Dear Hemingway and Octavia, Most folks will agree that it’s more enjoyable to hike under clear skies than cloudy, but sometimes it rains. Let me make a case for the dreary day adventure. Though the views from the top of a mountain may be vast on sunny days, those sunbathed …
Paradise Meadows to Wood Mountain: A Family Traversing
Call it our wedding anniversary, the final weekend before school, an early celebration of Octavia’s birthday, or just Labour Day; on September long weekend, I led a group of families on a traverse of Strathcona Park. I’ve hiked the route between Raven Lodge and the Old Forbidden Plateau ski lodge …
Mount Cokely: The Kids Ontop
Dear Hemingway and Octavia, Time tends to run away from me when I’m not looking. Mired in the day to day conflicts that arise between parents and kids, it feels like we’re standing still; Like we’ll never get out of this stage –whatever it is– and onto the next. But, …
Mount Arrowsmith – My Mouth Is Full
On Sunday, August 9th, I participated in a club trip to Mount Arrowsmith. I had scheduled it in the before times, as a way to sneak in an extra day of weekend hiking with the promise that I’d take my two kids with me. They are always up for an …
Green Mountain via Sno Bird Trail
Dear Hemingway and Octavia, No one will deny that 2020 is a year of social and economic challenges. Regardless of what’s happening, you two keep growing. Every day I discover you each have a new level of understanding of the world around you, I see it reflected in your eyes …
Family Snowshoe Trip
On Saturday, March 14, I led a small group on a snowshoe trip to Lake Helen Mackenzie. It was two families, me with my two children, and Jes with his son Trace. It was Hemingway’s first-time wearing snowshoes to walk, even though the conditions didn’t require it. We had very …
Mount Benson: Late Fall
Dear Hemingway and Octavia, Over that past few years, I’ve been working steadily towards completing my Island Alpine Quest. Even through the winters, I’ve reached objectives that started on remote sections of highway or plowed industrial roads, but this winter will be the first in a long while where I …
Mount Drabble, The Family Way
Dear Hemingway, My trip reports usually focus on the technical details of a hike: the terrain type, weather, and simple descriptions of the route, including any notable terrain features. But sometimes those details aren’t the important ones. Our trip to Mount Drabble is a great example; it’s the things you …
Keeha Bay Family Backpacking Trip
In recent years, it’s become part of my New Year’s ritual to sit down and plan a year of adventure. It does take some finger-crossing, regarding annual precipitation and seasonal snow, but I’d rather do that than miss out on a chance to get out of the house. This year, …
Mount Elma with Octavia
Dear Octavia, We don’t often get a whole day together for just the two of us. Typically, the entire family goes on our adventures, or at the very least it’s you, Hemingway, and me. In fact, that was the original arrangement, for you both to come with me –and 12 …