Category Archives: Hiking

A Tale of Two Tea Houses

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Jens

In early July I did some hiking in the Lake Louise area. I started at the Chateau Lake Louise and hiked up to Mirror Lake, then Lake Agnes, and its European-styled tea house. There were too many people so I didn’t stop and hiked around Lake Agnes to the switchbacks that lead to the top of the Big Beehive. Here you’re rewarded with a stunning panorama of Lake Louise. From there I descended on the Highline trail which had lots of big rocks, roots, and stumps. I was glad I had my hiking poles. Eventually you join the Plain of Six Glaciers trail which leads to another tea house. I pressed on to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint and ate my lunch underneath the hanging glacier of Mount Victoria. What a great day. Click on any photo in the gallery to see a larger version.

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Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Jens

Joffre Lakes is a beautiful hike that passes three lakes with turquoise blue water. The colour is caused by ‘rockflour’ or glacial silt that is suspended in the water and reflects blue and green wavelengths of sunlight. At the upper lake you get an impressive view of the Matier glacier and Slalok mountain which is 8704 feet high. Hikers need to obtain a day use pass and will be turned away if they don’t have one. Click on each of the photos below to see a larger version. If you click on the square in the top right hand corner of the image, the photo is displayed on a dark black background.

Posted in British Columbia, Hiking, Inspiring, Mountains, Summer, Waterfalls, West Coast | Leave a comment

The Granite Monolith

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Jens

Today I hiked to the top of the 2nd Peak of the Stawamus Chief in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. All hikers must obtain a day use pass, which is an attempt by BC Parks to manage visitation levels in the more popular parks. The granite cliffs are world famous for their climbing and also a nesting area for Peregrine Falcons. After climbing a steep trail, chains and a ladder, which felt like two hours on a StairMaster, I was rewarded with incredible views of Howe Sound, the Squamish area, and Garibaldi Provincial Park. I shared my lunch with a chipmunk and a Steller’s Jay. On the top of the peak pine trees grow on the granite and it’s a very fragile ecosystem. Due to the fact that we’ve received very little rainfall for the last forty days the pine trees didn’t look very healthy. Thankfully, there is some rain in the weather forecast for this weekend. Click on a photo in the gallery to see a larger version.

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Rock and Ice

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Jens

It was very warm and smoky, but I enjoyed camping for a week in Banff National Park. At Lake Louise I hiked up to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint, which is past the tea house and a great place to eat your lunch. In my photo below you can see Mount Lefroy on the left and Mount Victoria on the right. In the middle is Abbot Pass which was named after Philip Stanley Abbot who was an experienced climber who died in 1896 trying to be the first climber to ascend Mount Lefroy. He was the first climbing fatality in North America. It’s hard to see in the photo, but at the top of Abbot Pass is the Abbot Pass hut which was built in 1922 by Swiss guides working for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a base for mountaineers. The route up the pass is known as the Deathtrap because of its exposure to avalanches and crevasses.

Lawren S. Harris was a painter and a member of the Group of Seven. He did abstract work of Lake Superior, the Rocky Mountains, and the Arctic. One of my favourite paintings is one he did of Mount Lefroy in 1930 which is part of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

” When I first saw the mountains, travelled through them, I was most discouraged. Nowhere did they measure up to the advertising folders, or to the conception these had formed in my mind’s eye. But, after I became better acquainted with the mountains, camped and tramped and lived among them, I found a power and majesty and a wealth of experience at nature’s summit which no travel-folder ever expressed.” Lawren S. Harris

Posted in Hiking, Historical, Inspiring, Mountains, Summer | Leave a comment

The Stawamus Chief – Third Summit/Peak

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Jens

On Saturday it was a beautiful sunny day with a blue sky. I hiked to the top of the third summit or peak of the Stawamus Chief. It’s a steep climb, with an elevation gain of 627 metres. The Stawamus Chief is the second largest granite monolith in the world. At the top, I enjoyed the breeze, my lunch and the company of a few chipmunks. There is wonderful views of Howe Sound, the Squamish estuary, Mount Garibaldi and Sky Pilot mountain, which many hikers mistakenly refer to as ‘one of the Lions’. It was getting late, so I started my descent. After hiking down and stepping from rock to rock and over roots for two hours my legs are still sore.

Chipmunk ( Eutamias minimus )

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Decompress and Unplug

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Jens

Three beautiful days of sunshine in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. I really enjoyed hiking through the rainforest, walking on the beach and listening to the relaxing sound of the surf. Ate my fill of fish tacos and salmon burgers. To see the images click on the first image and then use the right and left keys to scroll through the gallery.

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Thank You Tofino

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Jens

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is one of my favourite places to camp. The kilometres of rugged shoreline, dramatic old-growth forest, tide pools and sprawling beaches make it an ideal place to explore with my camera. Although there was a wolf advisory in effect and I was sleeping in a tent, I didn’t see or hear any of these animals. After eating my fair share of salmon burgers and fish tacos I returned to the hectic pace and traffic noise of Vancouver. Even though I’ve only been home for a couple of days I already miss the relaxing sound of the surf…

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Traffic Chaos

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Jens

On Family Day here in British Columbia the weather was sunny with a mild temperature and thin wispy clouds. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful sunset, so I thought this location would make for a nice photo. When I returned to my vehicle I experienced a huge amount of traffic volume which resulted in me taking several hours to get home. Note to self, in the future, don’t try to drive anywhere in the lower mainland on the Monday of a long weekend. Click on the image to see a larger version.

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Posted in British Columbia, Hiking, West Coast, Winter | Leave a comment

Carpe Diem

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Jens

A tripod and the self timer function on my camera allowed me to take this image. A wonderful view of the Fraser River and clear blue sky complete the photo. Click on the image to see a larger version.

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Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Hiking | Leave a comment

Stawamus Chief Provincial Park

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Jens

The Stawamus Chief is located next to Howe Sound and it’s the second largest granite monolith in the world. Last weekend I spent an evening and a morning on the summit of the third peak. At sunrise, the light was amazing as the fog burned off. The third peak is 702 metres high and it was a tough grind climbing it with my photography equipment, however, the images I got made the effort worthwhile. Click on the first image in the gallery to see a larger version of each photo.

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