A relatively unknown hidden gem called Mt. Becher lies about 12km SE of Mt. Washington.  It falls within the extreme western edge of a small offshoot of Strathcona Provincial Park and features plenty of snow, skiable terrain and grand 360 degree vistas of Strathcona peaks, the Comox Glacier and the mainland coastal mountains.The route to the top of Mt. Becher is about 6km (one way) with an elevation gain of 600m.  Except for some steeper sections (which get your heart pumping) the terrain is pretty easy to travel.  There are no sharp drop offs or rock scrambling required on the main route up (but if you want you can find these off to the sides of the trail if you walk a short ways).  Depending on your fitness level, trail conditions, weight of your pack and how distracted you get taking photos of the marvellous scenery, travel time to the top ranges from 2 to 4 hours and about 1.5-2 hours back down.  The route is fairly popular but if you are one of the first up after a snowfall and have to break trail be prepared to spend more time on the ascent.

The trailhead is located at the parking lot of the old Forbidden Ski hill.   From there head straight up the hill following the old ski lift.  This part of the route has some of the steeper sections you will encounter on the trail.

Once you get to the top of the old ski hill the walking is easier as you traverse a gently up sloping plateau through majestic trees.As you gain altitude you start to encounter views of Mt. Becher.

Continuing up the trail brings you to a very spectacular bowl housing Boston Falls and Boston Lake.  Local ice climbers use Boston Falls so there is a trail down to the lake. There is a very good viewpoint here so spend some time and enjoy the view.

Past Boston Lake the trail becomes steeper again as you approach the summit.

The final approach to the summit is largely open with scattered clumps of trees.If the conditions are right the trees may be covered in wind-swept snow making the whole area a winter wonderland.

The summit itself is dome shaped without a clearly defined top.  Walk around the summit and take advantage of the views.

To the North-East you will see Georgia Strait (Salish Sea) and the Coastal Mountains.To the South-East is Comox Lake.

To the South-West is the Comox Glacier and other spectacular peaks in Strathcona Park.

To the North-West you should be able to see the ski runs on Mt. Washington.

The route is popular with both snowshoers and skiers (and hikers in the warmer months). Some of the steeper sections can be a little tricky on skis so consider your level of expertise before heading up.  The summit sections and the old ski hill sections are favored by the skiers to get some turns in.  In the early part of the season when the snow pack is low the old ski hill sections can be challenging due to the growth of Alder trees on the old runs but with enough snow these become covered.

Getting There

Travel North on Highway 19 (Island Highway) from Nanaimo until you pass the first exit to Courtenay/Comox (don’t turn into Courtenay, stay on the highway).  Turn right at the lights at Piercy Road and after a few hundred meters take another right on Forbidden Plateau Road.  Follow this road all the way to where it ends in the parking lot of the old Forbidden Ski Area.  Although the road turns into gravel it is very well maintained and passable by any 2wd car.  The lower slopes of the old Forbidden Ski hill are very popular with families and they seem to keep the road well cleared in winter.

You can download a GPS track of the route here:

GPS Track

More details on the route up can be found here:

Detailed Route

Warnings

Although this location is relatively easy to get to and many families play on the lower slopes of the old ski runs, keep in mind that Mt. Becher is a backcountry location and subject to all the usual perils.  Take appropriate precautions by bring the right gear, letting someone know of your planned route and assessing the avalanche danger.  Although I have no personal experience, I have heard from others that you can get cell phone coverage from the tower on Mt. Washington.  Most of the photos I’ve posted here are of lovely sunny days but it can also be cold, blowing, foggy and offer white-out conditions (see photo below).  Check the weather forecast before you go and always be prepared for inclement weather.

Equipment

Suggested equipment will depend on time of year, local conditions and your mode of travel but some common equipment will be useful no mater how you travel.  A GPS is a very good thing to carry (with the track available above loaded).  In good weather the route up is fairly obvious but if the weather closes in landmarks can disappear making navigation difficult.  Hiking poles are useful as there is a lot of up hill travel.  I consider a camera as essential but that may just be my bias as a photographer.  It’s an excellent idea to carry some sort of communication device as well should you get into trouble (Cell phone, radio, Spot Messenger). Take clothing appropriate to the conditions.

The post Mt. Becher – Hidden Gem first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The dust is settling from a great weekend trip to Mount Washington for the Yeti snowshoe race. For the last 3 years we’ve made the trip up to the mountain to “compete” in the only snowshoe race on Vancouver Island. For the past 2, a bunch of friends and I book a cabin on the mountain and make weekend of the event. My birthday falls around the last weekend in January as well so it works out well for me as well. An exciting event, a beautiful venue and a bunch of awesome people makes for memorable birthdays.

The race is more fun than business for most of the participants which makes it even more appealing. There are regularly large teams that dress up in themes. One of the longest running is the snow queens who have fantastic queen costumes every year. Most of the costumed runners elect to spare themselves some pain and participate in the 5 km race. If you’re looking for scenery, you won’t need to go any further than 5 km the 10 is only 2 laps of the same track.

This year the track felt short. I was chatting with a girl that was doing the 5k for the first time as we neared the finish and she couldn’t believe that it was almost over. I was a little surprised when we got there how short it had felt. I had my Garmin 405 tracking the entire time (and accidentally for an hour after) and it didn’t look like the track was 10 km. I can’t point pinpoint the exact finish because I forgot to top my watch when I finished but it looked like it tracked out 8.6 km for the race. It was a little disappointing paying for a 10km race and then running 8.6 but I wasn’t going to go run another kilometer and a half to fill it in. You can see my track here on Yeti snowshoe race track on Garmin Connect.

The results aren’t in at the time of posting this but they’ll show up on Race Day Timing pretty soon. I’ll add in a link straight to the results when they get uploaded.The weather was perfect for the race, if a little cool. Most people had pants or tights on which was right for the weather. In years past, I’ve been ok temperature-wise with a short sleeve poly-propylene shirt. I have run into problems with the t-shirt though not because of the temperature but because of the snow. It depends on the type of snowshoes you have but when you run, they tend to flick up a lot of snow.

The Atlas snowshoes that are rented out at the Yeti are particularly bad for this. Because the Atlas snowshoe bindings are attached to the snowshoe by an elastic band of sorts, the flick up when they’re unweighted, bringing snow with them. This airborne snow usually ends up on your back, neck and arms, making for a bit of a chilly race. The wet didn’t bother me on my clothes but on bare skin it stung a bit. The back of my arms were red from getting barrages with snow pellets and near the end of the race my neck suffered from the assault as well. I don’t think I’m going to be wearing a collared shirt for snowshoeing any time soon but a long sleeve definitely helps block the snow.

Another thing I learned quickly in the race, and nearly every time I snowshoe, is to not kick your ankles. It hurts. I don’t recommend it.If you haven’t yet done a snowshoe race, I highly recommend it. If you’re not up for the not-quite-10 10 km race, you can sign up for the 5k, and don’t forget your costume.

The post The Yeti Strikes Again first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Main Items

Snowshoes

Hiking Poles

Pack

Clothing

Waterproof Jacket

Waterproof Pants

Warm clothing

Toque

Gloves

Hiking boots

Gaiters

Sunglasses

Food and Water

Lunch

Camelback with water

Thermos with warm drink or soup

Navigation

GPS

Map

Compass

Miscellaneous

Camera

Chap Stick

Safety

Headlamp

Emergency Blanket

First aid kit

Satellite Communicator

Cell Phone

Also check out the Resort Skiing Gear Checklist and the Ski Touring Gear Checklist.

The post Snowshoe Day Trip Gear Checklist first appeared on Pack & Trail.

You see, Stephanie doesn’t train for races or sporting events.  Ever.

I don’t know how she pulls it off, but she walks into every race totally unprepared and kicks ass. Last month some friends and I decided to enter the upcoming Yeti Snowshoe Race as a team and of course Stephanie imposed the no training rule.  To my knowledge, everyone has adhered until yesterday when I broke the rule and drove up to Mount Washington for an afternoon on the trails.  I have many good reasons for doing so but still secretly hope that Stephanie never reads this.

If you know her, please don’t tell her…I’ve lived in Courtenay for a week and a half and hadn’t been to the mountain yet.  It seems like everyone around has lift tickets hanging off their jackets, ski racks on their car and sore legs.  Seeing these guys every day for 10 days was too much for me.  I knew that I had to get up there doing something.  The upcoming Yeti and the dusty snowshoes in my garage seemed like a pretty good excuse.

I left school and headed directly to the mountain; I went the back route to scope out some potential riding routes and was amazed by the beautiful farmland surrounding the Comox Valley; I was seriously tempted to turn around and get on my road bike instead.  The thick rays of sunlight streaming between the pines lining the roadside were heating the pavement and sending steam drifting off into the beautiful bluebird sky.  Tidy cedar fences ran for hundreds of meters along the road and silently grazing cows looked up carelessly as I drove past.  At one point I pulled over to admire one particularly beautiful scene.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me but noted the time and exact location so I can try and get a shot if the weather ever cooperates with me.

Once I got to the Raven Lodge at Mt Washington, I quickly got my snazzy running suit on and got out onto the trails.  I had heard reports of fresh powder this morning and was hoping to find a trail that had been used so I could avoid breaking trail.  It has been a full year since I’d been on my Atlas Snow Race’s and the bright yellow decking brought back memories of the last Yeti I raced.  It was one of those perfect alpine days: bright blue, the sun high above and no wind.  The event truly is a race everyone can and should do – participants ranged from the hardcores wearing their bright XT Wings and sponsor jerseys to first time snowshoe-ers in thick heavy winter clothing to the snow queens, all dressed up in their Sunday best (you have to see them yourself, words don’t do them justice).  There was several inches of fresh snow that race day and running through it sticks in my mind as one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – surpassed only by the Squamish MOMAR.

There’s something cool about running through the snow that makes me enjoy it more than any other running surface.  Road running to me is bland and unexciting.  Trail running is much better – twisty trails and mud puddles get me excited.  Finally, running on the snow gives off this almost romantic je ne sais pas.

I remember one particularly steep hill about 45 minutes in when everything just seemed to fall together perfectly.  Clearly defined sunbeams were flowing out of the trees beside the trail but a cold wind was biting at my cheeks, reminding me that it’s still winter.  Loose snow flung up by my snowshoes was flying all around my head; every few seconds a piece would land on my neck and send a chilling rivulet of ice water down my back.  My iPod had once again picked the perfect song to run to and I kept pace with the strong beat with my feet and my man-dance head bobs.  My heart rate was high and I could almost feel each individual heart beat throughout my body but I was breathing regularly, focusing energy to my legs and screaming calves.  A perfect mix of hot and cold, pain and calm; total sensory awareness yet total removal as well.  Sports psychologists call this moment ‘flow’ and if you’ve ever been there, you know how amazing it feels.

After two laps of one of the snowshoe specific trails and one last sprint up the final hill of Raven’s Revenge all I could think of was the sauna waiting for me in the lodge.  I jogged back up to the lodge, confident of what to expect from myself in next weekend’s Yeti.

I can’t promise that you’ll achieve this same level of consciousness if you participate in The Yeti but I do promise that you’ll enjoy it immensely and have loads of fun.

The post Training for the Yeti first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The Group

Last year when the MEC winter catalogue arrived, my girlfriend Kirsten was awed by the cover photo.  A group of friends camped out in the snow on a bluebird day surrounded by all the amenities one would have at home.  “That looks like a great idea for my birthday party!” she exclaimed excitedly in a way that made me think that things were about to get a whole lot colder.

A few weeks later, we were sitting in the snow beside Kwai Lake in Strathcona Park.  The fog was so thick it was difficult to see more than 2 meters and most of our clothing and gear was soaking wet; a far cry from the jovial scene on the catalog now unceremoniously propped upright in the snow beside us.  Five of us had made the trek and while we were all in a pretty good mood it certainly wasn’t the trip we had imagined it to be. 

Nonetheless, Kirsten decided that the event would become tradition and earlier this month publicized her plans for a bigger (including her twin brother) and better (not wearing one pair of cotton hiking pants) Twin Birthday Snow Camping Adventure.

This year we invited everyone who would listen to us and expected about 6 people to join us.  We were obviously surprised when more than 14 people expressed serious interest.  I have finally realized that people don’t need the newest and latest gear to be happy and comfortable, which is a change from my normal reaction of getting all concerned and scared about what gear and experience hiking partners have.  A couple people with little experience were to join us so I made sure they had enough stuff to be happy and left it at that.  This realization has been a long time in the making; my next outdoor related problem to overcome is convincing myself that every individual activity needs certain, specific (and usually expensive) equipment.  I suppose that after 3 years working at an outdoor gear store I’ve sold myself pretty well on most products.

Saturday morning arrived and we gathered at our favourite restaurant, Urban Beet, for a group breakfast and then we were off to the mountain.  Although it was opening day, the roads were totally empty and it took no time to get to the Raven Lodge at Mt Washington.  If you’ve never been there, the Raven Lodge is a beautiful facility that serves the nordic community at Mt Washington.  I’m moving to the Comox Valley in a month and am hoping desperately that school doesn’t get too much in the way of play and that I’ll get to spend more time there.

Our route out to the lake was non conventional to say the least.  Early on the group decided to take a slightly shorter yet steeper route but randomly drifted between that and the other option; a longer, easier route. It seemed as though every time a new person took a shift at the front we veered towards the other route.  The snow in the trees wasn’t as compact as in the open and Kirsten constantly found holes to sink into; despite her snowshoes her entire leg sank down into the snow every fifth step or so.  The combination of our reduced mobility (having snowshoes on) and her backpack made it quite a chore extricating her.  While this complicated path gave us all a great butt workout and let us enjoy incredible views of Paradise Meadows, Mt Washington and Strathcona Park, it ate up time in the already late day and just tired us out.  We quit that nonsense as soon as we reached Lake Helen McKenzie and just stuck to the standard Albert Edward approach trail; we made it around the lake and up to the ranger cabin in a new record time in the 12 slowshoers and 2 backcountry skiers category.  Kwai Lake is just a short jaunt from the ranger cabin and is almost entirely downhill.Once there we quickly set up our various forms of shelter – there were 3 and 4 season tents, snow caves, bivies and siltarps – and got started on a snow kitchen big enough for our group.  A quick probe test surprised us with a snow pack of 189cm!  As soon as the sun disappeared behind Albert Edward the temperature dropped rapidly and spirits began to sink too; there was a light misting rain beginning.  It was about this time we saw two faint lights in the distance – Kirsten’s twin brother and his wife had left late and hiked in after us, finishing by the light of their headlamps.  Their arrival brightened us up, literally and figuratively, as they had carried in a 4 hour burn fire log that we lit on a grill made of fallen branches (I know, I know – we’re not supposed to have fires in the park but the situation seemed pretty ok).  The fire (…and Crown Royal…) did wonders for our energy levels until the rain finally drove us to our tents.

Nobody believed me when I said I was going to sleep in till 10am until I poked my head out of the tent at quarter after the next morning.  Everyone else had already woken up and several people had eaten breakfast and packed their tents.  The cold had woken them early and driven them to movement, while I with my -13 sleeping bag, downmat and powerstretch pants slept warmly into the morning (or, maybe I’m just lazy?).  Half of the group left early to check out the sauna at the Raven Lodge and the other half followed shortly behind them.  The hike out was uneventful; we took the regular route the entire way, which turned out to be far easier than the route we took.  Maybe it was the ease of the route or the amount of complaining we did about how dumb we had been the day before, but the hike out flew by and soon we were back at the parking lot ready to hit the pub.  The kitchen in the Raven Lodge was about to close so we made our way to the Longwood in Nanaimo for a little more birthday cheer.

We had so much fun that we’re now picking uncommon spots for all our holiday festivities.  Next up?  An abandoned hotel out at Cape Scott for New Years!  Stay tuned for that report!

The post The 2nd Annual Twin Birthday Snow Camping Adventure first appeared on Pack & Trail.

We decide on the access road that begins on Nanaimo Lakes road and heads up the back of Mount Benson.

For some reason the track from last year didn’t work, so I loaded up some waypoints for the trail in my Colorado 300. After finally gathering in the Malaspina, err VIU parking lot, Ryan, Brett, and I in my truck and Mike, Jer, Andrew, Steph, and Greg in Mike’s truck head up Nanaimo Lakes road to find the access road. Ryan and I had made a day trip out of it last winter and had found the road no problem. There was a lot more snow now though and it was dark.We found the road a little slippery but no real problems for the 4×4’s and arrived in at the gate in no time. Everyone geared up and we were on our way. It was cold. I had a couple merino layers, a softshell, and a puffy down jacket on and I was just warm enough. A few minutes trudging through the snow on MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes warmed me up pretty quick though.

I knew snowshoeing was a fair amount of work but apparently I had not hiked through 3 feet of powder for any distance before. There is a huge difference between the front and the back of the line, especially if there are a bunch of people in the line. Ryan led for a lot of it, he’s got long legs and has a ridiculous amount of energy, and Steph was close behind him or leading for the rest of it.

The rest of us were jockeying for last position.  When there is 7 people to pack down the snow in front of you, it’s nice and easy walking at the back 🙂

After about 1.5 hours shoein’ we arrived at a flat open area that Greg claimed to be the location of an old house. There was no trace so either Greg was a little off with his location calculations or someone had burned it down and it was buried under the snow. We’ll have to investigate in the spring.

All in all, a beautiful showshoe and a great start to the season.

Happy Hiking,

– Ross

The post Benson Access Road in the snow first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Snow was falling heavily the entire way up but began to slow as soon as I reached the top.  Rad timing; it gave me a deadly view of the harbour and North Nanaimo.  I took a bunch of pictures then ran back down to the car.  I have a feeling that the first Yeti training run is coming soon…

The post First Snowshoe of the season first appeared on Pack & Trail.