Articles & Stories
We are always looking for new articles to post to the site. If you have written
about an adventure you want to tell others about or just have some knowledge to
share, submit it to jhamlin@clubtread.com
and we'll get it posted!
Toadstools to Truffles
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August 22, 2007, By Rick (Chilliwack Jack)
I found this neat Mushroom out by Lindeman lake... can I eat it? I have 50 books on Mushrooms, and each one is different. Even I bring the unusual ones home to check up on, before trying them. Besides that's half the fun - to find them and bring them home and try to ID them.
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Interview with Gordon White
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March 19, 2007, By Jim Hamlin
I was a park ranger based out of the Lytton area for a summer back in 1984. It was like discovering an addictive sweet with the ability to discover one little area after another. I would go to my guidebook and visit new areas I hadn’t been to.
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Between the Rock and a Boggy Place
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February 23, 2007, By Taryn Eyton
We had been told the third day would be our hardest navigation day and waking up we were devastated to find that we had the worst weather for it. Two ridges needed to be ascended and descended and we also had to navigate through an interconnected system of ponds.
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Orienteering - the world of O
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February 23, 2007, By Rick (Chilliwack Jack)
As an outdoor activity, Orienteering has it all covered. It combines walking, hiking, (maybe running) compass knowledge and map reading. It requires both your mind as well as your body...
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Developing a “Photographic Eye”
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November 26, 2006, By Tim Epp
Photography in many ways is an artform. I find this to be true the more time I spend in honing this craft. Sure in one sense photography can be as simple as taking “snapshots” of the scene you want to capture without putting a whole lot of thought into the photo, and many are content with that level of photography.
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Winter Camping
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November 2, 2006, By Stephen Sharp
For me it’s a natural extension of my snowshoeing day trips. It also seemed a shame for me to have a six-month hiatus every year from my favorite activities, which are backpacking and backcountry camping. I found that as I was going to higher alpine destinations during the other times of the year, I was encountering winter-like conditions and if I could do this, I could certainly winter camp.
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Mount Price/Clinker Peak
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September 27, 2006, By Ed LaPointe
The trail is peaceful, I have been on it many times before the fresh air of the forest, the white noise from the river, these are familiar and without realizing it I find myself reflecting on where I am. Not geographically but where I am at this point in my life.
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Jedediha Island - A Kayaker’s Paradise
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August 31, 2006, By Russ S.
On our last day we awoke early to catch the tide and make a final push for Scotty Bay and back to our rental place. By the time we were on the water the wind had picked up and we faced a bit of chop with some three foot swells. The wind funnels through the channels between the islands and it made for some interesting times being the two rookies we are.
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Nootka Island Trail - A Pictorial Adventure
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April 16, 2006, By Ed LaPointe
We walk the sandstone sidewalks although along this stretch they are interspersed with small boulders, which appear to be neatly placed. These are slippery as snot and I turtled on them, bruising my butt and my ego. My friend Peter was hinting I should rethink my “no poles” hiking theory.
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Crossing the Stein: An adventure from alpine to desert
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January 15, 2005, By Martin Philipp (Glory Monger)
The trail continued higher and higher. We could see the huge valley separating us and Caltha Lake, our next projected campsite. Up in the alpine, the views of the surrounding mountains were simply stunning.
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Spectacular views on the Stein Traverse
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December 31, 2004, By Anna Bisakowski (Anna Banana)
We were officially entering the Stein Valley today and boy was I exited. When we first saw Tundra Lake, both our mouths dropped. It was just spectacular. The color of the blue lake was paradise and the scenery looked almost fake (like a postcard). When you see such beautiful scenery, all the hardships of hiking are ALL worth it.
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Banzai Lions
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November 30, 2004, By Yuji Kaneko (Lupin)
We found the start of the traverse with help from another fellow hiker pointing the way from her vantage point. Winding our way across the side of the face we found one exposed gap to cross and then the rest was straight up.
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Across the Coast Mountains on Skis
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June 1, 2004, By Sandy
We kicked steps up to the apex and scrambled the rocky west side, shuttling our sleds and packs 400 feet down to a pass above the Edmond Glacier. With our sleds swinging from side to side we skied 1,500 feet down to camp on a lake with Transition Peak to the north and Mount Fowler to the west.
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Stein Traverse
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April 14, 2004, By Margo (Grey Hair)
The ridge walk was exhilarating. We could see Stein Lake almost a thousand metres below us, and we stopped for lunch at the highest point, with a view of tiny Poppet Lake. We descended the east shoulder of the ridge carefully, through dry, open forest. You would have thought the descent would be easy, but there was loose rock underfoot, and as we got lower we had to scramble under and over blowdown.
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Munter Backcountry Avalanche Workshop
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January 18, 2004, By Jennifer Ferguson
Werner presented several Mottos in the beginning of his presentation. The one I took special note of was Expert! Pay attention! The avalanche does not know you are an expert.
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Peru's Inca Trail
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January 7, 2004, By Dave Iverson
Of course our guided group was not the only one to plan on leaving at 4:30am to be at Macchu Pichu for sun rise. It was kind of neat seeing a trail of bobbing headlamps as 100+ people made their way to Macchu Pichu for the big pay off.
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The Telkwa Range
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November 11, 2003, By Kathie Wagar (telkwa)
We postholed and it was tenuous as it was one of those “fall you die” areas. The views on the ridge were tremendous but we could not quite see yet where we could approach the ridge to get to the highest point of the Telkwa Range.
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Chilkoot Trail Adventure - Skagway, Alaska
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November 1, 2003, By Jim Hamlin
We continued to climb a little further and finally.... we were at the scales - the base of the golden staircase. The trail from the summit is another good 5kms. It seems like quite the walk when you've already been hiking for a while. We travel along varying terrains passing by various waterfalls and smaller unnamed lakes.
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Mt. St. Helens Loowit Trail (Loowitt)
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October 20, 2003, By Jim Hamlin
I was relieved at first that the trail pulled away from the ledge as I figured there was a nice n easy way to get down there. Oops. Guess not. It eventually led to a trail that winded its way down switchbacks of a sketchy slope.
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Pitching Boulders in the Howson Range
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October 7, 2003, By Kathie Wagar (telkwa)
Although we are a group of 50 something we were hard at work, grubbing trails, cutting timber and rolling boulders. Bushwhacking in this country is not a trivial matter. Devil’s Club, alders and the dreaded sub alpine fir (shintangle) make the steep slopes a nightmare!
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Nootka Trail Hiking Adventure
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September 19, 2003, By Paul Talbot (prtalbot)
The Nookta Sound Trail lived up to it’s billing in all respects, it was a pristine wilderness and moderately challenging.
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Everest - hiking above 8500m
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August 21, 2003, By Robin Walshaw (aka Rapscallion)
In a lifetime there are perhaps but a handful of moments when you walk along the knife edge of fate and destiny. Moments when you know that from this moment on things will be irrevocably different.
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WCT 2003 - Fellowship of the Rain
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August 1, 2003, By Jim Hamlin
This was the second time that I was about to embark out on the trail. Ever since the last trip, I have wanted to go back and do the trail again.
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Rocky Point Park - Shoreline Trail
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July 26, 2003, By Russ S.
Rocky Point’s Shoreline Trail is definitely a birdwatchers paradise. I recommend you do this trail in the early morning
before the joggers and trail runners get out there.
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Buntzen Lake Trail
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July 16, 2003, By Russ S.
Buntzen Lake Trail is a favorite of mine for a short hike on a rainy day or for getting those hiking muscles into shape for
the longer more strenuous hikes in the area.
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Journey on the West Coast Trail
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June 27, 2003, By Jim Horn
Our departure date was three days before summer solstice - affording us a week of the longest days of the year for the adventure of our lives.
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Hiking the Rock
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June 26, 2003, By Patrick O'Brien
I was anticipating pleasant but not overwhelming ambles and found instead that I was blown away by the spectacular scenery and world class trails.
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My Bear Encounter
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January 12, 2003, By Robert Macdougall
The bear was right in front of me. She actually stood up and roared right in my face, she stood a good foot taller than me.
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Building the Golden Ears Shelter
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October 6, 2002, By Ron Paley
The Golden Ears Emergency Shelter is finally finished. This shelter is the first of it's kind in the lower mainland. Only in
Garibaldi Park is there something close to this.
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Minnekhada Regional Park
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October 1, 2002, By Russ S.
A great place for kids, I was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem tucked away in a quiet corner of Port Coquitlam.
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Mount Price
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September 20, 2002, By Davey Chow
I recently completed a weekend hike to Mount Price in Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is a long hike but well worth the efforts.
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Mt. Cheam
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August 3, 2002, By Russ S.
Below me and to the right the Coast Range and Ross Lake nestled like some blue jewel in a sea of green. It was a hard place to leave.
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Skyline Trail I & II
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July 30, 2002, By David Grantham
Beautiful views open up as you start your open ridge walk with enough breathtaking views to last you a year.
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My Adventure on the West Coast Trail
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July 11, 2002, By Jim Hamlin
The trail challenged me physically, mentally, and emotionally. All tolled, I wiped out a number of times. A lot of my falls were nasty, but didn't result in any breakages.
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Skagit River Trail in May
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May 12, 2002, By Jim Horn
Hiking the Skagit in May turned out to be a very nice trip - and an ideal place for the first overnighter of the year.
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Sumas Mountain
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April 19, 2002, By Jim Hamlin
Sumas Mountain makes a good early season hike if you don't mind getting dirty. We found alot of runoff and blowdown. But that's what makes it fun - right?
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BC Animals
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April 18, 2002, By Kerry Alcock
There are many inhabitants of Southern BC. This article outlines a few of the more common ones that you may spot while in the backcountry.
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Climbing Mount Robson
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March 26, 2002, By Brian MacLean
Summit day: up at 0235 hours. It was cold, dry and overcast; conditions were right and we decided to go.
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Digital Photography
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February 4, 2002, By Jim Horn
The beauty of a digital camera is that you really don't have to be too concerned with what your pictures are going to turn out like - you're free to experiment and delete the ones that don't turn out.
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Joffre Lakes
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January 27, 2002, By Jim Hamlin
This magnificent area of jagged peaks, icefields, cold rushing streams and turquoise blue lakes is only an hour out of Whistler. The trail is easily accessible and only is a 500m climb to the upper lake.
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Green Timbers
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January 20, 2002, By Jim Horn
When you think of hiking, you probably think of getting away to the hills, or the outskirts of town - or somewhere far, far away. Well maybe that just isn't necessarily so!
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Flora Lake
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December 24, 2001, By Kerry Alcock
Do you like alpine views, walking in the clouds and excellent fly-fishing? If you answered yes, then this is a hike you might want to experience. However, to commit to doing this trip you must agree to the trail’s terms of admission.
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Wedgemount Lake
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December 11, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Wedgemount Lake offers a good lungbuster with fullfilling rewards of high alpine lakes and glaciers.
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Frosty Mountain Peak Pictorial
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December 1, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Frosty mountain is a great dayhike filled with fantastic views and a good mix of alpine trails that rise above the treeline.
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Lynn Headwaters
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November 10, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Lynn Headwaters is one of my favorites. I have done this hike many many times. The park itself has a wide variety of hikes from loops to hikes above the treeline.
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Cathedral Lakes
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November 1, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Cathedral Lakes is one of the most unique places you can visit. Aside from all the glacial lakes, you ascend above the treeline for most of the hikes only to reach some of the most unique rock formations including a giant cleft.
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BrandyWine Falls
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October 15, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
This is a popular stopping point on your way to Whistler. After you have visited the falls, there are other areas you can explore.
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Mt. Webb
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October 15, 2001, By Kerry Alcock
Mt. Webb is an exciting adventure. In some places the trail is steep, but its worth the climb.
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Mount Seymour Peaks
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October 1, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
This is a great hike if you want to get out into the mountains but don't have alot of time. It is close to home and the views are magnificent.
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Skagit River Trail
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October 1, 2001, By Kerry Alcock
The Skagit trail is relatively easy with respect to elevation gain. However ,its 30km full circuit along the river will make for a long day.
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Whistler has it all!
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October 1, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Whether you want to climb a mountain or enjoy some rest and relaxation, Whistler has the answer.
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Amazing Views at Cathedral Lakes
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September 30, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Cathedral Lakes provincial park offers some of the most magnificent panoramic views of alpine meadows, formidable ancient rock formations, and snow capped mountain ranges.
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Garibaldi's Singing Pass
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September 15, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Located in Garibaldi Park, the Singing Pass is a very scenic hike taking you through mountain ranges, rock edges, and alpine meadows. You start out at the Whistler Village and make your way up the valley. You can go to the meadows or as far as Russet Lake.
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Campbell Lake
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August 30, 2001, By Jim Hamlin
Located in Harrison, Cambell lake gives you many good viewpoints. The lake is an interesting spot, especially in early spring with the runoff.
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