Date: April 2-5, 2015 Trip Report: We spent Easter long weekend in the South Chilcotin. We visited Lake Lamare, Burkeholder Lake, and explored the Yalakom Valley. When the Easter long weekend was coming up, we were eager to get away and spend a night or two in the mountains. We decided our local mountains weren’t quite what we wanted this weekend, we wanted to get out a bit further. After some brainstorming, the South Chilcotin came to mind; specifically the Bridge River and Yalakom valleys. We reached out…

Usually, during winter months, I make like the bears and hibernate. I put away my hiking boots, store my pack, grab some sort of gym membership, and I stay indoors until my surroundings warm up and the snow starts to melt. This season, Ryan and I have made a point of getting outdoors to keep our hiking momentum going and to train for bigger trips we have planned this summer. Winter is a stunning season; as the snow falls, our world transforms into a bare, bright, and frozen landscape. The summer hiking…

I read a while back you might learn more from climbing the same mountain 50 times than you would from climbing 50 different mountains. I can’t vouch for climbing, but I know hiking trails are much the same. I’ve visited the Shulaps range via the same access a handful of times and each trip has been different from the last. For as long as I’ve observed, I’ve found different views, weather, lighting, colors and a different state of mind. Have you ever spent time on a mountain or…

A few weeks ago, I went on a solo hike up the east summit of Frosty Mountain in Manning Park. This was my first hike within the park; the views were well worth the drive and I’ll definitely be back. I parked at the Lightning Lakes day lot and I was on the trail a little before 10:00am. I hiked ~23km and gained ~1250m over 7 hours and 20 mins, including short breaks on the way up and an hour long break at the top. I didn’t see…

Sometimes, in life, you just need to jump in a heli and fly to a tranquil lake, rope up and hike on a glacier, sit in a canoe and enjoy the ride while your partner does 68% of the work, take arbitrary selfies while sun-tanning, capture the sunset with a loved one, indulge in (impressive) pancake breakfasts and steak dinners, and jump back in a heli and fly out. This is a very special place. Though very close to home, its location and inaccessibility amplifies its beauty and seclusion. During the August…

The idea was to get into high altitude for Kilimanjaro training and Ryan’s been wanting to take me here for a little while. Aside from a trip or two in the Shulaps, I haven’t spent much time in areas quite like this – lack of vegetation, exposed rock, beautiful ridge walks, and the backcountry in general. Knowing this is one of Ryan’s favourite areas, I expected a lot in terms of terrain and views and I was surprised to see he somewhat understated the area. The views were absolutely…