British Columbia Magazine

To contributing editor Larry Pynn, this grainy colour slide from 1986, taken in remote northwestern British Columbia’s Mount Edziza Provincial Park, is proof that outdoor equipment has come a long way, baby.

“I’m shown wearing a tasteless yellow-and-white baseball hat, bold-striped shirt, wool army-surplus pants and, gather ’round kids, an external-frame backpack.” With every step he took, that aluminum frame knocked against his head.

“I remember a lot about the first big hiking trip,” he adds. “My sleeping bag rolling down into a crater, a July snowstorm so thick we had to make camp where we stood, and wading through a chest-high swamp because we took the wrong valley coming down off the Mount Edziza plateau. But you know, I can’t remember a thing about that crappy little external frame backpack [aside from the head bumping]. Maybe gear isn’t the be-all and end-all of a great hiking trip, after all.”

Agreed. Though dare I suggest that our intrepid “Outdoor Advisor” might have looked just a bit happier in this photo had he been sporting a modern internal frame pack with cushy straps, ventilated panels, and weight-transfer technology?

Larry examines such modern features as applied to the day pack–which has evolved alongside multi-day packs–in the Fall 2011 issue. See “Day pack buying basics” for his tips on choosing size, panel configuration, hydration compatibility, material, and more.

I love hiking in the fall. It’s a season of enhanced sensory pleasures. The crisp air seems scrubbed clean and its gentle nip makes you appreciate a cozy scarf and gloves. In the coastal forest, the beauty of the evergreens is enhanced by the contrasting deciduous flares of yellow, orange, and red.

Knowing that the next change of season will transform my favourite trails yet again encourages me to be more acutely aware of details that soon will disappear under the snow: the beacon of bright red berries in the understorey; the delicate clusters of tiny forest mushrooms; the small footprints of squirrels or the scat of foraging bears.

The ghost of winter-to-come was a notable presence on my recent hike in E.C. Manning Provincial Park. The first snowfall had touched the subalpine, and the white dusting on the fall foliage along the 1.5-kilometre Paintbrush Nature Trail was particularly lovely, as you can see from my snapshots.

Do you have a favourite autumn hike? We’d love to hear about it.

Hikers take note: the North Coast Trail — considered a worthy rival of the famed West Coast Trail — is officially open. The challenging 43-kilometre route wends along the northern tip of Vancouver Island between Shushartie Bay and Nissen Bight within remote Cape Scott Provincial Park (featured in our Summer 2007 issue).

The trail, which includes bridges, boardwalks, cable car crossings (and, of course, mud), connects with the existing 15-kilometre Cape Scott Trail. Wildlife, spectacular sandy beaches, and powerful seaside vistas await the 4,000 or so hikers expected to venture along the trail this summer. Visitors should also come prepared for wind and rain: this “coastal western hemlock, very wet hypermaritime” biogeoclimatic zone receives more than 2.5 metres of rain per year.

For a map of the North Coast Trail, click here.

For background information on the trail, visit the Northern Vancouver Island Trails Society, and for details on Cape Scott Provincial Park, contact BC Parks.

If our Winter 2007 mountaineering survival story has you keen to learn more about the Bugaboos, check out the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) website for information on its summer 2008 activities. The club will hold its 2008 General Mountaineering Camp in the Vowell Glacier/Bugaboo area of the Purcell Mountains.

The Bugaboos, within 36-square-kilometre Bugaboo Provincial Park (roughly between Golden and Radium Springs) provide the dramatic backdrop for our latest cover story, “Terror on Bugaboo Spire.” In it, award-winning Vancouver writer Daniel Wood spins a remarkable tale of survival after a lightning storm catches climbers near the summit of the 3,176-metre Bugaboo Spire.

The 100-year-old ACC has planned a variety of activities for participants in its six one-week camps, running from June 28 to August 9. Objectives will vary, depending on members’ abilities and fitness levels, but may include glacier climbs, advanced rock, snow, and ice climbs. Those who prefer a gentler approach can opt simply to hike the area.

Introductory and intermediate skill reviews on snow, rock, and ice may be offered. Food will be helicoptered in, along with 22.5 kilograms of gear per camper—lightening the load considerably for participants. Attendance fees include tent accommodation, guiding, instruction, meals, and supplemental climbing equipment, over and above personal gear. 

The camps fill quickly, and are open to Alpine Club of Canada members over the age of 19, from novice to expert. The cost for one week is $1,450; additional weeks are $1,325 per week. 

To learn more, visit www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/activities/gmc.html