Tag Archives: hike

Buntzen Lake in the Snow

February 25, 2014Buntzen Lake Blogbuntzen lake, hike, scenic, snowadmin

Over the weekend, we had a nice snowfall. And today, I decided to hike around Buntzen Lake in the snow.

It was a gorgeous sunny day with very few hikers on the trail – I think I saw two or three. Even though it was sunny, the snow was melting from the trees giving me a nice shower ! I didn’t have the foresight to bring my waterproof hat ! Below is a photo of me hiking in the snow.

Following the weekend weather, there were many branches on the trail, which I helped to remove and I also shook low hanging branches to clear the snow. Below is a photo of me at North Beach.

And below is the bridge/jetty (old floating bridge area)…

After over 100 times hiking around the Lake, this is my first time in the snow. The sunny day made it just perfect. Great photo ops. Below is a photo of the Lake from the old floating bridge…

I had taken my new micro spikes, but they kept slipping off – I guess that’s what you get for buying the cheap ones ! I was alright anyways – not too much slipping ! Below is a serene photo of the snowy trail…

Here is a view of the lake from the dog park on south beach…

Buntzen Lake Pipeline

December 15, 2013Buntzen Lake Blogbuntzen lake, Diez Vistas, hike, pumphouseadmin

There is an old pipeline you may encounter when hiking the trails around Buntzen Lake. The most common areas to see it are near the pumphouse and on the way up the Diez Vistas Trail.

The Buntzen Lake Pumphouse (shown below) pumps freshwater from Buntzen Lake to the Burrard Thermal Generating Station, 6 km south of Buntzen Lake (Seen next below)…

The old pipeline, which had a diameter of 20 cm (8 inches) , was replaced with a larger 12-inch underground pipeline. The Burrard Thermal Generating Station, which has been in operation since the early 1960s and is slated to be closed in 2016, uses the water for boiler make-up, fire protection, domestic (potable) use and other plant cooling services. Below are a couple views of the old pipeline…

Below is a view of the old pipeline (nicely cut, so we don’t have to do the limbo) as seen on the trail up to Diez Vistas…

While exploring around I found this interesting apparatus on the pipeline…

Near the pumphouse, the old pipeline exits a 30 inch diameter pipe of 25 m in length as seen below. This may have been for backflow prevention, but that’s just a guess.

Below is a neat detail look at the coupling clamps on the pipeline…

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…

Mount Galiano

February 19, 2009Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Otherhike, nature, scenic, trail, viewpointadmin

The Gulf Islands of British Columbia are a magical place and I’m so glad I got to visit Galiano Island. This hike is quite easy in terms of elevation gain and the payoff scenery is well worth it !

Distance: 6.8 km (return)
Low point: 61 m
High point: 301 m
Elevation gain: 240 m
Trailhead: 48° 52’ 29” by 123° 20’ 59” (Google Map)

Here’s the route…

Here’s the view from the top…

Here’s a view from a BC Ferry…

On the way up I saw an old plane that had crashed on the island…

I saw this cool Conglomerate Rock…

A view of the forest from the trail…

I saw a BC Ferry from the top…

When I came down from Mount Galiano, I explored the coastline and it is very interesting.
You can check out more photos HERE

★★★★★★★★★★★

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.