a sunny weekend. There were a few mosquitoes in the shady spots, but no bugs bothered us elsewhere. Haze, perhaps from wildfires, somewhat obscured the views at the top. There was a distinct, if faint, smell of smoke in the air. On the return, the trail was quite busy with people going up. A highlight was watching a black bear feeding on blueberries about 30 minutes up from the parking lot. The trail took 4.5 hours round trip at a fairly leisurely pace plus a very leisurely lunch. We left a now full parking lot and had drinks and appies on Commercial Drive before heading home. Great company made the day even better.”

Musical Bumps 28/06/09

Day hike, ,

Ahmad on the Musical Bumps:
“Everything is beautiful on Musical Bumps. The peaks, the glaciers, even the clouds look more beautiful there. The level of snow is much less this year. There are only snow patches and the biggest one was about 50 m in diameter. The trails were in good condition. The bridge over Harmony Creek doesn’t exist but there are logs. Slippery but not too much. The area before the bridge seemed it is frequented by bears. We saw a mother and its cub just before the trailhead. It might get confusing when you get over Harmony Ridge. Go along the ridge rather than crossing it prematurely. The grade will get gentle then. We got to Roundhouse at 7 pm and took the gondola down free. The whole trip took 9:30 in an easy pace.”

Bear Mountain 23/05/09

Day hike, , , ,

Steve on Bear Mountain:
“Three cars, 9 hikers, 123 km there, 2 GPS, 21 degrees, 0 wrong turns, 1 viewpoint, 1 pair lost sunglasses, 18 km hiking, 1 km on snow, 2 much windfall, 1 froggy pond, 1 amazing lunch spot overlooking the Fraser valley and the Cheam range, 2 borrowed insoles, 1 pair found sunglasses, 1 brown bear sighting, 1 swim in lake, 1 huge $%&* burger at the Wildcat Grill, 123 km driven home, 9 happy hikers.”

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