Whistler Activities

Thursday night Dave, Craig, Neil and I met to do the Grouse Grind. It was the first of the season for us! The Grind is commonly referred to as Mother Natures Stairmaster. It is a 2.9km climb up the face of Grouse Mountain with an elevation gain of 2,800 feet. It's a tough workout! 

Friday evening we arrived in Whistler and had time to enjoy a nice bike ride on the bike paths. 

Saturday Neil and Dave participated in the 28 km section of the Tenderfoot Boogie trail race. Helen, Fergus and I cheered them in. Here's Fergus enjoying his time in Meadowpark at the finish.  

Sunday Neil and I went back to the start of the previous day's race to enjoy the trails in the area of Brandywine. The trails were so nice for running. Here's the actual Brandywine Falls. 

Nice views of Daisy Lake. 

We were not anticipating this but we actually came upon the Whistler Bungee  jumping spot. Caught this just as the guy jumped!  I could hardly watch! 

Monday we hiked to Garibaldi Lake in Garibadi Provincial park. There is a nice trail but the first 6.5 km are fairly steep switch backs. 20 km's return in 5 hours. 

Here's our selfie at the lake. 

The lake is almost at 5,000 feet and projects a beautiful turquoise color. 

Mt. Price towers over the lake. 

Heading back down. 

We just got back to the truck in time before a severe thunderstorm rolled through the Whistler area. A few forest fires were started by lighting in the area - yikes! It rained, it hailed, it was a nasty storm! 

The next morning was so calm. Fergus and I visited the lakes in the Whistler area. It was a hot one! 

We really enjoyed our days at Whistler! Looking forward to the next time. 

Whistler Weekend

Friday was a nice weather day in Vancouver. I enjoyed a run on the seawall which is a pathway that goes around Stanley Park and surrounding area. My Fitbit showed 10km when my outing was complete. 

The tide was out and the breeze was creating some small waves rolling in. 

Friday evening we travelled to Whistler and when we arrived the moon was just over Whistler mountain lighting up the sky and highlighting the snow. The night sky was so clear and the mountain air very fresh. 

Craig and Lynette were in Whistler for the weekend celebrating his birthday. We met for dinner on Saturday night and a hike to Cheakamus Lake on Sunday. 

Cheakamus Lake is a beautiful turquoise color. 

Early evening we had a doggy walk with Boe, Josh and Jody. 

It was so nice to see the dogs having so much fun together. The humans enjoyed it too! 

Today we decided to run and bike at Lost Lake park. The park has over 100 km's of trails that are for both bikes and walkers. We finished the outing with a light lunch on the Nicklaus North (golf course) patio. Nice way to end the weekend! 

Vancouver 100 Completed!

Today Neil and I completed the final section we needed to cover on the Vancouver 100 route. We started at Nelson Creek and climbed to the top of Black Mountain and returned to Nelson Creek. We were hoping to see some other participants but I think they were home in their beds or at the Deep Cove end of the trail. One of the funny stories that emerged from this weekends event was that 2 male participants were heading home at 2:30 am after a long day on the trail. When they were traveling over the Lions Gate Bridge they were stopped at a police road block looking for drunk drivers. The police officer lunged his head into the car for the sniff test and must have been hit by a strong odour from hours on the trail but certainly not that of alcohol! Oh what a great event! This is the first time we have broken the 100km's up into sections. It provided some good weekend outings over several weeks. However, I do always  appreciate a long journey! 

Today on the trail I noticed this post with the multiple options. Amazing what you notice when you have the time to take it all in. 

Thursday I had a good outing to Buntzen Lake. 

I opted to take the trail along the lake. It is very undulating and a great workout. I hadn't been there for what seemed like years. 

Near the start of my outing I came upon this sign. Hmmm...

Then this confirmation that indeed Mr. Bear was in the neighborhood. It was very fresh! 

Then this sign appeared on the post in front of me...it says "never hike alone". I was alone! I did the sensible thing and retraced my steps. There have been many Cougar sightings of late on the local trails of Vancouver. No explanation why the Cougars are coming so close to habitation but it's a little disconcerting! Anyway, I still managed 10 km around the lake. 

I explored down by the beach. Nice peaceful area for picnics and taking in the views. I look forward to returning to the area but perhaps not alone!  

Congratulations to all those who participated in the Vancouver 100! Looking forward to next years event. Be kind to each other out there. 

More km's on the Baden Powell Trail in the Heat!

Last weekend it was pouring rain and cold. Wow what a change! Today the temperature was 35 degrees C and hot hot hot! So hot we stayed home and puttered in the garden. It was a good rest day after Friday and Saturday's outings. 

Friday Neil and I started on the Baden Powell trail at Cypress Mountain parking lot and climbed up Black Mountain, continuing past the highest point to check snow conditions in the woods towards Eagle Bluffs. We found a few patches of snow but really very little given all the snow that was there just a few short weeks ago. Now, just mud remains!

We decided to turn around knowing we could get the Nelson Creek to Eagle Bluffs section next weekend on our final outing to complete the V100. We retraced our steps and continued past the parking lot at Cyoress through the "Enchanted Forest" to the top of the Hollyburn Chute. Then back the same way to the car at Cypress. A solid days work! 

The ski runs on Hollyburn were free of snow. We were expecting snow and slushy travels. What a pleasant surprise! 

The Hollyburn lodge is being rebuilt! As we approached the lodge we could hear saws and hammers wondering what the noise was. Looking forward to seeing the project completed. 

Saturday Neil, Dave and I started at Cleveland Dam to cover the section to the top of the Hollyburn Chute on the Baden Powell where we turned around the day before coming from the other direction. It was a good steady climb for 8km's and the return back down. We saw a few V100 participants in action along the way. Another good days work on the trails with the heat turning up! One more section to go to complete the 2016 Vancouver 100! See you next weekend Baden Powell Trail! Hopefully in a wee bit cooler temps!