Expedition Canada

Mountains, Waterfalls and Bears Fri June 17th Dandelion Diner alongside the parking lot in Whistler Turnaround complete we headed up to Whistler late Tuesday morning and up the Sea to Sky Highway, aka Highway 99.  Those who have driven it will attest to the beauty of the drive.  The first half runs along the eastern side of the Howe Sound as far as Squamish and then the Cheakamus River follows much of the route into Whistler as far as Daisy Lake where it heads away from the highway. Our first stop on route was the Shannon Falls, a short walk from the car park to BC's third highest falls at just over 1100ft.  It is also known for the cliff face off to one side that is a favourite of the more advanced climbers. The Sea to Sky Gondola alongside Shannon Falls takes you up to the top, near Squamish's The Chief where there are numerous trails that could fill a week. Dogs are not allowed on the Gondola on the way up, but if you hike the five hours to the top with your hound...

Whistler in Spring Sun Apr 10th Rogers Arena from across far side of False Creek - on morning run Editorial Correction Last week's headline "A year in BC" was not strictly accurate.  Although we arrived in Toronto on April 3rd, we didn't actually get to Vancouver until April 6th.  I shall put it down to artistic licence.  '363 Days in BC' sounds meaningless and 'A year in BC bar a few days' strays too far from the message.  So I will leave it as written.  Fortunately nobody spotted the error or were too kind to point it out. Blog Update This last week we have started to think about packing up the house ready for movers, who are booked for May 21st.  There isn't a huge amount to do, it's only the possessions we have acquired since arriving in Canada, plus the workshop machinery.  Some of it is a two or three person lift so better done by professionals.   The Federal Budget caught much attention, even reported on BBC News.  No home sales ...

Dodgy Drivers Sub-zero and he's in shorts! Sun Dec 12th  Friday morning brought low cloud and snow showers so we abandoned skiing for the day.  We have a season pass which reduces the pressure to go up the mountain, rather than waste an expensive day on a day/weekly ticket.  There will be more opportunities.  In any event we discover that now we are no longer 35/34 year olds, it hurts more the next day! We had a wander around Whistler Village and then headed up to Lost Lake for a walk around the loop trail. At the moment it's sti ll open to walkers, but once the snow builds up it will be closed to everybody but cross-country skiers.  This is the walk we did in summer, past the slumbering young Black Bear a couple of metres off the side of the trail. There were few people out as the snow started falling more heavily as we got further round the loop.  It was very picturesque and Christmassy!  As we started around the actual Lake it looked as though sever...

Well it is Whistler! Thu Dec 9th  Paw Prints We've escaped to Whistler for a few days, after last week's excursion had to be cancelled because it was raining up the mountain.  Not so this week.  The snow above the mid-station was great and there were few fellow skiers on the slopes, more importantly, no lift queues.  The advantage of skiing in December is fewer people; the disadvantage is that conditions can be variable, as we found last week. Nick and Lizzie's apartment  which is now fairly well booked for the season (we got in early, but there are still some gaps) is in Creekside.  Worth keeping an eye on it for any last minute deals.  The 'loft' apartment is great for two people and good for a family of four.  It's a 5 minute walk to the Creekside gondola and there is a well stocked supermarket, BC Liquor store, bars and equipment shops close by.    Since we moved to Canada, Jack has been amazing and settled in qui...

Wildlife Mist rising of Lost Lake Sun Aug 8th Mist was rising off Lost Lake on the early morning excursion with Jack and the  mountains had patches of mist and low cloud across their tree-lined slopes.   I walked down from the house to extend the hike, in case it was again curtailed by a bear.  It was still early and I was the only one on the lake circuit.  It was beautifully peaceful.   Yesterday's rain had created lines of pine needles as it washed down the tracks and the dust that usually kicked up on the trails stayed on the ground. Blackcomb Mountain No bears on the lake trail, but a Chipmunk was chattering on the rocks by the house.  It was the first I've seen since we arrived in Canada and it got Jack's attention. Our first trip to Ontario and the Algonquin National Park in 1999 was our  introduction to Chipmunks.  They ran across our feet chattering as we walked the forest trails.  This one was a bit more cautious but still ...

And then it rained! Sat Aug 7th An obscured Whistler Mountain Whistler Mountain seen on my bear abandoned morning walk.  You actually can't see the mountain because the low cloud and rain has at last arrived.  It dampened the dust on Lost Lake trail and produce a lovely wet pine aroma that has been absent for some six weeks. Yes, it was our fifth bear this morning.  For the first time I'd let Jack off the the lead as I'd started round the back of the lake with the hillside to the left and lake on the right.    One hundred metres further on a black blob appeared at the side of the path.  I called Jack back and put him on the lead and waited as the bear ambled up into the hillside.  I waited a few minutes and assuming it had gone, slowly continued on down the trail.  It reappeared, twenty metres closer and heading towards us.  We backed up and watched it head off down to the lakeside.  At this point the margin between lake and track was na...

Asleep by Lunchtime! Mon Aug 2nd Lunchtime Nick and Lizzie arrived in Whistler late Sunday evening and the first text pinged.   "Want to meet for an early morning canoe or swim".  The pressure was on. Nick was planning a swim and we could canoe or swim.  It wasn't the plan.  Fred was going to have a gentle walk with Jack, while I took the pain for both of us! In the end Fred, Jack and I canoed around the lake.   It kinda set the pace for the day and expectation for the rest of the week!   After the morning canoe session we headed off to Rainbow park, on the other side of Alta Lake where Jack was able to enjoy another swim.   After all the early morning exertion, we headed back for lunch after a coffee in Olympic square. The large mountain on the right at the end of the video is Whistler Mountain, the peak at the back beforehand is Blackcomb Mountain.  Tomorrow we are walking the first of the two! For the afternoo...