It was so crowded when we got to Cypress around 6PM. Poor J had to line up for an hour to get her rentals. We went for pho after, but I lost the picture. I think my phone has too many photos now and is no longer saving them properly.
Very strange to think that this winter wonderland is less than an hour’s drive away from my house. Will this snow last? I’m planning to enjoy it as much as possible before it’s gone forever.
Tonight was a good night. Above & Beyond. Andrew Rayel. 3Lau. 
Music is best enjoyed when shared. There were so many bodies at BC Place tonight for Contact 2015. I think it was more packed than last year!
2012 (or 2013) version at Get Together: https://www.instagram.com/p/XRCMz5xxjv/
Didn’t make it all the way up to Tin Hat Hut. We were about halfway there, but a series of unfortunate (preventable) events occurred.
First, we were late for the ferry. Then, we didn’t have enough gas, because there wasn’t enough time.
We took the Dixon Road, as described here: http://www.clubtread.com/routes/Route.aspx?Route=998
Veloster Turbo cannot handle gravel roads… I was clenching my hands and starting to sweat. Some websites advertise 1 hour drive to get to the trail head, but I suppose, not in a low vehicle.
The first wooden sign along the road:
A 4x4 pickup drove by just before we reached this sign – the driver was laughing.
This was the sign where we decided to turn back (about halfway there):
The drive along the logging road isn’t very nice, no views, logging trucks rumbling by, and rough, jagged terrain.
After turning back, we tried to hit up the SCT via another route… Rainy Day Lake was the destination. We made it to here:
Again, bumpy gravel road that the Veloster could not handle. We gave it a good try, but we had to turn back. Ended up on an empty camp ground, sleeping in the car after a dinner of Mountain House Macaroni and Cheese:
This was quite delicious and extremely simple to make – add water and mix. Lots of cheesy flavour (cheese addiction is a real thing, if you haven’t heard already). I would get this again. 8/10.
Here are some other links to Tin Hat that I found:
http://sunshinecoasttrail.com/tinhat.html
http://www.clubtread.com/routes/Route.aspx?Route=998
http://www.sunshinecoastcanada.com/blog/232-52-weeks-of-trails-week-50
I bought the Sunshine Coast Trail Hut-To-Hut Hiking book. All set for next year. BETTER WATCH OUT.
We hiked to Skookumchuk Narrows, and passed by Brown Lake:
We went to both North Point and Roland Point. Roland Point has a closer view of the rapids and kayakers were using this spot to enter the water: 
These rapids only occur at certain times, when the tides are right (there’s a tidal schedule somewhere on the Internet).
You probably can’t tell what’s in the titanium pot on the right (H bought this pot for $70. SUPER lightweight), but we had instant noodles in there. Sardines to top off the noodles.
H was covered in sweat during this hike, possibly because he wore his Patagonia down puffer jacket the whole way. It was an easy hike.
Here a few places to look for hikes along the Sunshine Coast:
http://www.sunshine-coast-trails.com/
http://penderharbour.org/Recreation/Trails/trails.html
http://www.sunshinecoast-trail.com/
http://www.sunshinecoastcanada.com/hidden-gems/sunshine-coast-trail
We went to pick up groceries at the IGA at Madeira Park afterwards for dinner:
Cedar Creek wine, tortellini, spinach, pepperoni sticks, and crushed up Ruffle cheese chips.
We still had not yet discovered a good coffee place. Coffee on the coast is watery and not effective. Will bring my own next time.
Not quite the middle, but we were on the side of nowhere. We still had data.
Enjoying the view at brunch, before hiking to Skookumchuck Narrows. I need a waffle maker to make bacon waffle benny’s.
We booked this place through BC Ferries, so it included the ferry ride over for $360. TripAdvisor review here.
We drove over to the Sunshine Coast to see what we could see.
What I was looking for:
First stop was Gibsons, and we found the beer at Persephone Brewing Company:
H and I tried the Goddess Golden Ale, the Irish Stout, Rum Runner Red Ale, and Oktoberfest Lager over a game of checkers. I let him win, and we filled up our Stanley growler with the Goddess Golden Ale (so fresh). The place was pretty quiet, since it was a Wednesday afternoon, with one or two visitors dropping by for growler fills. All their hops are grown on site!
We ate at Molly’s Reach, where Beachcombers was filmed, shopped in some of their little shops, including the Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co, visited the tourist info center to find information on potential hikes, and continued North along Highway 101 to Smuggler’s Cove.
No photos from me as I left my phone in the car… Fail… Maybe I can borrow H’s photos later. Easy trail with stairs and sturdy bridges with railings, nice views at the end of the whole cove, but the beginning of the route over the bog is slightly eerie – lots of dead trees sticking out of the bog and quite deserted. It isn’t really hiking season, so that’s understandable. H wanted to take some of the trees that were growing along the trail as hiking sticks, but maybe if we had a bigger vehicle (this continues to be a problem throughout the trip).
Next stop: Rockwater Resort
Beautiful day for a drive and a hike, and H & I wanted to take the new Veloster up on the highway, so we decided to hit up Joffre Lake yesterday. I came here last year with L & A: http://luwesa.blogspot.ca/2014/06/joffre-lakes.html
The lower lake was amazing (the Veloster was amazing too. I really missed it.):
Traffic heading up the Upper Levels highway was horrid, we were side tracked by the Squamish farmer’s market, and there was construction along the Duffy Lake Road, so by the time we arrived at the lake, it was already about 3:30PM. Not enough time to go up and come down before dark. We ate our snacks by the parking lot and left. Harrison brought Astronaut ice cream by Mountain House that came with his Cairn box a while back:
Tasted like real ice cream, but the texture was stickier and well… dry, ‘cause that’s essentially what it was.
Nice day on the water, back in August:
Rented out double fibre glass kayaks from MEC for a day when H’s HK friend came to visit. About $60 for one, including paddles, life jackets, and all the other gear (rates found here). Compared to renting at Deep Cove, it was much more cost effective.
The only thing was we had to figure out how to transport it from the MEC in North Vancouver to the waters of Deep Cove. They gave us hooks and straps, and we somehow drove the boats back to my house to store for a night on H’s Kia Soul. It was a bitch to carry and load, but overall, worth it. Would do again.
Cookie day at work today, check out the oil in this thing:
I’m so tired. I can’t wait to get outdoor.
We were planning to get to the parking lot at Cypress by 7AM to hike 5hrs, 11km, to St. Mark’s Summit, which is a part of the Howe Sound Crest Trail, but we ended up leaving the McDonalds by Boundary and Lougheed at around 730AM. After a hearty meal of Sausage Egg McMuffin and hashbrowns, purchased using the coupons available on their mobile app, we were ready to hike.
The view from the top was spectacular, with a few low hanging clouds. This was from the 2nd farther viewpoint after reaching the summit (takes a bit of searching to find the correct path to get here… go around!). Snacks for this hike included a 6 plums from the tree in my backyard and a 90 calorie fibre1 chocolate chip cookie, split between the 4 of us…
Things to note if doing this trail next year at this time…
-It’s wet and muddy up there at this time and it was drizzling a bit this morning. Wear hiking boots, bring a jacket.
-There were no ravens this time.
-Go earlier as this trail is becoming more popular.
More info at Vancouver Trails: http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/st-mark's-summit/
What’s an intermediate hike with a view near Vancouver that isn’t congested?
I need to try harder to keep this up to date. Things sure have changed! I think I’ve found somebody to travel with and have dinner with and maybe breakfast and lunch, but definitely, dessert, and get fat with.
3 months ago – St. Mark’s Summit
2 months ago - We drove along the Bow Valley Trail and the Icefields Parkway to see what we could find. I think we discovered a lot, and not just the Columbia Ice Fields (top) or Peyto Lake (bottom). What’s the name of that rock in the middle photo?!
1 month ago – Cheakamus Lake
Places to look forward to - Elfin Lakes, Mount Cheam, Mexico?!?!
Life, happens when you're making plans
Flying high & shaking hands
The song will write you, you don't write it
I, didn't mean to fall in love
Rhythm that created us
I was running, we collided.
Baseline, I will always make times,
I just wanna know that feeling’s in your heart for me
Baseline, after all the great times,
I just wanna know that feeling’s in your heart...
When the beat drops out
And the people gone
We still be there, still be there
For me child.
When the lights go out
and the morning comes
we still be there, still be there
for me child
When the beat drops out...
Went to see my first Canucks game. Not a fan of hockey or the Canucks, but it was still fun. Try everything once…
…which means biking and always feeling hungry. Biked to Deer Lake the other evening…
Had an interview at a place where there was a fountain in the lobby. I think that’s where I want to work. I could keep waiting, or just accept this offer and have some sort of income. I think I’ll do it for the fountain.
I want a donut while I watch BuzzFeedViolet videos on Youtube.
I want you here,
Right by my side…
We’ll run away,
Never look behind.
They gonna watch us fade out into the susnet,
We’ll feel young like the first time we met….
How persistent can one be before it gets annoying? Apparently, Capricorns like persistence, but personally, I think I’d get annoyed if it goes on for too too long. But yeah, I need income guys.
Does Jessie J. write her own songs?
I still fall on my face sometimes, and I can’t colour inside the lines,
Cuz I’m perfectly incomplete, I’m still working on my masterpiece
And I wanna hang with the greats, got a way to go but it’s worth the wait
You haven’t seen the best of me, I’m still working on my masterpiece
Today’s Horoscope:
You can sense that something good is going to happen but there is no need to hurry it along. Venus, planet of harmony, in your fellow Earth sign of Taurus means the right opportunity will arrive at just the right time, so be patient.
WELL DUH. When things hit rock bottom, it can only go up. I’m not saying I’ve hit rock bottom, the bottom is pretty hard to reach. Murphy’s law though.
It’s only been 10 days, but it feels like forever already. Where did these 10 days go? I have too much time on my hands now to think about what I really want to do. I think I really just want to bike around and do nothing.
Heading to Whistler this weekend, and it’ll be March when we get back.
And grandma is in the hospital…
When it shits, it diarrheas.
Where the snow at? It was barely 0°C.
On the left, is Clearwater Springs Ranch, which is the fabulous luxury wilderness lodge/bed and breakfast we stayed at. It’s owned by Tanya and Kurt, who gave us advice on where to go around the park and really welcomed us into Clearwater. They offer a $45 gourmet dinner, which is totally worth the price. We had cranberry chicken with the most perfect fried potatoes:
More food pix & lodge pix: 
Another view of the lodge:
Bonny, the resident watch dog, said goodbye to us as we left for Wells Gray Park:
But really, WHERE THE SNOW AT? The cone around the waterfall had collapsed a while ago, and the walls of the canyon were bare… I was slightly disappointed by this, but with all that’s been going on in my life, this didn’t faze me one bit. I’ll come back next year.
View from the back of Clearwater Springs Ranch:
View from the observation deck:
