Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau

In September Pete and I went back to Europe for two weeks. In Germany we spent a week with my parents and visited family and friends in Leipzig and Berlin. Then we drove on to Switzerland and explored the area around Interlaken and Fiesch. We did lots of hiking, some climbing on Klettersteigs (one with BASE exits above Lauterbrunnen) and paragliding. The towering faces of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau were quite an impressive backdrop for our flights from First. I had just read the ‘White Spider’ by Heinrich Harrer, who was in the first team to climb the infamous Eiger North Face in 1938 and it was cool to figure out the puzzle of routes up this rock wall. We took the Jungfraubahn to the Joch and hiked over to Moenchshuette. Lots of Steinboecke and Gemsen were sighted. We also had a close look at the Aletsch glacier from its south side from Fiesch, a place we had visited with my parents when we spent a couple of weeks in Sas Fee in 1999. But we noticed that Switzerland was rather expensive compared to Italy and France.

Hope to Home in 1.5 days - August 30/31

September long weekend weather didn’t look good for flying so Pete came up with the splendid idea to paddle the Fraser River from Hope to Burnaby. Not too shabby to pull off a mini expedition like this with 1h preparation time but I should at least have checked my paddling gear list (went a little skimpy with cold/wet weather clothing).

We got to Hope around 1pm and one hour later floated downstream under the highway bridge. A strong current made for a nice speed between 10-14 km/h for the first 50km. In the evening we camped on one of the many sand bars just downstream from Harrison Knoll but should have searched for a spot a little further away from the access point where eager fishermen started launching their motorboats early the next morning. The river widened and slowed down considerable at Sumas Mountain; an area I named 'Mission Lake'. Our speed picked up again downstream of Mission with the ebb tide to 8-10 km/h until we got to Port Mann Bridge. By the time we reached New Westminster we were paddling against the incoming tide slowing us down to 4-5 km/h for the last two tiring hours. Should have stopped for the night at Derby Reach Provincial Park with it's nice looking camp spots by the river. Instead we pushed for home, arrived in the dark (and even had to hide from a log-boom pulling tug).

This year is one of the big sockeye salmon runs (as every fourth year is) and sport anglers were out in big numbers on the sand and gravel bars between Hope and Mission. Native fishermen and women with nets were on the river around Mission. And below Mission we saw larger commercial boats.

Downstream of Hope the Fraser is wild and untamed but after the river emerges from the narrow valley below Ludwig and Bear Mountains, human made landscape with dykes and riffraff becomes apparent. Below Mission there more signs of 'cultivation', here the Fraser turns into a working river, with mills on shore, log booms and commercial fishing boats. Below Port Man Bridge the river is busy with activity. Glad we were paddling through the New Westminster area on the Sunday of the last long summer weekend, wouldn’t want to be here in a kayak on a weekday! There are mills, log booms, tug boats, a grave yard for old ships and an old BC ferry and where the south arm splits even big tanker ships.

River in Mission: low 7:50 at 0.77m, high 12:50 at 1.33m, low 18:50 at 0.98m
Tides in Vancouver: flood 10:36 at 3.8m, ebb 15:59 at 2.7m, flood 21:53 at 4.2m

Chilcotin Ridges

I always wanted to explore the Chilcotin Mountain ridges, so I was very excited when friends invited me on a trip. Not having done a multi-day back packing trip in a long time and with some time on my hands, I carefully compiled my gear and even made a packing list with the weight of all items. I was quite pleased with the result and my pack weighing about 36 lbs (16 kg). Turns out my plans were a little too skimpy on the food side (good the friends had some extra chocolate bars). And after the trip I quickly replaced my lightweight 20 year old 3/4 thermarest - after suffering a serious case of sleeping mat envy: everyone else had new cushy full-sized mats that were 4 times as thick as mine but weight the same.

The area is remote and trails are not always marked or easy to find. But these trails get you to high ridges with most amazing views. We had to switch to Plan B as our car got stuck in the mud en route to Leckie Lake trailhead. So we hiked in along Gun Creek and up the ridge to Mt Sheba. Our second camp was on a windy lake just below Mt Sheba summit. Next day we continued to Deer pass and dropped down to Hummingbird Lake. On the way back we met a friend from paddling days in a group of mountain bikers. Small world!

Alaska by Cruise Ship

We knew we would be out of our usual 'habitat' when Pete’s parents invited us on a family Alaska Cruise.
But it was an adventure nevertheless!

It was cool to see some of the places we had visited in sea kayaks and on river trips from a different perspective (namely from the top deck of a huge ship), the Zandamm. We cruised to Juneau, Skagway, Tracey Arm and Ketchikan. I was amazed by the number of whales everywhere in the open waters. After leaving Ketchikan I counted over 80 of them in an hour. The highlight was watching bubble-net feeding Humpback whales near Juneau and the trip into the narrow fjord Tracey Arm. We also retraced the route or the gold prospectors across White Pass 1896–1899 (an alternative route to the Chilkoot Pass), where the tree line is at 800 meters. We drove on to the small town of Carcross (short for caribou crossing), Yukon and played on the sand dunes there, not exactly what you would expect on an Alaska Cruise. Turns out the real challenge of the cruise was not too eat too much of the delicious food!

Summer Wanderings - August

While Pete and friends did more flying (and parawaiting) in Golden I took a few days off and explored the scenery around Lake O’Hara in Yoho Park and the alpine flowers at Idaho Peak in the Selkirk Mountains near New Denver. The morning bus to Lake O'Hara was full, but hiking in along the 11 km road was surprisingly quick and painless as most of it was still in shade. From the lodge I took the trail to Wiwaxy Gap and Huber Ledges up to Lake Oesa and then returned via Yukness Ledges and Opabin Lakes to the lodge. It felt like a long day, although it was not even 25 km. But I had put in a 10 hour day, starting just after 8:30 until 18:15, so I was happy to find a seat on the bus back to the highway (later I heard that everybody gets to ride out as long as one doesn't miss the departure time). Have to come back next year and check out MacArthur Lake!



Having heard of the amazing flowers at Idaho Peak I detoured on the way back from Golden. Driving through the dark ghost town Sandon and up the steep windy gravel road was somewhat nerve-racking, but I still had a good night of sleep in the back of my trusty Patriot. And what sight to wake up in a mountain meadow full of flowers.

Lumby Flying Weekends - June/July

Nice flying at Lumby for a couple of weekends, with many friends from the Fraser Valley and the Interior. Got to fly a couple of new sites, Mara and Fly Hills and managed some nice (for me) xc flights from Mara.
Below 'Dance of the Niviuks'. result of a rainy weekend editing session. Andrew and Pete flying at Coopers, Lumby, last weekend. With photos from Jackie B. (used with permission).

A Week In Germany - June

Just back from a quick trip to Germany to visit family and friends. It was good to see that everybody is doing OK. Haven't been in Europe in early summer for quite some time and one big plus of a trip this time of the year: its asparagus harvest time. For some unfathomable reasons white asparagus is not very popular in Canada. But I like it and had lots of it during my visit. Also got my fill on classical culture: an open air concert of Beethoven's 9th. Impressive views of the Canadian North on the flight back... Big Slave Lake, Slave River, remote and still snow-covered country.

 

 

Squamish Gondola - May 24

We checked out the new Squamish Gondola this weekend (and saw an entirely new side of the Chief). Up top are well groomed trails worth an hour of wandering around that lead through amazing variety of trees to very scenic views, plus a suspension bridge and restaurant. Also a bunch of bolted climbs and longer trails, one going over to Habrich, another towards Sky Pilot. We explored the Sky Pilot trail but didn't want to do battle with snow/slide alder mess and turned around after 45 min. Later I checked out the Habrich trail which is much nicer as it follows a route over granite bluffs to great views and tasty berry fields (later in summer).

Big Trees in Lower Seymour Reserve - May

Back to the search for big old trees. With a long logging history, only a few are left in the Vancouver surrounding. The General and his wife, two big old Redcedars, on Vicar Lakes trail were easy to find. It took more searching to locate Temple of Time Grove and Pipe Organ Grove. One amazingly long Douglas Fir lays toppled on the ground, away from the trail many meters through dense brush finally down a creek bed. This is possibly the largest tree in this grove, the Will Koops Giant. I also explore some of the gigantic stumps left behind after decades of logging like the one found on the ‘More Stumps Trail’. Hope that the remaining few old giants will be left standing for many years to come.

April Cherries

Spring is here again and the cherry blossoms are out in full force. Hoping for nice weather so we will enjoy them for a long time. Rainy weather means the blossoms will get soggy and drop fast. Not a photo of cherries, but other trees are in bloom too, like the maples.

Wenatchee - April 20

Back on the Wenatchee again! As every year, we met old friends and made new ones. Hiked the hills covered by yellow balsam root flowers and blue lupins. Listened to the wild turkeys call in the evening. I was really hoping I would get to paddle more this year. But it was not to be as I managed to tweak my shoulder again. This time it wasn’t paddling – it was from trying to catch my gliderbag as it dropped over the side of a pickup truck. Bummer!

Blanchard Flying - April

Best Blanchard flights ever! So far my flights here have either been disappointingly short sled rides or ridge soaring to 50 or 100 meters above launch. It didn’t look as if the clouds in the Fraser Valley would clear so we decided to give Blanchard a try. We arrived to nice puffy clouds out over the flats and cycles coming in. Easy launching, thermaling to cloud base, flying out over the water, coming back to the hill and repeat again. There were even a few climbs over the flatland I managed to get up in. Excellent spring flying with a nice group of fellow canucks.

Epic Airtime - April 1st

Not an April fools joke... April 1st was one of the few days in the Fraser Valley when it is possible to soar above the summit of Mt Cheam and Pete did just that. I was happy enough getting up high near the summit just 100 meter below it. Not much flying was to be had in March (but skiing got finally good!). April offered very nice flights at Blanchard where air time for us had previously been limited to either sled rides or ridge soaring.

Wet March

As we can read on Cliff Mass’ blog this March precipitation came down in record amounts. Unfortunately this also led to a tragic landslide in Oso WA. Here is hoping for drier weather for the rest of spring.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.ca/2014/03/the-wettest-march-in-seattle-history.html

Great Blue Herons - March 27

On our way back from the highway we noticed herons in the tall tree along our route. During the week I went back for a photo session one evening. Several dozen birds were doing various heron things: their courtship rituals, fighting, nest building. When I came back a week later the short window of photo opportunity had closed: the spring leaves were out and hiding the birds and their nests.

March Powder Fest

This season snow coverage was sub-standard for a long time but in March the white stuff finally started flying. Pete and I took a day off to visit the Needle Trees on the Coquihalla. We started breaking trail in 50cm fresh snow, getting deeper as we got closer to the skiing meadows at 1400 meter. Because it was so good I went again with a friend two days later. In two days it had snowed enough to cover our tracks completely. Skiing was even better so I went for a third trip with yet another friend. Only one or two other parties had been at Needle during the week and there were still plenty fresh tracks left for us. Yea to the weekday warriors (and sorry to everybody on a fixed work schedule).

Baker Pow Day - Feb 19

After a very slow start to the ski season now comes the snow! Two friends and I head to Mt Baker for an exceptional day of powder, as good as it gets for a busy ski resort. 270 cm fresh snow in 9 days. The North Shore mountains in Vancouver get their share with well over one meter fresh fluffy pow. On the weekend we visit the big trees on Hollyburn mountain. Although the snowpack is still on the shallow side the quality of the 40-50 cm fresh powder was excellent. The last weeks of February feel like ski vacation skiing on 10 out of 12 days. But its even better than vacation; with my season pass at Cypress I don't feel that I have to put in a full day to make it worth the expense of a ticket, I can leave when I'm tired or don't like the snow anymore.

We got so much snow that some highway passes had to be closed due to avalanche danger, including the nearby Coquihalla highway. The area received over 3 meters of snow in 9 days. The highway department set of huge controlled avalanches and there were a few surprises with natural ones too (including one class 4), luckily nobody got hurt.

This is reminding of the weather four years ago when the Olympics were in town. For the first week there was only little coverage and snow was trucked to Vancouver. In the second week it started snowing and some events like xc skiing struggled with too much of the white stuff.

Four years ago the avalanche conditions were so touchy that we even considered cancelling our ski trip to Fairy Meadows. Strange enough like a small island of safety the immediate area turned out to be rather stable. The high hazard made us stay on conservative terrain but not a group of young skiers on the trip who decided to ski a bunch of steep couloirs and triggered a sizeable slide. All they got was a big scare but it could have ended much worse.

Frozen Beauty - Gates Lake

Finally southwest BC is getting some of the cold much of Canada had to put up with all winter. Cold arctic outflow air is reaching our area. Lakes in the mountains around Whistler and Pemberton are solidly frozen and thanks to the lack of snow in prime skating conditions! I have only ever been on skates maybe half a dozen times and haven't been on a frozen lake since I was a teenager. In addition the views and conditions were simply spectacular. Pete and other paraglider friends played with different sorts of kites. I worked on my skating technique, first pushing a chair around, later with a hockey stick for balance.

The ice on some of the lakes was polished by wind and clear as glass. Amazing to glide over the dark water and near shore see green water plants and sunken trees under the ice. Even more mysterious are the occasional eerie creaking sounds from the ice. A totally new experience.

We also tried out another new activity: a friend took us ice climbing. Since the main ice climbing area was crowded with people we found our own mini cliff with a sunny belay spot. A belay spot in the sun must be very unusual for serious ice climbing but made our first foray into the sport extremely pleasant.

Frozen Gates Lake

Glass clear ice

Pete making lines on Brohm Lake

Ice Climbing!

Lack of snow makes skiing not an enticing option. Too many obstacles sticking out lower down to scratch ski bases and maybe even skin and bones! So we try something entirely new: ice climbing. I always wanted to give it a try and a (formerly) ice-climber friend offered to show us the ropes. Since the main climbing area on the Cheakamus was already packed with keen climbers we wander off and found a smaller cliff we had all to ourselves. The climb was short but it’s long enough to get into the rhythm of front point – front point – tool – tool. After the second lap I started to trust the placements and stopped hacking away at the ice. Bonus point: the belay spot was in the sun. Good fun and a suitable (but probably not very typical) introduction to ice climbing. Thanks, Ben!

Hiking and Flying

Still waiting for snow to fall on the coast so we went on some hike and fly adventures in the meantime. I joined the Elk boys for a few flights in the Chilliwack Valley and took a new friend from Washington up there. We also explored some new launch sites on the North Shore Mountains. The snow cover improves launching options from spots that are otherwise covered by shrubbery and small trees. One of the flights was rather exciting since we had picked a landing site in Indian Arm which is a fjord where steep tree-covered mountain sides drop into the ocean. Our flying buddies had landed there before but I didn’t entirely like the idea to land in such a tight spot I had not seen before. Good thing the tide was receding and I launched (and landed) last. The beach was several meters wider when I came in for landing compared to the narrow strip of beach the first flyer in our group had to work with to keep his wing dry.

Drought and finally Pow

The snow pack is at record low in many areas on the coast. But finally we got fresh snow, and lots of it (80 cm)! To our surprise it was of nice fluffy quality at Red Heather/Paul Ridge and we had some nice turns. So did dozens of fellow snow-addicts. When we left the slope looked like Whistler after the first run. This may be OK for lift skiing, but is hardly acceptable when 'you earn your turns'. Must try for a semi-alpine start next time to get our runs in before the crowds show up.

Pete working hard on the up-track

Environment BC snow-water equivalent graph

Blanket Glacier Chalet 2013/14

After the December drought and lack of snow we were not sure what to expect from our second visit at Blanket Glacier Chalet. But there was no reason for disappointment! Temperatures were warmer than last year, but still cold enough (-4 to -8 oC) for lots snow to fall. During our week it was almost 100 cm.

We didn’t quite reach our elevation gains from last year with over 10.000 meters climbed during the week, but got very close (250 meters short). Most days it snowed heavy which made the sauna look simply too tempting at the end of a long skiing day. We still got a couple of +1600 meter days in. Just like last year our fellow skiers (most from Alberta) were very keen and lots of fun to ski and hang out with.

Before the hut trip we skied at the Revy ski hill and crosscountry. And we almost had to stay longer. On the day we flew out of Blanket Highway 1 was closed due to avalanches, west and east of Revy. But when the highway opened we decided to leave. The line up at the ski lift was over two hundred meter long. Hard to get enthusiastic about lift line-ups after 7 days of untracked pow!

To the photgrapher's delight bright colors are in fashion again!

Pete enjoying some Monashee pow

Coming back to Blanket Glacier Chalet after a long ski day