The Raven - June 2022
Wow. May was wet. Really wet. But we got some great trips in anyways. Our club is waterproof! Even so, I am sure we are all hoping for a better June.
June Trip Schedule
Want to join in on a trip? If you are a member, you can click here to find out more. Not a member? Then come along as a guest. But, hey why not just join? Contact membership@northshorehikers.org
| DATE/TIME | CATEGORY | EVENT |
| Sun 5 Jun 9:45 am |
A Hike - A3b | BCMC Hike |
| Sat 11 Jun | A Hike A1a |
Pitt-Addington Marsh, Great Birding Hike |
| Sun 12 Jun 8:00 am - 5:00 pm |
B Hike - B2a | Al’s Habrich Ridge Trail (from gondola) |
| Sun 12 Jun 10:00 am - 3:00 pm |
Cycling - easy to moderate pace | Richmond bike ride |
| Tue 14 Jun - Wed 15 Jun | Cycling Easy pace |
Saltspring Island bike camp |
| Sun 19 Jun | B Hike B2b |
Full Pull Hike, Coquitlam B2b |
| Wed 22 June | B Hike B2b |
Mount Galiano and Bluffs |
| Sun 26 Jun | D Hike D3d |
The Nai (FMCBC hike) |
| Sun 26 Jun 10:00 am |
FAMILY HIKE A2a |
Hollyburn Mountain |
| Mon 27 Jun 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
Club Social Evening |
Why Carpool?
If at all possible, please try to carpool to trailheads. We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the requirement for electrical power by sharing. Some members do not have vehicles and would appreciate a ride. In addition, the pressure for parking in neighbourhoods close to trailheads can be problematic. To compensate drivers for fuel and maintenance, we suggest a $7.00 fee which should be paid at the end of each adventure. Thanks for taking care of the environment and helping each other out.
Next Social Features Adventure Smart Presentation
Join us on Monday, June 27th at our next social evening to learn more about outdoor preparedness. Discover best practices and more. All are welcome - members and guests.
- Trip Planning - making a plan and leaving a trip plan.
- Training - physical, certification-based, mentorship, mental strength, decision making.
- Taking the Essentials - basic safety items, plus adding season and sport-specific gear.
- What to do in an emergency - who to call for help, when to call for help, how to call for help, no charge for rescue, the S.T.O.P. analogy and signalling S.O.S.
Featured Trip: Al's Habrich Ridge
by Anita Leonard
The day dawned cold and cloudy, in keeping with the general temperament of this miserable spring. Showers were forecast for later in the day, precluding any hope of a brighter afternoon. But despite the uninspiring weather, an even dozen of intrepid souls showed up for the hike from the base of the Chief to the top of the Sea to Sky gondola and beyond. Like me, I’m sure everyone else had given up on waiting for better weather, since better weather was clearly not on its way any time soon.
The Sea to Summit trail is often described as the Sea to Summit Grind, but it’s really not much of a grind at all. While it has an elevation gain of 850m, it’s spread out over 8km. Moreover, the Sea to Summit trail is really very lovely, offering close-up views of Olesen and Shannon Creeks, dramatic outcroppings of Squamish granite, and of course the always wonderful, drippingly-lush forest.
The extremely good company provided by all the participants made the hike fly by. We ran into a bit of snow just before the gondola base-station, but overall, there was less snow on this portion than expected.
We settled down for a well-deserved lunch with some not-so-bad views of Howe Sound and miscellaneous mountains peeking out briefly from behind the clouds. The predicted showers had abated and the station was buzzing with tourist gamely making the best of things. Here we left a few of our party behind since their hiking appetites were already sated. But eight of us were still hungry for a little bit more and so we ventured on to Al’s Habrich Ridge Trail.
By now, the snow-cover was pretty constant. Snowshoes were good at first, but then the terrain became a bit more challenging and the snow more slippery. Soon we were all back to microspikes, which had the benefit of not acting like toboggans when you least expected it, but had the disadvantage of not preventing you, even a little bit, from sinking deeply into the soft snow with some regularity.
As we slowly progressed, our attrition rate began to go up until at last we were all ready to call it a day. A few peak-a-boo mountain views later, we were swooping back down on the gondola over the terrain that had taken us hours to hike up. All in all, it was a great day and a great hike.
Thanks for reading and Happy Trails
