For decades most hikers in the Vancouver area have used 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia to plan their trips. Some have even made a sport out of trying to complete every single hike in a particular edition. It’s been BC’s hiking bible since the first edition was published in 1973. Since then, it’s been …
Thoughts
As another trip around the sun rolls to an end, it’s time for my annual memories post! (If you’re new here, check out my old posts from 2014, 2015, and 2016). It was a tough year for my body as I battled a few injuries and didn’t get out as much as I wanted. But …
A few weeks ago, I drove to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island to take a wilderness survival course. It was a 2 day introductory course aimed at beginners. I’m not a prepper, a hunter or a back-to-the-land type, so why did I take a wilderness survival course? Read on to find out. If you know …
As is tradition around this corner of the internet, here are my favourite memories of 2016. (How many years do you have to do something to make it a tradition? I did this in 2014 and 2015, so I think it’s fair to call it a tradition now.) This year when I sat down to …
A Quick Note: This article was originally published in August 2016. The aim of this post was to shock people in order to raise awareness. I know it’s an uncomfortable post to read and that many hikers and campers might feel a bit confronted since they don’t engage in the kind of behaviour discussed here. …
This post is part of a series here on Happiest Outdoors called “More Than Outdoors” where I chat with outdoorsy people who take their connection with the backcountry a little further, who do a little bit more outdoors. Jessa Gilbert is a Vancouver-based splitboarder, painter and all-around super rad person. She is originally from upstate …
One of the highlights of spending time outdoors is spotting wild animals. I’ve seen black bears, whales, mountain goats, lots of birds, deer, moose, elk, marmots and once even a wolverine. However, seeing wildlife while hiking is a game of chance that you often don’t win. But what if I told you the easiest way …
Yesterday I was shuffling along the Stanley Park seawall here in Vancouver. The cold wind whipped rain into my face, my hip ached, my clothes were soaked through and my race bib rattled with every lurching step. How did I get here? How was I three-quarters of the way through running my first ever half …
The highlights of my year aren’t what happened at work or who won the sports championship; the highlights of my year are the time I’ve spent outside. Like last year, I hiked about 700 kilometres in 2015, took countless photos and spent a lot of time sleeping outside (34 nights in a tent!). And like …
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ll know that in August and September my husband Greg and I went on a 25 day road trip from our home in Vancouver up through Northern BC to the Yukon and a little tiny bit of Alaska. Lots of people have asked me what my favourite …