Category: Mt Elphinstone

Torrent – Mount Elphinstone

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New Trail Day! I love exploring new trails and getting to know a trail network better. Today started as one of those days where I just couldn’t get motivated to work so instead headed for a workout & re-energizing trip to the forest. I needed something challenging to get the energy flowing. I first hiked Torrent a few years ago with a much fitter friend and I remembered how exhausting yet exhilarating it was. It was a whole new part of Mount Elphinstone that I hadn’t seen before. Now that I’ve explored many more trails in the area, I decided to try and find it again.

Torrent is a black diamond downhill mountain bike trail. This is a steep cardio climb, but it was also very exciting to see how much fitter I am now than the first time a couple of years ago. Before, I never would have made it without my competitive spirit to try and keep up with my friend. Today I made it up in one hour and felt great at the top. One major rule needs to be observed when hiking a trail like this…this was made for mountain bikers and they love flying down it. If you’re hiking, you must be alert to give way to an oncoming bike. There is nowhere for them to swerve to miss you without crashing…you must get out of the way. Today, though, I had the entire trail to myself.
Torrent 710For hikers, the bottom of Torrent is within Sprockids Mountain Bike Park and is accessed from Sidewinder very near where Sidewinder breaks off from the yellow/orange trail. It heads off outside the park, but you’d never know that. When you reach the top (where mountain bikers start the trail), you’re at the intersection of Pressure Drop, Ridge, Sidewinder, and the yellow trail that becomes the Summit Trail at this point. Talk about choices!

Torrent 716

I am all about hikes with rewards at the end. There is no major viewpoint to the ocean on Torrent. The forest is much to thick. However, as you near the top you will find significant rewards. These are the trees that literally will have you saying “WOW” while you hike. I see trees like this and I can’t imagine how massive these west coast forests must have looked when European settlers arrived 150 years ago. I love these spiral trees! This one is so tall, I couldn’t get it in the camera frame. It’s huge! Spiral trees were left behind when the rest of the area was logged as they didn’t have ‘any value’. Boy do I value them today.
Torrent 712Check out this massive tree that fell years ago.  There is an entire forest sprouting up out of its massive trunk. The entire length of the tree has new trees growing from it.

Torrent 707Rather than building trail around it, this massive tree became the trail when it fell. You literally walk/ride the length of the tree. So cool!

So I started this post with ‘new trail day’. At the top of Torrent I saw this piece of art. (can’t believe the photo turned out fuzzy). How do you resist a trail marked by a painting?

Ridge 711Ridge is another black diamond downhill mountain bike trail that runs just west of Torrent. Luckily, I was hiking down to explore this because an hour of steep climbing is enough for one day. Gorgeous hiking..and sure enough…it lived up to its name and I found myself on a ridge with drop offs on either side where I could here rushing water from a creek. Ridge intersects Sidewinder again and I realized I’d been at this part of the trail lots of times, but never realized that it went up at this point. It’s another major trail junction of Sidewinder, Fuzzy Hugs and Ridge…just a short distance from the bridge over Gibsons Creek. I took Ridge further down and realized I had hiked this section many times. It’s fairly easy hiking in the lower section and connects to a lot of fun biking trails…Technical Ecstacy, Rock-n-Root, Skoolz Out. Nice easy hiking and the reward of knowing that I’m really getting to know my way around this fabulous park. One of these days I’m going to set aside the time to hike the Summit Trail. I’m told the views are spectacular.

 

 

 

 

BC Bike Race – July 5, 2012

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BC Bike Race is an amazing 7 day adventure bringing 500 mountain bike riders in search of some of the world’s best singletrack.  Every year there are a combination of world class racers, international adventurers, and weekend warriors who tackle the course.  Three of the seven days are spent right here on BC’s Sunshine Coast.  I caught part of Wednesday’s action…the longest course of the tour at 63km and 2,100m of elevation change…when they hit the finish line in Sechelt.  Have you ever seen 500 identical tents in a row in one field?  Assembled & disassembled daily?
Today was my favourite part of the race, though,…and for many of the riders as well.  It’s a ‘short’ course at 40km, but a serious climb from Sechelt up and over Roberts Creek and Mt. Elphinstone to finish with 7km of straight downhill into Langdale.  This last section of riding is the part of Mt. Elphinstone that I often hike…around Sprockids Mountain Bike Park.  The riders emerge from the rainforest a block from my house and cruise down our steep hill to the ferry terminal.
Yes! – thrilled to emerge from the forest toward the finish line

Neighbourhood kids came out to watch and cheer along the street.  Many of the riders waved and appreciated the young fans.  One man even stopped to chat with the kids while he waited for his teammate to emerge from the forest.  Pretty cool…and inspiring for the kids.

As one rider popped over the hill, all I heard was “Wow..look at that!”.  The view opens into the deep blue water of Howe Sound, heavily forested Gambier Island, and the Coast Mountains in the backdrop.  Yes, this is the view I’m lucky enough to see every day when I leave the house.

2 person team excited to cross the finish line

The finish line buzzes with activity as the racers shower…bike shower first of course…then personal shower, food, new clothes, medical tent if necessary and off to catch the ferry to the campsite in Squamish.

In line for the bike showers – lots of mud!

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.

Mt Elphinstone Snow – March 23, 2012

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Today we really turned the corner into spring. Sunshine and warmer temperatures were enough to get just about anyone outside. Daylight hours are extending with every passing day giving us even more opportunities. Not only was the fabulous weather calling me outside, but this was catch up time with my good friend and motivator Char. Our schedules haven’t allowed us to spend much time together lately, so I was excited to have time 1 on 1 to chat.

Of course, hiking with a fitness coach and personal trainer means you are going to get a good workout. We attempted to hike Torrent up to The Ridge which is both aggressive cardio and a fabulous reward of unique terrain at the top. Unfortunately, I missed a turn somewhere so we just kept going up the yellow trail. This trail eventually reaches the summit, but that means 4 hours in each direction. Too much time for an average Friday for these two busy women.

This was our turnaround point. I figured that if we had hiked high enough to find snow on a 10 degree (that’s 50F) day, we had done our climbing for the day. I’m not in fitness trainer shape, but just knowing that I was able to have a consistent conversation during a fairly aggressive climb means I have improved a lot over a couple of years. I know I will sleep well tonight and hopefully dream of the grand cedars & firs that accompanied our journey.
Here is to more Friday afternoons with good friends.

Langdale Falls – March 16, 2012

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You know what it’s like when you have a week filled with meetings, presentations and stress? I hadn’t been able to hike all week, part bad weather and part too full a schedule. Friday was a day reserved for rejuvenating and getting out in nature. I looked forward with excitement to meeting the ladies for a hike.

It seems we all needed a bit of sunshine and fresh air, so we took a longer route and headed for Langdale Falls…up and over the falls and around to the powerlines before circling back up “Nuts” to our starting point. All together a great workout and just over 1.5 hours. “Nuts” is a short little trail segment, but it is a quad burner that is all uphill at the end of the hike. It’s a very pretty area, and that makes it a little easier. It’s a good measure of progress…a trail that you do a little faster each time…a little less winded each time.
There were many tree limbs down from the recent windstorm, but the forest is incredibly green. This spot is near Langdale Creek and is just full of moss. So many shades of green between the moss, ferns, and trees. Hello Middle Earth?

We have received a lot of rain the past couple of weeks so the creeks are all running full. There were stretches along Langdale Creek where we were stepping along rocks because the creek was higher than normal. It’s loud & powerful and pure. Just wait until the snow starts melting. There is a lot of fresh snow on Mt Elphinstone right now.
Just after this point in the hike is the most challenging. You need gloves as you back your way down a steep set of rocks only then to have to hike back up a steep section. Kudos to the team that attached ropes to this section. Having something else to hold on to while you climb this steep part is just the security blanket one needs to safely conquer this section of trail.


Langdale Falls up close.
Let’s hope there aren’t so many days before the next trip to the forest.

Mt. Elphinstone – September 27, 2011

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Fall has arrived on the Sunshine Coast. Yesterday we had our first major storm which left me and my neighbours without electricity for many hours while hydro crews collected tree branches from the power lines. Today the sun returned, so I decided to celebrate the afternoon with a hike on Mt. Elphinstone

Is this the coolest looking tree or what? Spiral bark pattern with remnants of the forest fire 80+ years ago. Take a look at the boardwalk at the base of the tree. I’ve really started paying attention to the actual trails. Who builds wooden platforms like this in the middle of the forest? Nature loving, hard working volunteers who have great passion for mountain biking, that’s who. Great work and kudos for sharing it with us hikers.

I was very impressed with the forest today. We’ve had over 2″ of rain the past couple of days, so I was a bit worried the trails would be muddy. Not a bit! There were small branches and pine needles scattered everywhere from the high winds but the trails were in fine shape. The forest floor soaks in moisture like you wouldn’t believe.


Recent rains mean the forest is exceptionally green this time of year. Moss is growing on fallen logs, ferns are sprucing up, and everything has new life with slightly cooler temperatures and plenty of moisture. I need to have someone teach me about the edible mushrooms.

This picture doesn’t really do it justice. You have to get out there and see for yourself. Sunshine was streaming in through the towering branches, birds were singing, and I was the only human in sight. It’s magical to take an hour in the middle of the afternoon to be quiet, get a good cardio workout, and be immersed in the natural environment…less than 5 minutes from my front door.

Spring – May 1, 2011

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Well it took a while, but spring has fully arrived on BC’s Sunshine Coast. April went by so fast with a bit too much rain and cool temps. But here we are with gorgeous sunshine.

I can’t believe 2 full weeks went by without a good hike. You can tell I’m out of practice…I forgot the camera! I managed to get out Friday with some good friendly encouragement and took to the trails on Mt Elphinstone. We came across some significant trail development. A whole new trail appeared in the last 2 weeks since I’ve been on the mountain! We decided to follow it down…serious work was done! So many cutbacks and some serious built up curves for the mountain bikes. This new trail (still unnamed) will be a great ride, but it’s not a trail for a leisurely hike. Lots of up and down for jumps and some serious curves.

When we reached the bottom, we ran into a student and his dad headed up for a ride. We mentioned the new trail, and the student had been involved in building it. Turns out it was the final project for the Capilano University Mountain Bike Program students. They built the entire trail in the last couple of weeks. A rock feature, a water crossing, wooden jumps, and serious reinforced turns belonged to each group of students. Great to see students gaining practical skills and leaving a great gift to our trail system.

There is also a new sign at the entrance to the park announcing “Sprockids Bike Park”. So much to explore….grab you bike (or your hiking boots) and get outside! It won’t be so long till I get back on the trails.

Gibsons Creek – April 8, 2011

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Spring has arrived! The first hike of the year with no jacket and fantastic sunshine. From the first moment of sun streaming on your face while you lay in bed, you know its going to be one of those fantastic Sunshine Coast days. Everything looks better and springs to life in the sun. That amazing deep blue water was back. No gray, no fog, no rain…..just wonderful sunshine. After a morning full of appointments and errands, I hastily made my way to meet the girls for an afternoon on Mount Elphinstone. I haven’t made the group hike for about 2 weeks now, and the excitement of returning was evident. We chatted away the entire time…the sun giving everyone a burst of energy. We chose a familiar path today, Technical Ecstacy to Sidewinder and up to Gibsons Creek. Today wasn’t so much about taking in the wonderful scenery (although it was certainly there). Today was about catching up, being glad to see each other, and getting a good cardio workout. Before we knew it, we were up the the bridge that crosses Gibsons Creek. Two months ago there were huge icicles hanging on these falls. Today the snowmelt and recent rains made for a great show as the creek swells with water. One of these days, I’ll find out what is on the other side of that bridge. It is a landmark that makes for about a 1 hour roundtrip hike, so it is always our turnaround spot. As the days grow noticeably…sunset is almost 8pm already…I’ll just have to find time for a longer hike and see where this trail goes. Sometimes I look at the bridges and the bike ramps on the trails and wonder about the diehard volunteers who built them. Think about the effort that it takes to hike in with the equipment…let alone the effort and the vision that it takes to build something like this. How did they decide that this is the spot to cross the creek? The ridge leading up to it is quite steep and offers a great view of the valley below. I’ll just keep admiring their work and seeking out new trails on the mountain. Here is a THANK YOU and a hug to those who build great trails!

Langdale Falls – Feb 25, 2011

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How could anyone get tired of this view? It is my favourite part of Arcturus Retreat B&B…just gazing out the window at Howe Sound and the Coast Mountains with Gambier Island on the left and Bowen Island on the right.

You just have to love a completely clear blue sky on a winter day. Anyone who lives through a rainy grey Vancouver area November & December knows just how good a day of winter sunshine makes you feel. Today was abnormally cold here in lotusland. We rarely dip below freezing here and just barely. Today’s highs were below zero, but with this much sunshine…who cares? You just have to be outside.

Back to the forest trails on Mount Elphinstone for an afternoon hike. The trees here are majestic, and I am learning my way around the trails. While I usually take a one hour hike focused on a bit of cardio, you could hike here for hours and never cross where you’ve already been. It really is an amazing network of hiking and mountain bike trails.

Today we headed for Langdale Falls. With the cold temperatures, we were very curious what the condition of the falls would be.

What a treat! Some water was still flowing, but the ice formations were amazing. If you look at the very bottom of the picture, you can see the greenish/brownish colour where the ice must be many inches thick.

As I said, this is a sight not seen often as it just isn’t cold enough, even in the heart of winter. This is after about 24 hours of sub-freezing temperatures. Don’t let the cold weather keep you inside. Afterall, most Canadians would tell you that it’s not really cold until you get to -30 or -40. Just bundle up and get your heart going with a good hike.

Mt Elphinstone – Feb 9, 2011

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Another gorgeous warm winter day! I have been hiking these trails on Mt Elphinstone about twice a week for the last few weeks. I am starting to know my way around, but there is so much more to explore. It is a fabulous way to spend an afternoon with the sun streaming in.

It is hard to convey just how green the forest is. Moss, ferns, groundcover and so many trees. It is just green and full of life. How can you feel anything but hopeful and inspired in this landscape?

When my friend emailed this morning to suggest the hike, I looked outside at the sunny day and said “How can I not go?” It was just the two of us today (three counting Kono, her dog). We had been climbing a decently steep section for a while, when my friend said “look how far you’ve come! You’ve been talking the whole time!” Now those of you that know me aren’t suprised at all that I can talk a lot. What is special is that I could talk while climbing this terrain and not be completely out of breath. That is truly the accomplishment. This is infinitely better than any treadmill or road running workout you can ever have.

This wooden bridge on Sidewinder Trail is an example of a mountain bike feature in the trails. It makes the sharp corner much more fun.

This waterfall doesn’t look very big in the photo. However it is probably about 15 feet high and is in a series of falls that is quite loud. I am standing on the bridge that crosses Gibsons Creek. It is a nice turnaround point for a 1 hour hike.

Can’t wait for the next opportunity to explore more of these trails.