The explanation behind February’s full Moon name is straightforward: it’s known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is Vancouver's snowiest month. Bring on those flakes! February 5th is the full moon for those of you who like to plan an evening snowshoe.
February Trip Schedule
Check the trip schedule during the month. We add new trips regularly. Want to join in on a trip? Not a member? Then come along as a guest. But, hey why not just join?
| DATE/TIME | CATEGORY | EVENT |
| Sat 4 Feb 8:00 am |
Cycling B/C |
bike ride to victoria for lunch |
| Sun 5 Feb 9:30 am - 1:30 pm |
A Hike A2b |
Bridle Trail/ Baden Powell loop trail from Berkley Rd to Mount Seymour |
| Tue 7 Feb | Back-country Ski B2b | Diamond Head |
| Sat 11 Feb | A Hike A1a | Minnehkada Park |
| Thu 16 Feb | Back-country Ski A2a | Mt Seymour |
| Tue 21 Feb | Back-country Ski A2a | Hollyburn Mtn |
| Sat 25 Feb | A Hike A1a | Killarney Lake/Bowen Ramble |
| Sat 25 Feb | D Hike D2c | Spider Pk |
| Tue 28 Feb | Back-country Ski A2a | Mt Seymour |
Needed: Volunteer Webmaster
We need someone to help out with the website. It's super important because that's how we all get to become members, post hikes and learn which hikes are available. There are currently two volunteers who work on the front end to add or change content. We really need someone with back-end skills to help keep our site healthy overall. The site is in WordPress. Typical tasks: scheduling back-ups, managing WordPress updates, keeping plug-ins up to date, database updates, email lists and more. Please let cristina.jacob03@gmail.com know if you are interested.
Re-thinking Club Social Events
by Donna Nyberg
I have taken on the position of the Social Committee, and although over my 40 years of membership, I have helped out many times throughout those years, I would like to take a different approach and see how it works. For a very long time we have had slide shows etc. at the Sunrise Community Hall, however, I think the time has come to say goodbye for a while to Sunrise Slide Shows and try more exciting events.
Some ideas I have in mind would be a weekend trip to Chatterbox falls, a theatre night, going to the Spaghetti House or a favourite restaurant to try new food. As well, there could be a summer party, picnic and hike at Buntzen Lake or a trip to the Britannia Mine Museum along with a short hike in the area.
Urban hike: New Brighton Park to the Fraser River
by Mariken Van Nimwegen
What I enjoy most from guiding this sort of walk, is that I can show people areas they didn’t know existed in the city because usually, we drive right by. While on foot we can see everything so much better and explore in detail. A completely sunny, blue-sky day in between all the rain was an added bonus!
Thinking About Organizing a Multi-Day Trip?
Always wanted to hike Patagonia's Torres del Paines? Or discover lesser-travelled backpacking trails in the Kootenays? Travel the Annapurna circuit? Whatever your dream multi-day trip, you can organize it with other North Shore Hikers. Below is a description of a trip to Italy that Ye Chu has organized for this year. You can organize one too! Just submit your idea to our multi-day trip coordinator, Diane Whitely, diane_whitely@telus.net for advice and approval in principle to advertise the trip on the NSH website.
Spring in Italy
by Ye Chu
A new year and new dreams of travelling abroad, now that the pandemic restrictions have subsided. May 24 to June 16, will be the first NSH self-guided bike and hike tour in Italy. I lived in Italy in the 80s and 90s studying art and architecture in Venice and Florence with excursions to the south of Italy, including Sicily. For me, Italy is the most wonderful country to visit as the people, the history, the sunny Mediterranean climate, and the food are to die for.
This adventure was advertised on our website back in May 2022 and we had 26 interested parties. We had monthly information meetings and when it came time to pay our deposits in September, we had 10 for the bike trip and 11 for the hiking trip.
Since finalizing our numbers, I have been hosting monthly meetings. It has been great fun getting to know everyone better, and I think we have a wonderful group of like-minded people.
The 8-day, self-guided bike trip is in the heel of Italy in a region called Puglia. It is steeped in a rich history of Syrian, Turkish, Greek and Spanish invasions, leaving behind the most unique white architecture and acropolis-style town planning. Several of the towns we will be visiting are UNESCO world heritage sites. We will be biking along the Gulf of Taranto, the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea. I have been YouTubing this area, and some YouTubers have said the seas are equal in beauty to the Maldives. And in this region of Puglia, there are very few tourists, so we will have the towns and beaches to ourselves!
Between our bike and hike trips, we will have a relaxing three-day break in the town of Matera. The last James Bond movie “NO TIME TO DIE” opening motorcycle scene is filmed in this most picturesque town. This 9000-year-old UNESCO world heritage site is world renowned for its continual inhabitation of familial caves called Sassi. We have booked a thermal spa experience underneath our cave hotel, which promises to be a special trip highlight, according to Trip Advisor.
The 8-day self-guided hiking trip will start in Amalfi and end in Positano with day visits to the Isle of Capri, Sorento, Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. The longest hiking trail will be the Path of the Gods. We understand there will be lots and lots of stairs involved to get to our hotels and on the cliffside trails. We have discussed bringing only carry-on backpacks and no roller suitcases. Which may mean we have to hike and sleep in our bike clothes!
In the next few months, I will be offering training bike rides (with some pizza eating) to get us all ready for our Italian trip. However, everyone is welcome to join us. Ciao!
Thanks for reading and happy trails!
