Tag Archives: North Vancouver

Mt Seymour, 28 Feb 2015

Day hike, ,

Bob H. on Mt Seymour:
“What a beautiful late winter day for a hike. On arrival to the parking lot (1,020 m), there were only a handful of cars at 9:00 am and not many other hikers were seen on the way up. Stopped to put on micro-spikes at 2 km into the hike at 1,230 m elevation due to increased hard snow and ice. Arrival at the first peak (1,395 m) was made in 1 hour and had a 15 minute break for photos. The snow was about 1 m thick here. Still not too many people seen. There were amazing views of Vancouver, Indian Arm and the Coast Mountains. Onward and upward to Mt. Seymour Peak. It gets technically more difficult here; although, not for seasoned hikers. Due to a few cm of fresh snow, it was apparent that two hikers were ahead. There is some class 3 scrambling here and some cliff walking, but it was all good. Made it to the summit (1,475 m) 30 minutes after leaving the first peak and lo and behold, there were the two other hikers. After having a conversation and taking more photos we all made the descent together starting at 11:00 am. On the descent, the crowds coming up were insane, especially below the first peak. Also, I couldn’t believe the number of people in runners up there! Anyways, we arrived down at 12:40 pm and was greeted with a very warm car! All in all, it was an absolute amazing day for a hike and the views were amazing. Will definitely go back!”

Mt. Seymour summit - 1475 m

Dog Mountain, 13 Jan 2015

Day hike, ,

Stephen H. at Dog Mountain:
“Ganna, Mary, and Quentin joined me for a quick hike to Dog Mountain on Mount Seymour. We visited Dinkey Peak during the hike in, and lunched at our destination with great city views and hungry ravens and whiskey jacks. Significant sections of the trail carried no snow, but we all wore traction devices under our boots. No use for snowshoes here yet.”

Tim Jones Peak, 30 Nov 2014

Day hike, ,

Chris M. on Tim Jones Peak:
“We visited Tim Jones Peak on the last day of November. Travel was on snow the entire way but was only a few inches deep. Using the micro-spikes after Brockton was helpful but not essential. After Tim Jones Peak we went for a small wander west and then back to Pump Peak. Other than the banana bread, all other shared food & drink involved chocolate, even the one with Baileys. It was peaceful on the way up but by the time we came down it was quite busy.”

Mt Elsay, 14 Sep 2014

Day hike, , , ,

Chris M. on Mt Elsay:
“Rob, Colleen, Pierre-Andre and I made it to the summit of Mount Elsay. We did a clockwise loop that took us through various types of North Shore terrain.

We left the main trail at the low point between Jones Peak and the true summit of Seymour. The footbed was clear as we made our way downhill. After going down some boulders we reached the snowfield below Runner Peak and took our first break. Then it was up to a rolling ridge and over towards the junctions – one goes down to the right and leads to the Elsay Lake trail, the second branches left towards Mount Bishop. We ignored them both and went straight. Straight up that is! The final section isn’t that long but the trail builder doesn’t like switchbacks. The summit provides views in all directions with plenty of spots to relax on. Which we did.

On the return trip we went down over the large boulder field towards the Elsay Lake trail. Wonderful large boulders. The others didn’t enjoy this section as much as I did, sadly. At the bottom was the only running water we saw all day and it was just a trickle. Here we stopped to admire salamanders in a mud pond. Once on the Elsay Lake trail we turned south back towards the parking lot. A Korean Group has put in a lot of effort and really brushed large sections of this trail. Once up past Wes’s Staircase we joined into the regular Seymour weekend parade below Pump Peak. It took us about 9 hours and I highly recommend this hike.”

Hanes Valley, 14 Sep 2014

Day hike, , , ,

Ronald W. in Hanes Valley:
“The day started with much anticipation as Jenn, Kevin, Melissa, Pooya and Ronald commenced on the Hanes Valley trail.

After 1 1⁄2 hours from the start at Lynn Headwaters, we reached the major creek crossing. The pile of carefully placed logs allowed for an easy crossing. The trail is well marked through the beautiful forest and the dry conditions made for easy hiking. Over an hour later we arrive at the helicopter pad – the perfect spot for lunch. However, minutes later the sounds of a fast approaching North Shore Rescue chopper cut our lunch short, as volunteers disembarked to search for missing hikers that set out on the Hanes Valley trail a day earlier (note: the hikers were found later that day).

The scramble up the well flagged boulder field was made easier with the shade cover from the surrounding mountains. Ensuring we could see the next flag before continuing made for a safe scramble. As we looked back down Hanes Valley the views were breathtaking. The rest of the trail from Crown Pass to the top of Grouse Mountain was a test of endurance and stamina as it entailed more elevation gain, but on a easy to follow and dry trail. Seven hours from the start we arrived at the top of Grouse Mountain. It was truly a spectacular day filled with engaging conversation, majestic beauty and physical challenges.”

Mystery Lake, 6 Aug 2014

Day hike, , , ,

Steve v. at Mystery Lake:
“Looking at the weather report I assumed it was going to be a cooking hot day worthy of an “after work” swim, but it turned out to be a bit cooler with cloud. I had 2 full cars of sign-ups and on game day we opted to hike first to Mystery Peak, then down to the lake. It turned out to be a good move making it a bit longer and by the time we reached the lake some sun had broken through. The added bonus is that Mystery Lake is probably one of the warmest mountain lakes I’ve ever been in (everyone agreed, not just my opinion!): in fact it was quite comfortable. After eating and drying off we walked out as the sun set.

While the nights are still long and warm enough, I highly suggest this trip for a weeknight evening escape. You can shorten the hike part by going directly to the lake from the parking lot and avoiding Mystery Peak.”

Baden-Powell Trail, 24 May 2013

Day hike, ,

Steve on Baden Powell (east):
“A slim response to my Friday callout dropped from 3 to just 2 of us, but Merv was on board with doing a reduced sized hike just the same. I’ve done the one-way version of this many times in both directions, but by leaving a car in Deep Cove and driving to Hyannis Drive we minimized the driving and maximized the hiking for this half distance trip, plus dropping Merv at his car was on my way back to the bridge with hardly a detour.

The weather was with us, a blue sky day, not too hot. We discussed the many trips each of us had done and allow me to say I was impressed by some of the killer ascents my partner for the day had tackled in previous seasons.

As we arrived in Grey Rock it was apparent the walk out to the cove was going to be far less peaceful than the first part of our trip…

We were done before noon and decided to get a Honey’s donut another time.”

Baden Powell, May 2013

Dog Mountain 26/12/12

Snowshoe, , ,

Chris M. night-snowshoeing on Dog Mountain:
“Melissa, Donna, Cara and I walked along the well-beaten path to Dog Mountain. Then we turned north and ploughed through wonderful fresh snow. It felt like an exploration into another world. Only a small sphere of terrain was visible, every few minutes something different growing out of the darkness. We spent an hour wandering until we arrived at First Lake again. Then took the regular trail back to the parking lot. The snow on the ground was perfect. Plus a light dusting falling down around us. Made for a terrific outing!”

Headlamp Snowshoeing

Mt Seymour 23/11/12

Snowshoe, ,

Chris M. on a night-time snowshoe to Mt Seymour:
“Ten people roamed Seymour in the dark. There was enough snow to warrant snowshoes. We ended up on a bluff overlooking the city, however the fog obscured any views. Everyone was happy enough, playing on snow in November! Headlamps being our only light source made for a neat mood. Thanks to Lindsay, Gillian, Donna, Jeff, Alice, Hiromi, Pieter, Tracy & Danielle for making this such a fun night outing!”

Horizontal Lightning

Mt Seymour 10/11/12

Day hike, ,

Andy on Mt Seymour:
“Eight of us enjoyed a gorgeous blue-sky day on Mt Seymour, albeit a touch on the chilly side. Our lunch spot at the peak was the only place for miles around with a cloud between it and the sun. Brrr! Thankfully there was no wind, and when the cloud moved on, the sunshine was most welcome. Best of all, the Thermos I won at the party kept my soup piping hot! No snow but lots and lots of ice which made the trail a little tricky in a few places. The worst was between Second and Third peak where the tiny ledge was mostly covered in ice. Fortunately there was enough dry rock to make it safe enough, with care. All of the puddles and tarns were frozen over – many of the shallower ponds were frozen solid – and we found one to enjoy some sliding and even a game of curling. Just in time – I bet it’s under a foot of snow now!

There were plenty of people out enjoying the sun – the parking lot was pretty full by the time we got back to the cars. Our plan was to head to Deep Cove for a doughnut, but the wait was half-an-hour, so we made ourselves comfortable at The Raven pub instead. Thank you all for a great day out!”