Cape Scott has been on my list of places to hike for a long time. Lots of people I know have done it. You get to see the tip of the island. There are wolves and bears. There’s lots of mud. It sounds like the perfect place to get away for a week.

We left after work and headed up to Cluxewe Resort in Port McNeill. No one wanted to do the long drive and then break out all the tents and gear just to sleep in the parking lot so we started in an air-conditioned cabin on the water in Port McNeill. Not rustic at all but really really comfortable. The cool sea breeze and air conditioned kept it an almost-cold temperature, a welcome break from the heat in Nanaimo from the few weeks prior.

A 6:30 am start turned into a little later than we wanted but we still got out the door at a good time and on the road. One stop in Port Hardy to top up fuel and on to runner-up for middle of nowhere on Vancouver Island, Holberg.

After hearing about all the problems people have with their cars on the way to Cape Scott on the bumpy roads I was worried we might have the same issues. Justin’s trusty VW Jetta got us all the way there and back with no issues.

The parking lot was quite full when we arrived. As usual we had too much food packed for breakfast and had to either eat it or ditch it. We ended up giving the three last croissants to three girls that had just come off the trail from their hike. Good timing for them.

The trail starts easy, flat and wide. A nice warm up for what was to come. I knew Cape Scott was a relatively flat hike, which I was glad for. My preparation for this hike was short CrossFit workouts. They don’t translate directly into long slow hiking. Better than nothing. 

The trail splits at 900 metres in. South heads to San Josef Bay. I recommend checking that out if you can. North heads to Eric Lake and then Cape Scott. 

The south end of Eric Lake. It looks like a pretty place to hang out from the down the trail. This beach on Eric Lake is actually terrible. The water was brown and full of crud. There was no where to sit aside from a couple of logs above soggy dirty. The access by the campsite boardwalk 1.4 km north is much nicer. 

The obligatory crossing a bridge photo. I seem to get these from every trip I go on and some of them are really nice photos. This one was crossing a creek by Eric Lake. Someone we were talking to before we left for the trip had run across a bear here and had to wait until the bear crossed the bridge and wandered off into the woods before they could cross. 

Eric Lake campsite

Eric Lake campsite looked pretty cool. If you were coming in late in the day and could only hike the 4k to the lake, I would camp here. It’s inland though, near the lake but not on it, and apparently a nice place for bugs to hang out. The camping would probably consist of arrive, kill as many bugs as possible, set up camp, go to bed. 

Fisherman River had a good amount of water in it. There was a small place to camp near the bridge with a toilet and 3 or 4 tent pads. They were hidden behind the toilet and hard to see from the rest of the boardwalk trail. I only noticed them on my way back. 

Remnants of farm life from early dutch settlers. 

The meadow and trail to Hansen Lagoon were one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The strangeness of seeing this view in the middle of a coastal forest made it very memorable. In my head it still shouldn’t look like this. But it does. 

The beautiful sand of Nels Bight. 

The owner of Strategic, the company that manages the park for the province, was checking on the rangers working there. They hadn’t checked in because their satellite unit was broken. It was a bit surreal to be on the northern tip of the island, enjoying being as far away from home as you can get still being on the island, and having a helicopter cruise in and buzz the beach. 

Sunset. Good night Cape Scott! 

Stay tuned for the rest of the photos from my 2015 Cape Scott trip. I’ll post links here after they’re posted. 

The post Cape Scott Trail: Day 1 first appeared on Pack & Trail.

We followed the trail along the river up to Landslide Lake. Not to be satisfied with just one beautiful lake, we took the rough trail around Landslide to Iceberg. There are actually icebergs in Iceberg Lake. So cool.

The post Elk River Trail Day 2: Iceberg Lake first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The post Elk River Trail Day 1 first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Gullies and Shipwreck Rock

The beginning of October marked the end of our 2012 outdoor climbing season. With weather growing colder and wet, the prospect of dry rock in the Comox Valley was slowly disappearing. The season’s prime was in full effect in beautiful Smith Rocks State Park, Oregon! Jen Eaton and I had planned for this trip six months prior, and we were both very excited when the day was upon us to head south. We left on September 28th, gone for ten days with eight full days of climbing. The perfect getaway before the winter!

Our trip down was full of anticipation, with some beautiful weather and amazing timing of the full moon, which was rising as we were making our way through Mt Hood National Forest. As we were pulling into the Smith Rock Bivy area, the silhouette of the rocks in the moonlight, coupled with the crowds of climbers, dirt-bags, high-liners and fellow adventure bound folk, only urged the excitement of the week to come!

Morning Glory

Our first day we started on the Morning Glory wall, in the sunshine. Five Gallon Buckets was the first route of the trip, a beautiful 30 meter line of giant holes and pockets in the wall, made for a great warm up and intro to the style of bolting at Smith Rocks. The bolts here are further apart than most other climbing crags. Many say they are run out, but the locals say it’s normal. To each their own I guess. The rest of that day was spent exploring many routes on the front side of the rock group. The second day we got right down to business with an amazing multi-pitch route called Wherever I May Roam. Five pitches of beautiful climbing, with some nice exposure on the third and fourth pitches, made for a nice day of 5.9 climbing with an incredible view at the top. Four rappels down and we were back at square one. From the Base of that climb we hiked back around the Smith Rock Group and scouted out some other nice routes and walls.

Jen on Nine Gallon Buckets

Another day on some fun sport routes for our third, then day four was a rest day with a fun little multi-pitch in the morning called First Kiss. This was located on the Kiss of The Lepers Wall. It sustains 5.5 to 5.7 climbing for the first four pitches, with a 5.4 “bolted Sidewalk” on pitch three. The highlight of the route was the final pitch of beautiful fun climbing on 38 meters of vertical 5.7 terrain. Once at the top with another classic Smith view, we hiked off the back.

Jen on Toxic

A couple days of exploring other walls led us to some amazing routes. Highlights of these would be, Nine Gallon Buckets extension 5.10c, Wedding Day 5.10b, J.T’s Memorial 5.10b, Toxic 5.11b (very reachy moves), Phone Call From Satan 5.9, Scary Hissing Llamas 5.8, of course many more.

Beware: many routes here have a crux, or what feels like some really hard moves, just before the first bolt. To escape this problem many climbers use a stick-clip. Also, the first bolts are very, very high.

The final route of the trip, we went out with a bang!

We had some other friends there who agreed to climb the Monkey face with us. They led the first two beautiful trad pitches of the west face variation, which got us to the famous “Bohn Street” ledge. From Bohn Street we had a 18 bolt ‘Bolt Ladder’ . Leading was fairly easy, although I give credit to the second. Jen did a stand up job muscling her way up this thing, with tiny if not no foot holds and a slight overhang at the top. It was a bit of work but well worth the Beer in the mouth of the Monkey Face. From there you step out of the mouth over the Panic Point with a sheer 200 feet below, and keep going up, through a fun short 5.9 pitch to the top. Exhilarating! Two rappels, one with two 60 meter ropes, and you`re on the ground. Thank you very much Martin and Fraser for leading us up the first half!

Our final night, was the culmination of the many like-minded climbers in the Bivy. Jen and I had collaborated with our fellow Canadians Martin and Fraser, and hosted a Thanksgiving Potluck for all the Canadians in the Bivy, and of course any other who wished to join. With an awesome turn out, meeting new faces and hearing many climbing stories from all over the world, we left our new family and friends and headed back north with some serious motivation for next seasons climbing adventures.

Smith Rock Beta

First Kiss Multi-Pitch 5.8 – Fourth pitch is a long traverse around a buttress. It gets very difficult to hear your partner once at the next Belay station, so make sure you have an adequate communication backup plan to avoid any complications. Great rest day activity!The sunny areas get very hot very quickly. Chase the shade, but bring warm clothes! The sun and shade were two extremes. Be prepared. Good areas are the backside in the morning, then the Dihedrals or Christian Brothers in the evenings. Morning Glory is great first thing in the morning. Once the sun hits morning glory, you have about an hour before it’s too hot to climb anything really hard, let alone bare it.

Classic Routes – If you have a limited amount of time, stick with the classics. The 3 and 4 starred routes in the guide book are very true to their claim. Do your homework, plan out what routes are where and hit them up! They are well worth the little bit of extra time.

Martin on The Monkey Face

Monkey Face – This is a must do! Pick your route of choice, there are many. It is a classic multi-pitch, take your time and enjoy it! It’s a lot of fun to do with a couple friends! The west face variation is a 5.8 route. First two pitches are 5.8 and 5.7 Trad climbing with bolted anchors. Pitch three is the bolt ladder, and then Pitch Four is a choice of 5.7 to the Nose, or 5.9 to the top of the head. The panic point is the ultimate highlight!

Bivy Beta – You arrive and wonder where you set up your tent? Hike towards the open field and there are many spots with trees where you can make your home for the time. Once your tent is up, head back to where you parked and setup the kitchen in the centre communal picnic area. Mingle with the other climbers; after all they are all there to do the same thing. Climbing Partners, Beta, ride shares, and many more opportunities await you in this bivy community! Respect it, pick up after yourself and please share the tables, weekends get busy and there aren’t enough tables for everyone to have their own!

Spend the money, and buy the guide book. It is an amazing resource, with beta like you’ve never seen in any other guide book before. Don’t go down to Smith with the intention of just ‘grabbing one on the way into the park’…this year they were all sold out, and waiting for more to arrive. The “Smith Select” is good, but we were constantly sharing our guide book with others that had the “Smith Select”. So order one online, or make a MEC run before you head down there.

Use the campground to its full potential. By this I mean talk to as many other climbers as you can. They are the ones that are going to give you that last minute beta you never would have thought of before heading out the next day. Plan your multi pitches using other’s advice. It seems like everyone wants to share their thoughts and advice, so take them!

The hike around the park is fantastic. Do it on a ‘rest day’. Fun view point of climbers working their way up Monkey Face. Other great rest day activities: a trip into Bend with a stop for Huckleberry ice cream at the little store on your way back into the campground.

Brett Watson

** Brett Watson is a photographer, outdoor enthusiast, traveller, and adventure seeker, whose passion lies in expressing his experiences and adventures around the world. Currently living in the Comox Valley, on Vancouver Island, he spends the majority of his spare time photographing, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, or surfing. While planning and saving for the next adventure abroad, Brett continues to photograph the beautiful landscapes and people of Vancouver Island. Find more of Brett and his photography at  Brett Watson Photography and on his flickr page.

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The post Smith Rocks 2012: A Climbing Trip Report from Brett Watson first appeared on Pack & Trail.

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Loved the colour of these vines! 

There are some amazing pictures to be captured on just a short walk around your neighbourhood if you keep your eyes open! 

Rose hips, so beautiful this time of year. 

This little tree had amazing colour! 

Sometimes you can capture an interesting perspective with multiple subjects, like this row of colourful trees I found along the side. Fall is a great time to remember to look up with your camera! Sometimes a field can have a very interesting view. 

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I know you want to see more sunshine but that’s all for now. You can find more of Lainy’s great, colourful photography on her page, Lalainia Noel Photography.

The post A Fall Walk About: A Photo Essay from Lainy Bekar first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Our first day we headed upstream from the campsite to do some exploring. There are massive trees everywhere. Particularly were the Three Sisters just feet from each other.

There were some other groups camping along the river. Always a good idea to keep your food in the trees with hungry bears around. Make sure they’re high enough though. I think I could reach one of the bags we saw.

The Three Sisters were huge trees but many of the other trees were as big or bigger. Simon looks tiny standing next to one.

The trail wound its way up and over small ridges along the side of the rover. The scenery was stunning the entire way.

For some reason I’m attracted to the random human things I find in the woods. There was a sandal hanging in one of the trees. Not exactly appropriate hiking footwear. Having only one sandal would be even less appropriate.

The trail was well marked most of the way. We lost it after we crossed the river once. With some wandering and a keen eye we always found the markers. I felt like a scout roaming around ahead of the group trying to find our way.

With beautiful scenery it’s hard not to just sit and take it in. I caught Simon doing his best Survivorman impression.

The only sketchy part of the hike was a very slippery log that we had to use to cross the river.

Most of the hiking was nice open trail under the old-growth trees. Some of the area near the water was quite thick with salmon-berry bushes.

We made it to August Creek and were looking for the falls. These were the first ones we ran into. We dubbed them August Creek Falls, sat down beside them and had lunch.

There was tons of fungi along the trail. I was hungry when I took this photo. I thought it looked like a nice hamburger.

I can’t imagine a place more beautiful with all the different greens. It can be tough to take some of the photos because there is so much green but it was certainly a nice place to be.

The boardwalk was in very good shape. Some of it was wet and very slippery. I had to catch up to my friends when we started and moving quickly on boardwalk with stiff boots on which nearly ended badly in a few spots.

Our second day we headed downstream from the trail intersection to the Heaven Tree and another grove of huge trees.

We passed some beautiful swimming holes in the river. Too bad the water was absolutely freezing.

Another prime piece of junk in the woods. I’m not sure how you get back up the trail without a shoe on your foot.

Our weekend camping at Carmanah Walbran was another great time out in the wilderness.

My only tip here are that you need to pack light as the campsites are a long walk from the parking lot. We were under the impression it would be a car camping, drive-in type of camping and it was much more walking and carrying heavy gear than we had expected. Pack lightly and you’ll be happier.

There are bears in the area. We didn’t see any in the campsite but some campers that were leaving, came back in a hurry to let us know there was a bear heading down the road and then drove off again. Bring bear repellant and cache your food well.

To end the weekend we headed out to Nitinat Lake and stayed one night there. It was another beautiful place to stay, especially since we had the entire campsite to ourselves on the lake (aside from a very cute, furry visitor). More pictures from that location to come soon.

See you out there.

The post Carmanah Walbran Trip Photo Essay first appeared on Pack & Trail.