Canada | Foggy Travels

Tag Archives: Canada

Crown Mountain

Before the rainy months of Vancouver kicked in we decided to get out for one more summer hike. Brian, Adam and I jumped into my trusty VW and headed out to North Vancouver. We elected to take the BCMC trail up Grouse Mountain instead of taking the famous Grouse Grind where seeing high heels is not out of the norm. After getting to the top of the trail we continued to the start of the real hike out into the back-country. It was a gorgeous day as we trudged further away from Grouse Mountain Resort. We hit a very steep downhill section with some chains and I couldn’t help whistle the Indiana Jones theme in my head. We got back down the valley and started the accent of Crown Mountain. It was a touch slog but we finally made it to the top of Crown Mountain and were blown away by the view(yes of Brian).

Looking south was a view of the city and then north was a sea of endless peaks.

20140920_130635

With Jello legs we managed to drag ourselves back to the pub at Grouse where the ice cold pale ales were exactly what the doctor ordered to nurse our legs back to health.

Until next time!

Foggy

Adam taking in the view.

Tags: Beer, British Columbia, Canada, Crown Mountain, Hiking, Man Time, Vancouver

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Sport

Elfin Lakes

30 Sep

Itching to get out of the city again the boys decided to take a Friday night off drinking to get an early start Saturday. With coffees in hand Alex, Cormac, Mike and I were on our way to Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Provincial Park. Just over an hour later we were at the trail head with back packs on ready to roll. There wasn’t much to look at the first half of the hike but it soon opened up to great views of Mt. Garibaldi.

We eventually got to Elfin Lakes and set up camp on one of the wooden platforms.

20140823_115408

With some extra gas in the tank we continued on to Opal Cone to get a great view of the glaciers.

20140823_160628
After the long hike back it was time to dip into the beer rations for the night and enjoy a swim in the lake.

20140824_135409
The next day we woke up and enjoyed breakfast with one of the best views nature has to offer.

20140823_123055
After breakfast we hiked up to The Gargoyles these great lava formations above Elfin Lakes.

On our way down we shared the trail with a black bear but luckily it was more interested in the foliage than 4 handsome young men.

We packed up our gear and it was time to say goodbye to another great weekend spent in the British Columbia back-country.

Until next time!

Foggy

Tags: Beer, British Columbia, Camping, Canada, Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi, Hiking, Man Time, Opal Cone, Swimming, Wildlife

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Travel Tips

Black Tusk

29 Jul

Three weekends of partying in a row is pretty usual in the summer months but I needed a break. I called up my buddy Luke and we decided to get into the back country. Luke picked me up at 5am Saturday morning in his Jeep Cherokee and we were out of the city by the time the sun came up. 1.5 hours later we were at the trail head with our gear strapped to our backs and started up the path. The trail up to the Lake is nothing to write home about with countless switchbacks for the entire 9km. We got to the end of the trail and I was blown away by Garibaldi Lake. It was a gorgeous turquoise blue without a single ripple on it.

Garibaldi Lake

Luke and I set up our camp and went right to the lake to cool down from the mornings hike. We made a make-shift cooler in the lake to cool our beers down and spent the day relaxing in the sun and jumping off the dock.

Garibaldi Lake

We got up early the next day and started out on the trail up the mountain. Black Tusk has always been a bucket list item for me and to quote Sir Edmund Hillary today was the day I was going to knock the bastard off. This part of the hike was stunning as you are surrounded by lush meadows, wild flowers, streams and the back drop of the coastal mountains.

Taylor Meadows

As you get near the top all sign of life disappears as a warning that the Tusk is not to be taken lightly. The terrain turns to shale and every step forward you slide a little back. Before you know it you are starring the last obstacle in the face, the dreaded chimney.

Just below the Tusk

My heart was pumping with adrenaline as I started the climb knowing that any loose hold would send me barreling into Luke and take us both off the side of the mountain. We both managed just fine and were left speechless at the top. We took our time taking it all in, then came the obvious question of how are we supposed to get down?