A Dangerous Duo do a day drip up Albert Edward!

Saturday October 4th 2014 saw Dean and I making a early morning attempt at one of the most visited peak in Strathcona Park.  No, an extra early start. I was in the Subaru and on the road by 5 am. Dean and I were heading up to Raven Lodge, embarking on a Paradise Meadows to Mt. Albert Edward hike. The round trip would be taxing, mentally and physically.

GPS Route with photographic annotation

Total Horizontal Distance:  34 km
Total Elevation Gain: 1923 m
Starting Elevation: 1097 m
Maximum Elevation: 2093 m

Vancouver Island’s geopgraphy is such that there is no mountain significantly higher than 6000 ft (1828 m). Mt. Albert Edward is one of the mountains that exceeds this altitude. It’s also considered by many to be one of the easiest 6000 footers to summit, it’s a walk up. Following the established route means there is no exposure,  minimal scrambling and very little route-finding. The barrier to most hikers is the horizontal distance required to make the summit.

Read the entire post on Matthew’s Blog….

Cruikshank Canyon, a fall feast of colour for the eyes…

A view of the mountains as you look out from the view point

Early fall is often the nicest time for hiking. I often joke with my hiking companions about those who don’t take advantage of the outdoors, they find winter too cold, spring too wet, and summer too hot. There are three ideal weeks in our Vancouver Island year that are perfect for heading outdoors, when spring is converting to summer and summer converting to fall, there are about 9 days at each change that are perfect for hiking! This past weekend must have been that weekend!

Total Horizontal Distance: 21.3 km
Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Elevation Gain: 873 m
Starting Elevation: 1060 m
Max Elevation: 1269 m

Heart Lake

Here are some pictures from Mike’s trip up to Heart Lake and the Holland Creek loops which ran on July 9th.  Look carefully at the lake and you will see three very refreshed hikers.  It was a great day.  Thanks to Mike and looking forward to the next one.  Present:  Mike H. leader, Nicki, Hazel and Janice.