Check the Island Avalanche Bulletin

No matter where you are heading in the fall, winter and spring, if there is snow, there could be avalanche risk.

Always check the Island Avalanche bulletin to see what the risk and weather are.

Take an Avalanche Course

Island Alpine Guides offer excellent avalanche courses and refreshers. I recommend you always have a recent course if you are travelling in snowy terrain. It will drastically reduce the risk of an accident if you know and use the skills from these avalanche courses.

Be safe out there!

The post Avalanches on Vancouver Island first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The post Photo: Bridge 102 on the West Coast Trail first appeared on Pack & Trail.

MEC Victoria

Victoria is a fantastic place to be to enjoy all the outdoors the Island has to offer. With a population big enough to support some of the bigger outdoor stores, there is lots to choose from for biking, kayaking, skiing and everything else you could want to do outside!

Outdoors

MEC

Website | Directions

Valhalla Pure Outfitters Victoria

Website | Directions

Robinsons Outdoors

Website| Directions | Email

Sports Rent

Website | Directions | Email | 250 385 7368

Sports Traders

Website | Directions | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | RSS Feed

Coast Mountain Sports

A general outdoors store, Coast Mountain carries mens and womens outdoor apparel shoes as well as gear for camping and snowshoeing.

Website | Directions | Contact

Biking

Rider’s Cycles

Website | Directions | Email

North Park Bike Shop

A small, independent bike shop, they carry a wide selection of touring, commuting and recreational bikes. They also do service and repair on any kind of bicycle.

Website | Directions | Email | 250-386-2453

Marty’s Mountain CycleMarty’s Mountain Cycle carries the whole range of bikes, including XC, All Mountain, Downhill, Dirt Jump, Road Bikes as well as apparel and accessories.

Website | DirectionsFacebook | (250) 383-3337

Oak Bay Bikes Victoria

Website | Directions

Straight Up Cycles

Website | Directions |Email

Russ Hays Bicycles Victoria

Website | Directions | Email

Russ Hays Bicycles Sydney

Website | Directions | Email

Sooke Mountain Cycle

Website | Directions | 250 642 3123

Coastal Cycle and Watersports

Coastal Cycle and Watersports is a bicycle and kayak store in Victoria. They also rent and service both kayaks and bicycles.

Website | Directions | Email

Fairfield Bicycle

A small bike shop in Victoria since 1990. They offer repairs, frame alignment, hard to find parts, special orders, trailers, city bikes, recumbants, touring bikes, pannier bags and folding/travel bikes.

Website | Directions | Email

Goldstream Bicycles

Website | Directions | Facebook | 250-474-1948

Running

Frontrunners Victoria

WebsiteDowntown Directions | Email | 250-382-8181

Westshore Directions | Email | (250) 391-7373

Running Room

Website

Millstream: Directions | Email | 250 391-0141

Downtown Directions | Email | 250 383 4224

Saanich Directions | 250 881 1051

New Balance Victoria

Website | Directions | Email | 250 382 9327

Peninsula Runners Victoria

Website | 3659 Shelbourne St. | Email | 250 384 4786

Island Runner Footwear

Directions | 250 595 2378

Water Sports

Ocean River Sports

Website | Directions | Email | 250 381 4233

Surfing

Sitka Surfboards

Website | Directions | Email

Barracuda Surboards

Canadian owned company specializing in custom surfboard design, manufacturing and repair.

Website | Directions | Email

Coastline Surf

Serving the Island community since 1991, Coastline sell skate, surf and snowboard gear and clothing.Website | Directions | Email

Threesixty boardshop

Website | Directions | Email | 250 382 0360

Sitka Surf and Skate Shop

Website | Directions | Contact | 250 382-7873

Switch Board Shop

Website | Directions | Email | 250 474 6620

Surface Boardshop

Website | Directions | Email | 250 391 7283

Kiteboarding/Windsurfing

The Bosun’s Locker

A boating store in Victoria since 1956, they sell sailing, kiteboarding and windsurfing gear.

Website | Directions | Email

The post Outdoor Stores in Victoria, Vancouver Island first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Directions to Haslam Creek Trail

Turn onto Timberlands Road across the highway from the Cassidy airport south of Nanaimo. Drive to the end of the road, you will go left around a sharp corner at the end. At the end you’ll hit a gate that should be open. Go through and into a big gravel pit. Drive straight through and take the road on the right. About 1k along this road you will see a blue sign and fence on the right hand side. This is the trail entrance. See the Google Map to Haslam Creek Trail for more info. The trail itself is well signed. Follow the blue signs on the trail posts and you’ll have no troubles staying on the trail. 

Haslam Creek Suspension Bridge

Take the trail along the fence for about 1 km and you will see the suspension bridge. The sides are chain link and the bottom is a rough grate so it’s very safe. Dogs should fine fine walking along the metal, people who are afraid of heights might be a little uneasy in the middle though. After the bridge stay left on the main trail and you’ll hit a logging road. Head left along the logging road. After about 1km you’ll start going uphill on a smaller trail. This section can be very wet.The trail heads uphill for a while here and then back out onto logging road. Another km and you will be very close to Timberlands Lake.

Timberlands Lake

Take the small road on the left before the lake to go around to the near side or continue on around the right to get to the main open area on the lake. The sign posts will lead you to this open area. Unfortunately 4x4er’s like this location as well so there might be broken glass. This is a fantastic location to have lunch in the sun and explore the shoreline. The main opening on the far side will get the most sunshine especially in the afternoon.

White Pine Trail

Near the main area on the lake the road continues on and hooks up with the White Pine Trail. This section of the trail continues on North to Spruston road and eventually Nanaimo River.

Additional Info

Trailpeak page for Haslam Creek Trail

The post Hike in Nanaimo: Haslam Creek Trail first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Outdoors

Valhalla Pure Outfitters

Everything you need for heading into the outdoors, they’ve got gear for hiking, running, AT and cross country skiing, climbing, kayaking and snowshoeing. I have to put in a bit of a disclaimer here; I worked there for a while and loved it.

Valhalla Pure Website |  Directions to Valhalla Pure | 250 751 8686

ONO Work and Safety

Not your typical outdoors shop but they do have lots of outdoor gear, first aid, and trades gear.

ONO Website | Directions to ONO’s | 250 390 4556

Atmosphere

Atmosphere Website | Directions | 250 751 1425

Cabellas

Cabella’s Website | Directions | 250 390 7800

Climbing

Romper Room

“Since 1996 the Romper Room has been Vancouver Islands Premier Indoor Rock Climbing destination …For Fun …For Fitness …To Challenge Your Mind! We are dedicated to providing a safe and fun climbing experience for everyone!”

Romper Room Website |  Directions to the Romper Room | (250) 751-7618

Running

Frontrunners Nanaimo

Looking for a clinic for running? Talk to the folks at Frontrunners.“At Frontrunners we pride ourselves in our clinics. Whether you are looking for a group to walk with, looking to start a run/walk program, or looking to improve your running performances we have a clinic to help. Our clinic leaders are trained in running and walking techniques, injury prevention, and basic nutrition and are there to answer any questions you may have.”

Frontrunners Website |  Directions to Frontrunners | (250) 729-8200

Running Room

“The Running Room reputation has been built upon product innovation, quality and the knowledge of our sport.Through the input of our customers and the staff, our products have been tested and proven as products of choice. The Running Room’s unique private label products have been developed to provide customers with the best in style, functionality, fabric innovations and reasonable price.”

Running Room Website |  Directions to Running Room | (250) 758-4018

Biking

Apex Bikes

Website | Directions | 250 933 5075

Arrowsmith Bikes Nanaimo

An excellent bike shop in Nanaimo. Arrowsmith firmly believes in a better life through cycling.

Arrowsmith Bikes Website |  Directions to Arrowsmith Bikes | (250) 758-6675

Bastion Cycle

Another locally owned bike shop in Nanaimo. Definitely talk to these guys if you’re looking to get into cycling.

Directions to Bastion Cycle | (250) 758-2453

Pacific Rim Bicycles

“Whatever category of bike you are looking for, whether it’s a Mountainbike, Hybrid, Comfort, Beach Cruiser, City / Commuter bike, Touring, Road, BMX, Tandem, Recumbent, Kids, or even Off-road Unicyle’s, that’s right we can get you one. Stop by, I think you’ll find what you’re looking for. And if we don’t have it, we’ll do our best to get it for you.”

Pacific Rim Website |  Directions to Pacific Rim | (250) 758-2118

Rock City Cycles

Rock City Cycles Website | Directions | 250 760 0211

The post Outdoor Stores in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island first appeared on Pack & Trail.

A bead of sweat runs off my forehead and down my nose. I’m doubled over leaning on my hiking poles. My heart is hammering and my lungs are wheezing like an old vacuum. I’m thinking “Holy Crap, this is a steep hike”. I check my GPS, more to give myself a few more seconds rest than anything, but it’s given up the ghost claiming ‘no satellite reception’. Looking around at the steep and towering mountains surrounding me I guess I’m not surprised it can’t get a signal.

Glancing up the trail I see the smiling face of my dog, Chase. He loves this sort of thing and seems to draw a special smug satisfaction in staring down on me from up the trail silently saying “come on….lets go…what’s the hold up?” Ya, ya, ya…I’m coming. If I had his power to weight ratio, 4 wheel drive and built in crampons I’d be way up there too. If the smug little bugger comes any closer I’m going to grab his tail and make him haul me up the mountain!

For the 10th time I wonder how I managed to be here, in my own personal 9 km of vertical pain. It didn’t look this ugly on Google Earth!

The idea for this trip started several days ago. Reading a blog on the Vancouver Island Spine trail lead me to their website. There I saw a photo of some people hiking up near Forbidden Plateau. Thinking this looked like a very pleasant way to spend a day I did a little research on Google which lead me to post about the Century Sam Lake trail with some gorgeous photos. Making this destination even more intriguing was talk of snow caves in a small glacier at the end of the lake…how could I pass that up? A bit work on Google Earth and Fugawi Navigator and I had some tracks laid into the GPS. I was up early on Sunday morning and off to adventure.A quick hour drive brought me off the Island Highway near Courtenay and onto the North side of Comox Lake. I was half expecting to be turned away by the guard at the gate but there was no sign of anyone. After a 20 minute teeth-rattling-bone-jarring-kick-the-crap-out-of-my-truck- haven’t-you-guys-ever-heard-of-a-Grader-stupid-rough-ride, the road turned away from the lake up Cruickshank Canyon and got smoother. Another half hour and I was at the trailhead. Most of the road would be fine in a 2wd but the last km was deactivated and heavily ditched so it was pretty well 4wd territory only.

By this time I was almost an hour into the bush and had only passed one other vehicle, heading out (not a good sign). Parking the truck and strapping on my hiking and photography gear I was feeling a little alone, wondering perhaps if it was such a good idea to be so far in by myself. The feeling was short lived, however, when I walked over a rise in the road and discover a number of other trucks at the trail head.

After my painful 2 hour ascent through mostly dense bush, I emerged out on rock outcropping near the lake….wow! The place was drop dead gorgeous! Towering peaks under a clear blue sky enclosed a beautiful aqua-marine lake fed by a small glacier. Fall colors provided contrast to the predominantly blue and green scene. Ascent pain forgotten, all I could think of is how lucky I was to have such a unique and beautiful place available on a day hike.

I made my way past the lake to reach my true destination…the snow cave. The glacier sits in a pocket of the surrounding mountains. It was high noon and yet I was standing in shadow at the mouth of the cave. Could it be true…had I finally found that most mythical of places…‘where the sun don’t shine’…funny, this wasn’t how I’d pictured it.

The glacier has a large cave hollowed out in it, presumably made by snow melt. As I entered the cave I heard a large, heavy sounding ‘thunk’. A small warning to keep an eye overhead perhaps? A couple of quick pictures and I got out of there. I had no desire to be some future anthropologists ‘20th Century Man’ a few centuries from now. On my way back out I couldn’t resist the temptation to walk on the glacier….bad idea. I hadn’t gone 4 steps before I was on my arse sliding back down. Momma, your boy’s going to be sore tomorrow!

A glance at my watch let me know that it was time to head back down. An hour later my shaky legs finally brought me back to my truck and the trip home. From front door to glacier and home again in time for dinner….you have to love Vancouver Island!

Gear for this trip

GPS:  nice to have but not essential.  The trail is well marked but the GPS was very useful in sorting out which logging roads to take in.
Hiking Poles: almost essential.  This trail has only 2 states: up or down.
Camera:  essential.  How could you not take pictures of a place this gorgeous?  For this trip I carried an SLR body, 10-22mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm lenses but ended up only using the 10-22mm.  A tripod would be nice since many photo ops in the bush and in the snow cave have low lighting.
Hiking Boots:  nice but not essential for when I went (Oct 4).  The trail was pretty dry reflecting the recent weather so there was only a couple of muddy places.  However, if the weather has been wet I could envision this trail being very muddy.

Travel Times

Nanaimo to Trail Head: 2 hrs
Ascent to Century Sam Lake: 2 hrs (less if you are fit)
Descent from lake: 1 hr

Links of Interest

Other photos by Tim Penney

Directions to the trail head. This links describes how to get the the Comox Glacier Trail but the trail heads are the same.

My Flickr site.

The post Snow Cave at Century Sam Lake first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Here is their latest progress up date straight from one of their organizers, Gil Parker.

VI Spine: A Trail from Victoria to Cape Scott

What is VI Spine? July 2009 Progress Report

{If this is the first Report you have seen, refer to our website https://vancouverislandtrail.ca/.}

The Vancouver Island “Spine” is a proposed trail from Victoria in the south to Cape Scott at the northern tip of the Island. The route is an inland route that passes near many communities, yet retains its wilderness character, following historic routes and completed trails where they exist.

Over 700 km long, 190 km of which is already built or planned, the “VISpine” will provide a recreational trail for residents and tourists through the beautiful back country of Vancouver Island. Primarily a hiking trail (but permitting non-motorized, multi-use where appropriate) the route traces mountains, forests and lakes, similar to successful routes in North America.

The “VISpine” trail will encourage local economies, both in the building of the trail and in the maintenance of the route. Local hiking clubs will be encouraged to monitor and adopt the trail, and businesses to provide services to travellers in their regions.

Where are we now?

VI Spine is part of “Hike BC,” the B.C. wing of the National Hiking Trail. We’ve applied for Federal tax free status. Our trail association, VISTA, has formed a Task Force with active representatives up and down the Island. Our active North Island member,Tim Sander, is leaving for the Kootenays, and we have a knowledgeable replacement in Jerry Davidson, Port Hardy. And we have added Tak Ogasawara, a former forestry employee and a well-known climber, in Campbell River. We are also getting many offers of volunteer assistance from young and capable outdoors people.

All hiking clubs have been contacted. The Spine has been endorsed by many clubs and regional and municipal institutions. New since our April Report are Victoria Outdoor Club, City of Campbell River, Village of Cumberland, Comox Valley Regional District, and the Capital Regional District Parks Committee.

While VI Spine has made extensive efforts to find partners to apply for the recent Federal funds ($25m infrastructure funding for trails) this has resulting in no application being made. The large amount actually diminishes to $3m for BC trails, and of that, only $1m for non-motorized trails. In the time available to apply for these funds (closed June 26th) no regional district could be identified to have the required 50% matching funds and/or the willingness to commit funds to specific parts of the VI Spine. However, meetings with the CRD and CVRD to expedite the southern portion of the Spine (actually the long-incomplete Trans Canada Trail) has been productive. We have been invited to participate in the detailed design of the section from Langford to Shawnigan Lake, for a probable start of construction in 2010.

A recent announcement of $450,000 from ICET funds will allow the section from Headquarters Bay on the Alberni Canal to proceed east to Francis Lake. Project partners include the City of Port Alberni, the Tseshaht First Nation and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. The total cost of this section is estimated at $929,000. We will have our VI Spine representatives discuss route location details, in order to coordinate the eventual connection to the Cowichan Lake section. In general, our trail planning is following the (1913) historic Canadian Northern Pacific Railway grade from Victoria to Port Alberni, still quite visible along the Alberni Canal south of Port Alberni.

All regional districts have been contacted. The Comox Valley “Echo” reported on April 10th the support of the Comox Valley Regional District in a complimentary report. Meetings in Victoria have resulted in endorsement by the CRD Parks Committee, and an invitation to meet with the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities-AVICC.

We have received a query from Channel A (#11) up-Island, and Ken Rodonets of our Task Force has responded. The Victoria Times-Colonist interviewed Parker and, on June 25th, ran an article about the VI Spine with a map of the route. Three days later, Dave Obee wrote a positive editorial about our trail project.

Next Tasks for VI Spine

Continue and expand contacts with RDs, especially with their planning of recreational trails. Make contact with timber companies. We need to eventually secure occupiers’ licenses for our trails. Expand contacts with MOTCA and First Nations.

Plan trail crews for route identification and location. We have volunteers available who are expert in route-finding and GPS location.

Begin serious PR and fund-raising work. So far, all the press that we have received has been initiated by the media. But keep an eye out for a major media event for 2010. Something like an Olympic year, relay from Victoria to Cape Scott. Ideas?

Another update is due soon and I will post that as soon as I see it. If you have any other questions let us know in the comments.

The post The Vancouver Island Trail first appeared on Pack & Trail.

For me Hornby holds a special appeal, partially because of the many memories I have of my time there but mostly because of the potential for adventure it holds. Even with a well planned itinerary Hornby always finds a way to surprise and delight. You never know who you’re going to meet or what’s going on on the island.

Several weeks ago I was thrilled when a good friend invited me to her cabin there for the weekend. Even though I was in the middle of renovating my kitchen, I knew my girlfriend and I needed a break and we packed up and left our kitchen in ruins – no drywall, flooring or anything, really. Everything that used to be in the kitchen had been unceremoniously dumped anywhere there was free space.  

Nevertheless, the adventuremobile made it’s way north with three bikes balanced on top and the back seat and trunk packed with food, clothing and gear. We got over to the island after dark and slowly made our way to the cabin then climbed straight into bed to rest before a day of riding.I got up the next morning rested and excited; Hornby’s Mt. Geoffrey is home to my all time favourite bike trail – No Horses. I decided to go for a hard solo ride in the morning and then for a more leisurely group ride after lunch and a beach trip. Both rides were stellar, 3 hours in the morning, slightly less in the afternoon. Both included a lot of climbing, a characteristic I’m trying to introduce into all my sessions; the training effect is undeniably positive but the pain is immediate and frequently brutal. Anyone wanna go for a ride?

No Horses was of course the standout trail; it flows down along an old creek bed, sending you swooping down one side then spitting you back up to the top – over and over. It mimics a mutant halfpipe, only steeper and more aggressive in its mission to throw you out over the buffed berms. The ever present imaginary soundtrack in my head was loudly playing ‘Two Shoes,’ by The Cat Empire; my mind transferred up into the trees above and I could see myself there, smoothly streaming around the high corners then violently accelerating back down towards the old creek before once again soaring up and around. Over and over, faster and faster until..

It’s flat all over and the trail is finished with you. Bummer.

Thoroughly used up, we enjoyed a fresh salmon dinner surrounded by more friends who had made their way over for the rest of weekend. The drinks and the stories continued past a characteristically beautiful Hornby Island sunset and late into the night.

Trying to keep the bicycling theme of the weekend alive, I brought my road bike to ride home on, assuming it would only be 60km or so.  After feeling slightly tired from riding across Hornby and Denman Island I was shocked when the first road sign indicated I was still more than 80km from Nanaimo.  Uh oh.   I stopped at several gas stations along the way home to fill up on electrolytes and arrived home about 3 hours later, ready to fight the kitchen.

The post Hornby Island first appeared on Pack & Trail.