The Lions

Visible from downtown Vancouver, the Lions, are two unique looking adjacent peaks. The Binkert trail, which brings you from Lion's Gate to the ridge just below the two peaks is easily the longest hike I've done, yet only average as far as hikes around here go.

There is parking for only 5 or 6 vehicles at the start of the hike, so you may have to drive around a little, and walk just a bit extra. The hike starts on gravel access road for a water treatment plant. It turns into more of an ATV track for 1 or 2 km before the actual trail-head. Once you get to the trail-head, things start to get interesting. There are a few nice views along the way, as well as fairly big mountain stream with a bridge. The trail winds its way through pine forest and a few rock slides before opening up in a spectacular view below the West Lion. For the last part of the hike (approximately 1 km), you are above the tree line (and when I was there, above the clouds as well), and most of the vegetation are small shrubs and a bit of moss/grass.

The hike starts on an access road

The whole trail is very clearly marked

I know I probably should have been ON the bridge, but I wanted a picture!

You make your way along a ridge until you're right below the hump (for lack of a better word) which is the peak of the West Lion. To your right a trail continues between the two lions and on to Porteau Cove (among other places, I imagine), and ahead of you is the trail (if you can call it a trail - it's mainly marked by coloured tape here and there on the rocks) to the peak. Climbing all the way to the peak is fairly involved and can be a dangerous undertaking. Only attempt to do so if you know what you're doing, and you have the proper equipment (such as a helmet).

Nearing the top - Leaving the trees behind

Getting to the peak involves climbing along a narrow ledge.

When I reached the top I spoke with a few different people who were there, and I learned that there are a few different ways to get to the Lions. Most people had started out at Cypress mountain, and a few people were planning on making a one way trip to Porteau Cove (about 20 km further), where they had left a vehicle that morning.

The East Lion

Watching the clouds come over the mountain

The West Lion

The Howe Sound to the west

My Rating:

4.5/5 stars. Beautiful views, perfect distance for a nice day of hiking. Lost half a point because nothing can be perfect. I think next time I'll try the path from Cypress.

The Grouse Grind

I promised to talk about various hikes that I do, and what better way to start off than with the first hike I did in the Vancouver area?

The Grouse Grind is a 2.9 km staircase/hike up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. It is called "The Grind", because it is a gruelling, grind of a hike. People challenge themselves with it, they time their ascent, and they even have a "grind timer", which will record your time and post it for all the world to see. 1 hour is pretty standard, 1.5 hours isn't bad, 45 minutes is very good, and 30 minutes is legendary (I just made up these ratings, they aren't official or anything).

At the top of the mountain is a chalet, a ski hill, and a number of attractions and shows which rotate seasonally. (eg. a lumberjack show, which I have never actually seen, and some bears in an enclosure). Due to the high volume of visitors climbing up The Grind, downhill travel is officially prohibited (this rule isn't strictly enforced) instead one must take the gondola down for the price of $10.

On a sunny day, the entire way up is packed with people.

My Rating:

1/5 stars. This hike is too busy and touristy to be very enjoyable, on top of that, it's hard work for not a lot of gain. I mean, the view is decent, but so is the view from Cypress mountain, Lynn Peak and Mt. Seymore, which are right there anyway. I would only suggest this mountain to someone who felt like a cardio challenge. If you want a real hike, try Mt. Seymore.

By the time you're here, most people have no desire to make the trip down anyway.

The view is seriously impaired by the gondola supports.

A Beginners Guide To Hiking

When people ask me why I moved to Vancouver, I usually reply with the following three words: "mountains and ocean." Given that, it's not a big surprise that I try to spend my weekends hiking and kitesurfing. So when people ask me what they should do in Vancouver, I'm inclined to tell them to take a hike.

The first thing to realize about nature, especially in the mountains, is that it can be dangerous. Not in the don't-go-outside-or-you'll-die way, but rather in the don't-take-unnecessary-risks-or-you-could-get-really-hurt-or-die way.

Clouds and a cliff. Sometimes a deadly combination.

Footwear:

The easiest thing you can do to prevent tragic accidents is to use appropriate equipment. Untied converse shoes and a miniskirt is not appropriate attire for climbing a mountain (yes, yes I HAVE seen this). I wouldn't go with jeans, loafers and a button down shirt either (I've seen this too). Ideally you should wear good hiking shoes, but running shoes aren't awful either (this is fairly dependent on the hike you're doing and the season you're doing it in, but let's assume a summer hike of moderate difficulty). The reasoning for this should be pretty obvious, but I suppose I'll point it out anyway. If you twist an ankle, or lose your footing halfway up a mountain, you're going to have to get down the mountain somehow in order to seek medical help. Ambulances don't make good off-road vehicles, and trails don't make great helipads for medevac helicopters.

Food and Water:

The next easy thing to do, is to ensure you have an appropriate amount of sustenance for your hike. It never ceases to amaze me how often people go on long hikes without any food or water. I personally get the shakes and my limbs turn to jelly when I get hungry (which could be disastrous halfway up/down a mountain), and dehydration is terrible for you, and can sap you of all your energy. Another thing to think about is "what if I sprain my ankle and I'm on this hike a lot longer than I originally intended?" Moral of the story, bring food and water. It's not that hard.

Extra equipment:

Depending on how long you plan on hiking, the total change in elevation, and the time of year, you should bring some extra clothing. I suggest a few thin layers, such as a long sleeved shirt and a wind-breaker. Even in the summer, a windy summit can give you chills quickly, especially if you sweated a lot on the hike up.

Bring a first aid kit. You never know when you might slip on a rock and cut yourself badly, or sprain/break something.

Bring a flashlight. If you get caught on a trail after dark, it isn't a big deal if you have a flashlight. It WILL be a big deal if you don't. I like to carry a generic headlamp in my bag. You can get them for about $20 at any outdoors or hardware store.

Cardio:

Climbing a mountain is hard work! While you don't need to be in top physical condition to do it, make sure you have a pretty decent idea of what you can and can't do. Don't try a hike that is way out of your league, because that's when you get fatigued and accidents happen.

The Double Tap:

That's a joke. If you don't get it, don't worry about it, just move along...

Let Someone Know Where You Are:

...and make sure they know when you expect to be back, and what time they should call in the cavalry if they haven't heard from you.

I have to admit to often not following my advice on this one [it only occurred to me recently]. The logic is pretty simple. If you don't understand this one, go watch the movie 127 Hours.

The sad thing is, I'm pretty sure that if something happened to me while I was hiking, it could take at least 3 days until my room mate got worried (there are days when our schedules just don't line up), and my boss at work might assume I'm taking a sick day, or he might be out of town on business and take a week before he started looking for me.

New Direction

I did some thinking the other day about the direction I should go with my blog. I originally started it so that friends and family could keep up with my trip across Canada, and see how I was settling down in Vancouver. Now that I've (a) made it and (b) settled in, there isn't an awful lot  of interest in my day to day life. I mean, if you guys WANT to hear about it, I suppose I can post things like "I biked to work again today, then had some salad for dinner", but I have decided to spare you.

What I've been thinking, is that I should make my blog [potentially] useful for people who live in/visit Vancouver, that is, make it a bit of a "what you should do in and around Vancouver" blog. Mainly I hike a lot, and kitesurf. Maybe I'll do some ratings of various restaurants I visit too (side-note: McDonalds is awesome! 5 stars.)