getting out of the city: Howe Sound Crest Trail

Vistas on the Howe Sound Crest Trail

The Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT) is literally 45 minutes away from Vancouver. The southern trail head starts at Cypress Provincial Park (local ski mountain) and ends in Porteau Cove, which is basically halfway between Vancouver and Squamish. It is about 30 km long and most people hike it in 2 days. The HSCT can be done in a day (10 or more hours of fast walking). There is a detailed route description at clubtread.com. The official park site has more info about the area.

We went southbound, I recommend to go northbound though. The trail markers are way better to spot heading north. The HSCT is probably one of the best short hikes near Vancouver. We did it in late August 2010.

More pictures are here.

beach walking: North Coast Trail, Vancouver Island, Canada

Hiking through a lush temperate rain forests and strolling on beaches in late August 2010

The North Coast Trail (NCT) was my first coastal walk and it was also the first time for me to get to see Vancouver Island. My itinerary was to finish the trail in approx. 3 days and spent another 3 days in Cape Scott National Park. The NCT is actually an extension of the aforementioned park and has been finished just a few years ago. I always wanted to do the West Coast Trail, but the NCT is less crowded and also cheaper and no booking is required. There is just a $ 10 fee for every campsite.

unfinished business: Stein Valley, Lillooet Lake to Tundra Lake and back

6 day trip in Stein Valley National Park, 3 hours north of Vancouver, British Columbia

Tundra Lake, Caltha Peak in the back

2009 was a warm year. The summer was really dry and there was lot of haze from all the forest fires coming down towards the local mountains in Vancouver; more on that later.

length: approx. 48 km
difference in altitude: approx. 4150 m
Temperatures: approx -2°C to +30°C
perfect weather: 6 sunny and hot days, just a light drizzle for 2h, unbelievable good conditions for this area
date: late August 2009

All pictures are here.

This trip in particular influenced me in many ways and I still remember a lot of it. I just recently started blogging (2012) and it actually took me a few years to write this down, but I still remember a lot of it...