Neat and Cool

July 27, 2010

These Vancouver campers have a strong dedication to having fun.  They couldn’t even get out of the parking lot before they all were playing games together.  As soon as they were done with their games they got on the road and headed to Squamish.  When they got to camp, it seemed as though they all knew what to do.  They got all of the tents assembled without a word from the leaders! Pretty impressive Vancouver trip! That night they ate some burritos, and had Group for the first time. On Monday morning, they headed to the crag (climber talk for the rock that they will be climbing on) and got some pristine British Columbia climbing at a spot called Ferret’s Folly.  This group looked great on the rocks, and many of them had some experience climbing, so they all got to learn how to belay. Today is the groups second day of climbing at a crag named Neat and Cool.  This is quite an appropriate name because it is littered with fun climbing routes for all ability levels.  Needless to say, they had a blast, and they are now heading back for some dinner and a good nights sleep. They will wake up again tomorrow and get one more day of Squamish goodness before they head on to their backpacking section. Great days in British Columbia.

To the Wilderness We March

7/31/2010

On their last day of climbing, the group spent a half-day on the rock, and then the leaders had a surprise for them.  The whole time the group had been climbing, they had been looking up at this huge rock called “The Chief.” The Chief is a 2,297 ft monolith (one monstrous rock) that is a legendary climb that climbers all over the world talk about.  Luckily, their trip leaders had done a little research, and there was a hiking trail that took them all the way up the back of the rock face.  The hike was steep and altogether challenging, but the group had their eyes set on a prize.  The top. 

 

At the top, the view was spectacular.  On this particularly sunny day, the water was so clear and blue that it could have been mistaken for tropical water.  The group sat out on top for a while, breathed the crisp, clean air of Squamish deep into their lungs, and enjoyed the view.  With their cameras full, the group headed down to the vans. 

The next day was a travel day.  The group took their time waking up, and they made a big breakfast.  They headed down through the city of Vancouver to their ferry, and hopped aboard.  The ferry was like a cruise ship with big comfy seats and a gorgeous view. It was a welcomed change from riding in the vans, and was a relaxing hour and a half.

Yesterday morning was an early one.  They woke up around 6am to start packing their backpacks for the day’s mileage.  They are going on a 5-day, 4-night backpacking trip, so the planning involved in this trip is crucial.  They needed to make sure that they had all of their food, cooking gear, and sleeping gear for everything they will encounter over the next 5 days.  It is a great exercise in being part of a group, and carrying your share of weight. 

While they were at the trail-head of the Juan de Fuca marine trail, they learned about proper walking techniques, and how your backpack should feel on your shoulders and your hips.  These little hints can be the key to a great backpacking trip, and their leaders have plenty of them.  When everyone was set to go, they headed off into the Canadian wilderness hootin and hollerin with goofy enthusiasm.  The forcast here is sunny and warm for the next few days, so it looks like smooth sailing for these Vancouver adventurers!

Rodents like cheese.

August 07, 2010

I met the group as they came out of the woods from their 5-day backpacking trip.  I yelled, “VANCOUVERRRRR!!” and they yelled back, “BERTT!!” Then they proceeded to run at me and give me the smelliest, best/worst group hug ever! They had all kinds of stories from the trail, and they were exhausted.  One night, Marco had left a little bit of cheese in the top of his bag, and you know what they say about mice and cheese. During the night, a small rodent of some kind proceeded to smell the cheese, locate the cheese, and eat through anything it needed to get to the cheese.  They woke up that morning and they had been robbed of cheese! Luckily they had some more, but it was a great backcountry lesson. Never cut the cheese in your bag.  Whoops, I mean always make sure that all of your food is far away from camp in a bear bag. 

They got a chance to see some seals, and also see the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest.  They also got a chance to see some backcountry improvisation at its finest.  After dinner was all eaten up one night, a few campers were still hungry so they asked if there was any more food.  We ALWAYS supply more food, but in the backcountry, the options are very limited.  Alicia whipped up a little backcountry specialty she called “syrup rice.” Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like.  Its rice…with maple syrup. It sounded crazy, but they ate it, and they told me ALLLL about it when we were walking back from the trail.  Ask them about it, they would be happy to oblige!

After they got out of the woods, the leaders took them out for some pizza, laundry and showers.  I’m pretty sure it was the best pizza and showers that they had ever had. They hit their sleeping bags early and got some rest.  The next day they traveled to Galiano Island where they would be Kayaking.  Everyone was excited for Kayaking, and I am excited to write about it when I hear from those backcountry travelers!