Category: gibsons bc

Basking in the Sun

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It’s been a very cold week here on the Sunshine Coast with daytime temperatures at or below freezing. OK, so that is still better than most of Canada, but it’s chilly for us. However, it has brought sunny crisp days that are perfect for getting outside. Today a friend and I ventured out to my happy place…the top of Soames Hill.

Hike with a reward

Hike with a reward

There are 434 steps to the top so it is a bit more of a stair climber than a true forest hike, but I love it. Five minutes from Arcturus Retreat, 20 minutes of cardio and then a magical view looking down over Gibsons Landing. The granite rocks were warm in the afternoon sun and we took some time to chat and enjoy. Daily tensions disappear from this spot. What is really special is that I always feel great the rest of the day. Cardio burn over and I’m left with endorphins and a full dose of Vitamin D that carry on for hours.

Soames 563

Here is to many more sunny winter days to get out and explore the Sunshine Coast.

Stand Up Paddleboarding

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The long sunny days of summer have truly arrived and I can think of no better way to celebrate than my first paddle of the season. I love paddleboarding! Today my hiking buddy and I spent the afternoon getting our workout in Gibsons Harbour. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…temps in the low 20’s (70’s F), sunshine and a light breeze on the ocean. Not a bad backdrop for a workout, is it?

Gibsons Harbour from Winegarden Park

Gibsons Harbour from Winegarden Park

The only downside about paddling is that it is hard to take pictures to help convey the experience. I’m not nearly confident enough to take my non-waterproof camera out for a paddle. Here is a shot from last summer to help you get the idea.

SUP on the Pacific Ocean

SUP on the Pacific Ocean

I take every opportunity to get out on the water. This prairie kid truly appreciates the magic of the ocean. I think what I love most is getting a different perspective on things. You see the landscape around you in a certain way every day…you think you know what your community looks like. Then you get out on the water and get the chance to look back at the landscape in the opposite direction. It is interesting how some things look very different when you can take a 180.

I love the freedom of paddling. Don’t get me wrong…it’s a workout. Core body strength is important in keeping your balance, and your upper body conditioning is way more fun than lifting weights.  But the freedom of being under your own power while gliding through the water…that is something special.  You’re weightless…yet expending energy.  You might work up a sweat…but all you have to do is jump in and cool off.

I am very happy to have SUP’s available for rent now right here in Gibsons Landing. I’ve been out many times in Davis Bay and on Sechelt Inlet, but now I can go 5 minutes from my front door. The new owners of Sunshine Kayaking have added paddleboards to their fleet of kayak rentals. They have also added sailboat tours….can’t wait to try a sunset trip! Mark your calendars…next full moon paddle is July 22.

Sprockids Mountain Bike Park

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It has been a gorgeous week for getting outside. Wednesday, Sprockids Mountain Bike Park was home to the North Shore League Mountain Bike Series. Some friends were helping to organize the race, so I stopped by to give a hand (and enjoy the sunshine).
Entrance to Sprockids Park

Over 100 students were on the Coast to test themselves. I have to say that it was a pretty cool event to watch.  Like cross country running, you really can’t watch the entire race.  The course was set up on some of the easier trails near the bottom of the park, but older students had to ride additional laps of the course. Some students were very series and focused…immediately wanting to know where they placed. Some students fist-pumped as they finished, proud of their ride. For others, just finishing the course was an achievement and even though they were exhausted for a few minutes, the pride of conquering the course was clear on their faces.

High School Students preparing to ride

Today with all the students gone, I decided to hike much of the race course.  The first leg went down Ankle Biter and over to Stinger on the south edge of the park.  I must have never gone all the way along this trail, because look what I found. Isn’t this the cutest picnic spot?

Picnic area with a live tree in the center

The birds were singing on such a nice spring day.  This picture is along Stinger.

Love the “faces” in the trees
It was nice to hike along trails I haven’t done in a while: Rock n Root, Skoolz Out, Technical Ecstacy.  It was also fun to see all the new signs throughout the trails that were installed last month. They don’t all have their “you are here” dots installed, but it really helps when navigating this extensive trail network. Can’t wait to find the new trail being created right now by the Capilano University Mountain Bike Program students. They’ve been working hard this month and if previous projects are any indication, this new trail will be great.

Sprockids Mountain Bike Park – March 24, 2013

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Today was a day to celebrate community volunteers. Sprockids Mountain Bike Park is a place I’ve written about a lot. Last year it celebrated its 20th anniversary sharing our amazing forests with kids through the love of mountain biking. Teaching kids to ride safely with family and friends in a sanctioned park with educational components. This system is now used across Canada.  Here it is 2km from my front door and I place where I love to hike.

  

Sprockids Mountain Bike Park – shovels ready
Capilano University’s Mountain Bike Operations students organized the day to install over 30 signs throughout the park. Students, families and some diehard trail fairies spent the morning digging and carrying signs. Never get lost again! I’ve often been hesitant to direct guests to this park because of limited signage and maps in a complex system of trails making it an easy place to become disoriented. This is a great addition and will be very helpful to hikers and bikers alike.

I decided to try it out with a short hike in an area I haven’t been to for a while. These pictures are all from Skoolz Out which is just above the Skills Park. The question isn’t “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?”…the question is “If a tree falls in the forest, what can we make with it?”
I would love to see someone bank on this.

Some very fun bridges
Yes, that long “bridge” is one tall tree…rootball still in tact at the end

That boulder at the end of the jump is taller than me!

 As I hiked, I could here some bikers above me. I decided to wait and see what is was like to jump off this. I expected someone to just launch over it and fly down the trail. Turns out, all these jumps and bridges are great teachers and confidence builders. Three young teenagers rode down and all came to a stop either beside or on top of this jump. They studied it…rode past it to check the landing…and discussed. Three different times one of them would ride up to jump it and stop at the last minute…not ready for the leap…talking to themselves that it was about being there mentally.  Finally one of them did it, and they all celebrated for a minute. A brief pause before taking off together to find the next challenge.

I finished my hike just in time for the skills demonstration. After a morning of digging holes to install signs, the kids were treated to a free lunch from the Lions Club burger trailer. Then they hit the skills park for some serious jumps from Coastal Crew and friends. They were flying…25 feet off the ground. Sorry, no good pictures, but they were impressive. The really fun part was after one of the older kids would jump, an eager 4-8 year old would ride from the same starting point and off to the next small run with a couple of junior size berms. The little guys were just as thrilled to show off in front of the audience and just as proud to ride successfully. The older guys cheered them on as much as they did for their friends making the huge jumps. What a great day.

Polar Bear Swim – January 1, 2013

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Happy New Year!  I’ve come to enjoy a New Year’s tradition…sleeping in (one of my favourite pastimes) and making our way to a Polar Bear Swim.  I haven’t felt the need to actually be the person in the water, but I love to cheer on the brave souls who start the year with a splash.   This year, we cheered on the polar bears at Armour’s Beach in Gibsons.

It was a beautiful crisp, clear morning and temperatures just above freezing.  Plenty of sunshine and a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains…just low enough to touch the highest point on Bowen Island.  A large group that included all ages plunged into the water.  I love to watch the kids…they are very excited about the prospect of swimming.  Then there is this point once they are in the water when they realize, “Hey, this is really cold!”

After the plunge of excitement we took a nice stroll along the beach in Gibsons Landing.  It’s a good start to the year when you can take a refreshing walk along the ocean.  Thank you to those who organize the Polar Bear Swim…a festive and energetic way to start the year.

Canada Day – July 1, 2012

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Happy Canada Day!  This afternoon turned out to be a wonderful sunny Canada Day.  We enjoyed taking some time off to enjoy the day with our friends and neighbours in Gibsons Landing.  One of the special activities was the Gibsons Paddling Club giving trial paddle experiences to anyone who wanted to give it a try.  Two outrigger boats spent most of the afternoon taking adults and children alike for a short trip around Gibsons Harbour.

Gibsons Paddling Club – Gibsons Landing

The main attraction was live music in the amphitheater in Winegarden Park.  The Song Butchers…complete with white butcher coats…were the headline act and did a great job with 2 hours of Canadian music covers.  Live music, farmers market, family & friends, Rotary hot dogs and the Mayor and Council serving up birthday cake…small town fun to celebrate the nation’s birthday.

Winegarden Park

Langdale Trail – June 23, 2012

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I can’t believe a nearly a month has gone by since I have had a good hike in the forest.  We’ve had lots of rain and I’ve let work and meetings take too much priority.  I had a sunny afternoon to myself and made the most of it.  I decided to go exploring in my own backyard.
Langdale Trail – easy & level hike
Our street ends a block from the house and is the beginning of a trail through the forest.  This is the first trail I ever explored on the Sunshine Coast.  My neighbour, Jo, took the ladies of our cul-de-sac on a guided tour to share an easy trail we could all hike.  Jo passed away last fall, and I was thinking of her today and thankful that she shared this trail with me and starting my hiking trips.

The trees here are fairly young…new growth I’m sure after logging.  These are skinny, fast growing trees…maybe alder.  Almost all deciduous…the mighty Douglas fir and yellow cedar are further up the mountain.  Looking straight up at the sky the leaves rustled in the slight breeze.  The walk was very peaceful with birds singing and enjoying the sunshine.

Salmon berries are ready to eat

 The trail is lined with what I believe are salmon berries.  They are orange and turn red when ripe.  A delicious snack along the way.

Ten days from now this trail will be the end of stage 5 of the BC Bike Race.  500 riders from around the world will fly down the trail descending from much higher on Mt. Elphinstone as they race to the finish line at the ferry terminal below.  I look forward to cheering them on.

Oak Street Trail – May 25, 2012

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Today was absolutely beautiful with full sunshine.  Summer weather has arrived.  After dinner, we decided to take a stroll along the beach and watch the sunset.  Bonniebrook Beach is just outside of Gibsons and is a wonderful place for watching sunsets over Vancouver Island in the distance.  Ocean Beach Esplanade is 2-3km long and only local traffic, so there are more walkers and bikers than cars most of the time.  We had just started walking when I noticed a new trail sign, so we took a detour and look what we found.
Oak Street Trail – look at the size of that stump!
 What an entrance!  Imagine how tall that tree was to leave a stump that big.  I had no idea there was a hiking trail here…I’ve always just walked along the beach.  It isn’t even on the SCRD’s trail maps yet.  We decided to explore and see where it led.  What a great trail for an evening hike!  The whole trail couldn’t have taken more than 10-15 minutes and connects to the end of a neighborhood road.  If you follow the trail up the road, you end up in Whispering Firs Park along the Sunshine Coast Highway.
Birds and frogs were singing and large ferns covered the forest floor.  Rushing water from a creek could be heard in the distance.  There were other trees as large as the entrance stump that had fallen and were creating a hotbed of regrowth.  The first part of the trail is a bit steep.  You are hiking up the bank from the ocean, afterall.  Not terribly difficult, but not accessible to everyone.
Educational display & map of the area
 As you come back down the path, there are glimpses of the ocean in the distance.  You can hear the pounding waves more than you can see them from the forest.  As we came out to the clearing, we imagined what is was like for pioneers and explorers to cut through think forest only to find the Pacific Ocean before them.  Absolutely incredible.  We finished the evening with a stroll along the beach to watch the sunset.  So simple, yet so special.
Bonniebrook Beach

 

BC Ferries at your door

Soames Hill – February 4, 2012

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It is days like these when I realize that I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Mountains, ocean, rainforest, clean freshwater streams, and fresh air all around….on BC’s Sunshine Coast. I woke up to streaming sunshine and decided that today was an exploring day.
I chose one of my favourite hikes: Soames Hill. I can see the summit of Soames from my kitchen window and love to head up on days to truly enjoy the view. For a change, I chose to challenge myself and head in from Soames Road on Marine Drive. What this means is starting at sea level (or close to it) and heading up for the full 250 meter climb.

Of course this means stopping to catch your breath every once in a while. So I stopped to take a shot of this new bridge, courtesy of SCRD Parks staff. Thank You for the improved safety railings! The smell of freshly cut cedar just adds to the trip.

The lower part of Soames Hill is a winding network of moderate trails through beautiful 2nd growth forest. Many Douglas Firs take 2-3 people to reach around the circumference of a tree.

The top of Soames Hill is what sets it apart from other hiking trails. The views are simply amazing. Today was something special. Like I mentioned, there was full sunshine at my house today. This is not the case for anyone living directly on the Georgia Strait.
Look at the white strip in the middle of the photo. This is a massive cloud bank hovering over the Georgia Strait. You can just see the mountain tops of Vancouver Island sticking up in the background. Gibsons Landing is in the front of the shot.
It was a bizarre seen to sit and watch from above. The photo doesn’t do it justice. Picture a river of lava…bubbling, flowing to the sea. Turn it white, and this is what the fog made me think of seeing it from above. It was a big soft blanket…yet moving in the wind and churning. Big cotton balls of clouds with an uneven surface like a snowbank. I could hear a foghorn in the distance, probably the Nanaimo ferry or another ship hidden in the fog.
I felt blessed to take in this natural wonder and to enjoy a day of sunshine at this end of the Sunshine Coast.

New Year’s Day – Jan 1, 2012

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Happy New Year 2012! It is a beautiful day to start the year. After a delicious breakfast of blueberry crepes, we headed down for the annual Gibsons Polar Boar Swim.

Fresh snow on the North Shore Mountains makes for a great view. As you can see from the waves, it was quite windy on Howe Sound today. It really wasn’t that cold, but the wind made it feel cold.
Unfortunately the Polar Boars conflicted with high tide, so there wasn’t room along the beach for everyone to line up at the same time.

Instead it was a quick dart down the old stairs and into the water. A few brave souls were out today…but not near as many as last year when the weather was just gorgeous.
I love this New Year’s tradition. Start the year off with a BLAST. Take up the challenge. I love to cheer on those who put themselves out there.
Maybe one day I’ll do it too. But for now, I’ll raise a glass and salute those who put it all out there, including one very brave little girl who received the most cheers for her efforts.

Here’s to a great 2012!