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St Mark’s Summit

October 29, 2013Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, North Shoreadmin

St. Mark’s summit is a great hike and I started from the Cypress Mountain Parking lot. The route taken follows the Howe Sound Crest Trail. This hike can get very busy during sunny weekends, especially in the summer. Beware of snow conditions even into early summer.

Distance: 10.3 km (return)
Low point: 917 m
High point: 1344 m
Elevation gain: 427 m
Trailhead: 49° 23’ 42” by 123° 12’ 10” (Google Map)

Here is the route…

View from the top…

Me on a ledge…

We had a nice view of the Lions…

The Whiskey Jacks were plentiful…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Before heading out on your hike, make sure you are well prepared. This means, having the TEN ESSENTIALS. It is also important to leave a trip plan (route details and estimated return time) with someone you trust.

Bring your smartphone, fully charged and put it in airplane mode while hiking. I always bring back-up battery packs for extra piece of mind. It is highly recommended that you bring a GPS device; I use my smartphone with a GPS app (Backcountry Navigator). The GPS will work in airplane mode. Learn how to use it before your hike.

For anyone new to hiking, there is a rule to which hikers follow; it is called “Leave No Trace” or LNT. The concept is generally to pack out what you pack in and respect nature, so all future visitors can enjoy what you have enjoyed.
To learn more about LNT, please check out this BLOG by a certified LNT Trainer.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Garibaldi Lake

October 20, 2013Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Squamish - Whistler - Pembertonadmin

Garibaldi Lake is a very popular hike and for good reason. The hike is great and the scenery is amazing. It’s a gradual uphill climb all the way, with really no intense steep sections. The trail is well defined and easy to find. Dogs are not allowed on this trail.

Distance: 18 km (return)
Low point: 583 m
High point: 1505 m
Elevation gain: 922 m
Trailhead: 49° 57’ 28.1” by 123° 7’ 13.1” (Google Map)

Here is the route…

Here is Garibaldi Lake…

Mount Garibaldi…

Sphinx Glacier at Garibaldi Lake…

Lesser Garibaldi Lake…

Another Garibaldi Lake…

Rock Slide on Garibaldi Lake…

Me by a waterfall…

Some mushrooms I found on the way down…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Minnekhada High Knoll

October 13, 2013Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Other Metro Vancouveradmin

Minnekhada Regional Park is a beautiful place for a easy hike. Although, it can be crowded at times, it is still a great place to visit and maybe you’ll see a bear.

Distance: 5.8 km (return)
Low point: 13 m
High point: 179 m
Total Elevation gain: 166 m
Trailhead: 49° 18’ 0” by 122° 42’ 26” (Google Map)

Here is the route…

Here’s the view from the High Knoll looking at the Pitt River…

Here’s some trail photos…

The marsh is amazing…

I saw a frog…

And here’s the historic Minnekhada Lodge…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Fungi at Buntzen Lake

October 12, 2013Buntzen Lake Blogbuntzen lake, Diez Vistas, fungi, fungus, hike, mushroom, natureadmin

The forests around Buntzen Lake offer great growing spots for fungi of all types. I’m a fun guy, but I’m not a fungi expert ! So, if you know the name of these mushrooms, please leave a comment.

The best variety can be found in October and November, but you can find them all year long. Below are a group of mushrooms on the side of a tree…

The next photo shows how these ‘shrooms have taken over the trunk of this tree !

The next photo below shows a plethora of mushrooms growing out of an old tree stump…

The next three photos are more mushrooms I’ve encountered on the trails…

Mushrooms

Mushroom

Below is a interesting yellow fungus, which can be seen all over the park…

In the photo below, it looks like this fungi is sweating !

Below are some tiny mushrooms seen all over the park…

I’m not sure what the next one is, but I saw it on an old stump on the Lakeview Trail…

Here is a small mushroom I found on the end of a dead tree…

The next mushroom looks fairly normal ??? …

The next 2 photos show white fungus on a tree and then a close up of the fungus…

Below are some funky orange mushrooms I found on the east side of the Buntzen Lake Trail…

DeBoville Slough

August 7, 2013Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Other Metro Vancouveradmin

The DeBoville Slough is a 2.2 km long body of water linking the Pitt River with Hyde Creek.
There are dykes on both sides of the slough which make great walking and biking paths.
The scenery is great and you might even see a bear. I saw two bears on my trip, but they were at a distance and didn’t really care about me.

With blueberry fields to the north, blackberries around the slough and fish in the slough, this makes a great place for bears to dine.

You have the choice of the north dyke or south dyke, which are both equally great. After reaching the Pitt River, you can head back or explore the shore of the Pitt River with a walk to the north or south along continued dykes.

There are two parking lots located on the east side of Cedar Drive. This is the location of the biggest parking lot HERE.

Distance: 5 km (to Pitt River and back)
Time: varies
Low point: near sea level
High point: near sea level
Elevation gain: minimal
Trailhead for south Dyke: 49° 17’ 7.4” by 122° 44’ 1.0” (Google Maps and navigation)

The south dyke route with downloadable gpx…

The Photos…

The Photos…