[swiftshift]

Didn't see a Hiking Thread, just individual threads on specific Hikes
Just seeing if this thread would drive anyone to share Hikes they did, how it was, and also share photos!

I am thinking of doing Lighthouse Park today, anyone ever do this one before? and If so could you leave some comments on how it was, in terms of difficulty, etc.

Thanks

[unit]

i walked around most of the perimeter trails there w/ my gf, its pretty easy for sure. even the hardest trail there was maybe 3/10. great for an easy scenic walk in the woods and you get to chill on some cool rocks. you can easily shorten or lengthen the hike depending on how much time you have because its a big trail network, but you can't get lost no matter how hard you try. :thumbsup:

i did the diez vistas trail a week ago, first hour was 8/10 difficulty, then 5/10 for the rest. ran it in about 2 hours, recommend it for hikers who want a safe trail (no scrambling, easy route finding) but are up for a bit of a physical challenge.

[JHatta]

Did Petgill Lake on Sunday, it was nice and clear (tiny bit muddy). A bit under two hours up (got caught behind a large, slow group), swam at the lake, one hour 10 minutes down (did some trail running).

Saw a Vancouver meetup group on the way up about 20 people with poles and such. I don't think they made it past the first section (before the logging road)....lol

I agree with unit, Diez Vistas is a nice trail and the beginning is physically challenging. The last third is boring, with switchbacks on gravel paths. I forget my time, I did it last year.

Did the sea-to-summit a few weekends before that and was really fun. Would def do that again over. I want to check out some trails up there, but it's $40 to take the gondola up, which is kind of pricey. Took us just under 2 1/2 hours to get to the top. Bonus: There's a pub up there so you can grab yourself a beer.

Did the hollyburn lower a month ago as a warm up to the season. Fairly easy hike that was mostly shaded, so i wouldn't go after any sort of rain or it would be muddy as hell. I forget how long it took us.

Thinking about going to Bowen Island this weekend to check out Mount Gardner. Also want to do Crown Mountain this year (your warm up is the grouse grind lol).

[swiftshift]

i walked around most of the perimeter trails there w/ my gf, its pretty easy for sure. even the hardest trail there was maybe 3/10. great for an easy scenic walk in the woods and you get to chill on some cool rocks. you can easily shorten or lengthen the hike depending on how much time you have because its a big trail network, but you can't get lost no matter how hard you try. :thumbsup:

i did the diez vistas trail a week ago, first hour was 8/10 difficulty, then 5/10 for the rest. ran it in about 2 hours, recommend it for hikers who want a safe trail (no scrambling, easy route finding) but are up for a bit of a physical challenge.

Thanks for this!
Read on the website it just loops around each other, so essentially if I just walked one trail I would just circle and end up where I started?
APPROX 2HOURS? Sound accurate?

[CRS]

Went up Mount Seymour to do the Dog Mountain Hike.

It was a nice 2 hour trail that lead up to a great view.

http://i.imgur.com/Wohpync.jpg

Obviously took the dog to the dog mountain hike.

:lol

The only thing is that when you get to the parkade up there, there were TONS of flies attacking your face. You had to run to the trail to get rid of them.

[unit]

it's pretty much choose your own adventure. you have to use several trails in conjunction.

https://westvancouver.ca/sites/default/files/dwv/assets/parks-rec/docs/Trail-Maps/LHP_Hiking_Trail_Map.pdf

i've done crown last yr too, it was a bit tricky but fun! gotta be a bit careful descending down the boulder fields. NS rescue circled above me a few times to see if i was alright.

[unit]

well, this thread is pretty dead. wheres all the hikers this year?

went up to rainbow mountain on saturday. it was a 13hr hike near whistler. bit of scrambling but nothing exposed.
the trail disappears about 2 hours in and the rest is all route finding. a lot of snow still up there and one glacier crossing. glissaded down the snowy sections.

rainbow mountain (http://imgur.com/a/c0mvu)

[6793026]

^ holy fuck, i saw some of the pics, that's hardcore my man.

[jumsoo]

St. Marks was awesome.

[bcuzracecarz]

Went and did Needle peak just east of hope, was awesome hike, definitely recommend, Fantastic views of the mountains

[DragonChi]

Damn, it's serious business when the ice axes and microspikes come out.

[hal0g0dv2]

did mystic beach hike/trail today in sooke ( Victoria )
http://i66.tinypic.com/28su5nm.jpg
http://i65.tinypic.com/2w4a16f.jpg
http://i67.tinypic.com/b6989l.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/2djugbb.jpg

[JHatta]

Just completed St Mark's summit and Mount strachan in one trip. Definitely worth it because alone they are pretty short.

[snails]

I have recently started hiking and so far I have done:

Joffre
Elk
Sumas
Chief + sea to Summit in a single trip
Eagles bluff
Lindeman (not really a hike)
And on Saturday I did St Marks
Considering buying some sort of 4x4 because I realllllyyy wanna do cheam

Joffre is by far my favourite but it's been pretty cloudy on every other hike I have done but I'm looking forward to overnighting joffre and panorama ridge in September as well.

What times do you guys go up? Usually I'm starting around 7am to avoid the crowds and enjoy the views with some quiet time. So far I have met some very inconsiderate tourists both European and Asian so I just avoid crowds entirely. Of course that's a small minority compared to the very polite people I meet on the way back down.

Will update with some instagram pics!

[unit]

halo, i've done the juan de fuca so that shoreline looks pretty familiar!

[JHatta]

What times do you guys go up? Usually I'm starting around 7am to avoid the crowds and enjoy the views with some quiet time. So far I have met some very inconsiderate tourists both European and Asian so I just avoid crowds entirely. Of course that's a small minority compared to the very polite people I meet on the way back down.

Will update with some instagram pics!

I usually leave the house at 7am and pick up / meet with people around 730-800. Don't start hiking until 9am (or later if the the hike is farther out).

I haven't done elk yet...how was it?

On my to do list: (probably not all this year)

- Mount Cheam
- Lucky 4 mine / Conway Peak
- Needles Peak
- Brunswick Mountain
- Coliseum Mountain
- Lions (Binkert)
- Elfin Lake
- Crown Mountain
- Haynes Valley
- HSCT

I don't see Petgill lake on your list, I enjoyed that hike a lot (and the lake is big enough to swim in, bonus!).

[snails]

The drive to elk was great (went early) and the overall hike was nice but the last 300m was steep, like 1-200m elevation in the stretch. I didn't get a view at all because of fog and cloud but I mainly for it for the experience and not the selfies lol

[unit]

climbed sky pilot yesterday. something i wanted to do all year.

sky pilot (http://imgur.com/a/GGJzT)

[ilovebacon]

I just did the chief yesterday. I always tend to do the first peak and then the second peak. The second peak, I could say that I had a tougher time doing it. But slow and steady wins the race right? Have anyone tried the third peak at this location and how was it?

[dachinesedude]

don't bother with third peak, the views suck there

just did cheam last week, lots of black flies but no more snow and very nice views, the FSR up to the trailhead is pretty rough, saw a forester and rav4 up there which is crazy, must've scraped like a mofo, high clearance is a must if you care for your vehicle

[ilovebacon]

that sucks, i really do want to enjoy the view after accomplishing a long trail. Thanks for the heads up!

[instantneedles]

Hiking Mt rainier not fully prepared.. did not pack my jacket and weather forecast is set to be 8 degrees :heckno: picked up a jacket at Walmart tho for insurance lol

[JHatta]

don't bother with third peak, the views suck there

just did cheam last week, lots of black flies but no more snow and very nice views, the FSR up to the trailhead is pretty rough, saw a forester and rav4 up there which is crazy, must've scraped like a mofo, high clearance is a must if you care for your vehicle

Could an xterra get up there?

[DragonChi]

Could an xterra get up there?

You should have 29 inch tires or bigger and they should be reinforced AT or LT rated to minimize risk of getting a flat tire. Your truck should also have a real transfer gear (with H2, H4, L4, not AWD) so you can use engine braking going back down the steep sections, otherwise you would be using your brakes all the way down and get that burning "brake pad" smell. Make sure you have a full tank of gas before going in and the spare tire is fully inflated and you have the tools to change a flat. Most SUV's like Xterra, Pathfinder, 4Runner or Cherokee can do it but I would not risk a RAV4, Kia or CRV although it's probably been done.

[DragonChi]

I have recently started hiking and so far I have done:

Joffre
Elk
Sumas
Chief + sea to Summit in a single trip
Eagles bluff
Lindeman (not really a hike)
And on Saturday I did St Marks
Considering buying some sort of 4x4 because I realllllyyy wanna do cheam

Joffre is by far my favourite but it's been pretty cloudy on every other hike I have done but I'm looking forward to overnighting joffre and panorama ridge in September as well.

What times do you guys go up? Usually I'm starting around 7am to avoid the crowds and enjoy the views with some quiet time. So far I have met some very inconsiderate tourists both European and Asian so I just avoid crowds entirely. Of course that's a small minority compared to the very polite people I meet on the way back down.

Will update with some instagram pics!

You would like Elfin lakes as well.

Overnight in Garabaldi Park would open up lots of trails, since you get the switchback part over with. Black tusk, Panorama ridge, Mount Price, Garabaldi lake and Taylor Meadows.

Yeah Linderman is easy, try going to Greendrop lake for a bit more fun :)

[DragonChi]

Things I dislike about other hikers:
-Litter'ers
-Spitting into a drinking stream
-People that blast music on the trail
-People that go off trail and wreck vegetation
-People that piss on the toilet seat in the outhouses

Straight inconsideration for the trail that's out there for everyone. I don't know if I can handle anymore of these crowds.

[DragonChi]

climbed sky pilot yesterday. something i wanted to do all year.

sky pilot (http://imgur.com/a/GGJzT)

Did you guys have any anchors/harnesses to do that climb?

[JHatta]

You should have 29 inch tires or bigger and they should be reinforced AT or LT rated to minimize risk of getting a flat tire. Your truck should also have a real transfer gear (with H2, H4, L4, not AWD) so you can use engine braking going back down the steep sections, otherwise you would be using your brakes all the way down and get that burning "brake pad" smell. Make sure you have a full tank of gas before going in and the spare tire is fully inflated and you have the tools to change a flat. Most SUV's like Xterra, Pathfinder, 4Runner or Cherokee can do it but I would not risk a RAV4, Kia or CRV although it's probably been done.

Thanks for the advice. My xterra falls into that category, but I haven't done any off roading in it. Maybe I'll tackle it next year after I get a few off road trails under my belt.

[unit]

Did you guys have any anchors/harnesses to do that climb?

no, the climb up is fairly easy. the climb down is a bit sketchier and it's not uncommon for people to rappel down, but we didn't. just be careful and take your time! also if someone is down there to help assess your foothold selection that's a good idea. whatever gets you down safe.

[Ronin]

What would you guys recommend that's long and scenic? Looking for great areas for landscape photography.

I've also got terrible knees so I prefer lower elevations. I went up Hollyburn on Cypress a couple weeks ago. That's about as steep as I wanna go.

[DragonChi]

Botanical Beach on the island.

Lighthouse park, North Van. (I've heard this one is good, but have never done it myself)

[pastarocket]

A good place for a short, one hour hike is Capilano Canyon Park. You can also visit the salmon hatchery while you are on the trails and get good pictures of Cleveland Dam.

The news reports about recent sightings of a black bear on the Capilano Pacific trail are blown out of proportion. When I talked to one of the park staff prior to a hike on Saturday, he said that the RCMP were called in to chase the bear away from the hiking trails. LUL

[snails]

You would like Elfin lakes as well.

Overnight in Garabaldi Park would open up lots of trails, since you get the switchback part over with. Black tusk, Panorama ridge, Mount Price, Garabaldi lake and Taylor Meadows.

Yeah Linderman is easy, try going to Greendrop lake for a bit more fun :)

Just did Garibaldi Sunday morning. My advice to anyone interested is to get there very early. I got there for 7am and got great parking, left around 2pm and people were parking down the rode for 2km..

Anyways we hiked Garibaldi to scope it out for our overnight to Panorama Ridge in 2/3 weeks and it was amazing. The camp area is very nice, everything is very well kept (as it should be because you have to rent and reserve tent pads) I'm very excited! Overall I found the hike to be pretty easy as the elevation-distance was pretty mild but 18km is still pretty long

[6o4__boi]

i swear to god my fb timeline this summer is either:

pics of Garibaldi Lake
pics of Joffre Lake
pics of Wedgemount Lake

are these lakes like easy hikes or something? everyone's flocking to em.

[snails]

i swear to god my fb timeline this summer is either:

pics of Garibaldi Lake
pics of Joffre Lake
pics of Wedgemount Lake

are these lakes like easy hikes or something? everyone's flocking to em.

They are very scenic, people do it for the instagram. There are much easier local hikes but they payoff isn't the same. Joffre on paper dosnt seem very difficult but it was actually pretty difficult to me as most of the elevation gain was in the beginning and lots of huge stairs but Garibaldi on the other hand is just very long, 18km with only 900m elevation gain

[DragonChi]

i swear to god my fb timeline this summer is either:

pics of Garibaldi Lake
pics of Joffre Lake
pics of Wedgemount Lake

are these lakes like easy hikes or something? everyone's flocking to em.

Post these pictures :troll:

Unusually, the authors are self absorbed attention whores. Nice eye candy though :)

[Ronin]

I was planning on spending a weekend at Panorama Ridge this summer but too busy and never got around to it. Is it alright to camp there in October still?

[DragonChi]

I would try Garabaldi lake with a light pack first. Then see if you're willing to haul up a tent after that.

In October, I would expect cold conditions, so layers + cold weather ( -10 C to 0) sleeping bag, will be added weight. Not that I've personally went during October, but that's what I would expect.

[Ronin]

I'm good with cold. I've gone camping in the fall with regular summer stuff and was still overly warm.

I'd be going with a hammock rather than a tent. I find it way more comfortable and it's a lot less to pack.

[DragonChi]

Well, right now at elevation temperatures are 10-15 C during the day. If you're ready for that, then you'll be alright.

[unit]

anyone go on any good ones?
i tried to go up mount marriott over the weekend, didn't summit, but the area was beautiful.