West Harrison and Sloquet Hot Springs
Over 10 years since I last saw the hot springs, so we were determined to get there despite the rough road and foot of snow.
Waleach Lake and Garnet Creek
Though a dull morning, the reflections off the lake surface were quite lovely. I was however, disappointed with the sheer cliff wall on the Garnet as it was ice-free, I had hoped for some sky-scraper size icicles.
Lost Creek
I return to the east Stave Lake area often as it is easy to reach and generally has quite a bit to explore and enjoy. Today we drove up a number of side roads as far as the snow allowed us.
Harrison East, Talc and Silver Creek
We returned to the East Harrison for an easier day but still have access to some higher levels with snow. Geoff also wanted to visit the Silver Creek area again.
East Harrison - Slollicum
The Slollicum area is rife with roads just waiting to be explored. They are easy access – at least once you move fallen trees – and offer some stunning views of Harrison Lake.
Silver-Skagit Valley
The Silver-Skagit area is a very scenic location with a large number of mountain peaks to enjoy. This time of year the added snow cover really accentuates the striking beauty of the peaks.
Shannon Falls and Squamish River Valley
Everywhere but home had freezing rain in the night so where would one go so that they could actually get into the back country? The Squamish valley proved a great choice and we enjoyed some unexpected treats.
Silverhope River and Kilby
A snowy day in the hills which did a good job of keeping us out
Return to Squamish Valley
The weather had improved over the last two weeks so we thought we would give the Squamish FSR another try and see if we could reach the Elaho River which eluded us last time.
Chehalis and Fleetwood
Being unsure of where the snow would allow us to go, we opted to try the Chehalis area and then drive the road along the east side of the valley. Despite the weather it was a good choice.
Harrison West
It was a lovely sunny day to enjoy the outdoors but as it was still early in the season we opted for an easy drive along the western shore of Lake Harrison.
Doctor's Bay
We have seen little of the northern section along the west Harrison and so with it being a lovely day it was now time to see what the region has to off.
Harrison East and Silver Creek
The Harrison area is vast and we felt another visit would allow us to finish some areas which time prevented last trip. As a bonus, Geoff wanted to collect some river sand from Silver Creek to do some panning with it as it seemed to have interesting yell
Elaho and Squamish Valleys
The Elaho / Squamish area is full of amazing adventures and I am always excited to return to the area. Today we checked out a section at the start of the Elaho we had skipped past previously.
Northern Squamish River Valley
So much fun and so many new spots to see, so we returned to the Squamish valley for another go at the far end of the river.
A day in the Silver-Skagit Valley
This area has incredible mountain vistas to photograph along with lakes, rivers and many side branches. It is also easy to access so I was looking forward to a return visit and hopefully to find an old cabin and visit Ross Lake at the far end of the valle
Mt Woodside and Mt Agassiz
Many times I have been up Mt. Woodside but getting across to Mt Agassiz always alluded me. So on this beautiful morning we planned to give it another try.
Silver Creek Bear Farm
We had planned to drive through the Talc Creek Valley but it was gated and so we drove up to Silver Creek where we ended up spending the day in a bear farm.
Brohm Lake Hike
Hiking Season is now here and I hadn’t done a hike since last year. So a quick jaunt around Brohm seemed like a great place to start.
Tulameen Valley
It is a vast area on the east side of the Coquihalla, north of Manning Park and with many side roads. We saw a very tiny part of it last year and we hoped to see much more this time.
Wells Peak Hike
Since completing the Hope Mountain Hike we have had our eye set on Wells Peak. It is a shorter but steeper hike and offers great views to the south down the Silver-Skagit valley. So we were looking forward to our first summit of the summer.
Brohm Ridge and Lake
I had heard about the road to Brohm Ridge and it caught my attention a while back so today ethan and decided to explore the road and see what we could.
Yak Peak Hike
We first decided on hiking the Yak last summer while hiking Zoa Peak to the north. It was a challenge but well worth the exertion. The clouds cleared soon after we reached the ridge below the peak and we had great views from the top
Campbell Valley Regional Park
Though not a large park, there are still some spots that I have never explored. Today Nick and set off to discover some new spots.
Silver River
Although I have been in the area a lot, there are still many side roads to explore. Today we were blocked from the one we wanted but found a few new areas that gave us some great views.
Mt Hansen
I have hiked many peaks over the last few years but always on a marked trail. Today’s hike gave us the experience of finding our own path to the summit.
Return to Brohm Ridge
Our earlier trip last month saw us buried in cloud, so today I was looking forward to the amazing views we missed
Anderson River and the Uztilius
A new area for us to explore, it was quite a drive to the start but we enjoyed the drive through the hills and learned that we will need to spend many days up here to see it all.
A Stroll through Lighthouse Park
Nick had the day off and so we decided to return to Lighthouse Park to hike the trails and enjoy the salt air as we sat on the rocks over-looking the bay. It was a lovely afternoon in the sun.
Cheam Peak, Great for Radio Contacts
My friend Ralph wanted to operate his radio from a mountain peak and so the two of us planned an excursion to the summit of Mt. Cheam. It was a great hike and successful radio event.
Wells Peak Reprised
Back in July the mountain blocked our attempt at the summit with deep snow. Today the snow was gone and we managed to tame the mountain.
Chehalis Valley
The Chehalis area always presents the visitor with some new sights and exciting scenes which is why I return to the valley fairly frequently. Despite the thick cloud cover, we still found much to enjoy.
Rattlesnake Point and Region, Beamers Falls (Day 2)
It felt great being back in Ontario exploring the side roads for colourful vistas. Today we found a few amazing sights
Albion Falls and Welland River (Day 3)
Albion Falls is an amazing place to spend time taking photos, today’s visit was greatly enjoyed.
Borer's Falls (Day 4)
Borer Falls is one of the best to be seen, so we hiked in to view it from below unfortunately we forgot the water!
Transition to Port Stanley (Day 5)
Though long, the drive to Port Stanley can be quite interesting as we cross through the countryside.
West of Port Stanley (Day6)
The area around Port Stanley is so rich in colour; you can find it almost anywhere you look
East of the Port (Day 7)
The area around Sparta and Port Bruce was very rich in colour this year a shame it lasts for only a short while
The Far West (Day 8)
The countryside further to the west is very flat and open but this year it lacked the colour of the Pot Stanley area.
Squamish River Valley
The snow was down to the 550m point so we had clear driving on the mainline but it quickly stopped us as we explored some side branches. Views of the peaks were spectacular in their snow dusted wardrobe.
West Harrison Snow Ruts
It felt good to finally get out and enjoy some fresh air. The road was cleared but only the mainline and so everyone was driving it making for a busy road.
Chilliwack River and Area
A lovely day to enjoy the fresh air, I wanted to spend the day at Chilliwack Lake and do some radio contesting in the sun. Unfortunately the snow was deep and we had to find an alternative adventure.
Harrison East and Talc Creek
Our goal for the day was to do some snow shoeing in the East Harrison area but the day was dull and cool and the snow high up in the steep zone. So we settled for some bush whacking through the lower slopes
Squamish River Valley in the Winter
It was to be a nice day and so we felt it was time to drive the Squamish mainline with the hope of reaching the Elaho.
Jones Lake on Ice
It was a bright sunny day, ideal for enjoying views of the snow-capped peaks up the valley, so off we went to enjoy the views.
West Harrison
The West Harrison area is huge and always seems to offer something new to explore. Today we didn’t even drive in far to find a whole new section to enjoy.
Mamquam
The Mamquam valley has lots of interesting side roads to explore and I have seen only a few, so off we went to try a few new ones. Though we found a few, snow stopped us short of the best.
Sts’ailes
The West Harrison area has so many side roads that in all the years I have been driving the back country I have seen less than half of them. Today we planned to try a few new ones.
Big Silver and Shovel Creek
Our goal was to check out the new power projects as we made our way through the loop ending at Boston Bar. But we saw no power work under way and Shovel Creek was washed out! But it was a great day enjoying the back country.
Mamquam Again
We gave the weather 6 weeks to melt the snow that blocked us in April and now we were ready to try again. Though we were still blocked by snow we did get to the small waterfall I wanted to revisit.

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