Outdoor Vancouver Newsletter

August 27, 2020
Edition #91

In this newsletter:

Iceberg Lake and Smoke Bluffs Hikes
Outdoor News
14 Great Late-Summer Hikes
Book of the Month
Vote on our next T-Shirt design!
Current Gear Deals

1. Hiking Iceberg Lake and the Squamish Smoke Bluffs

We posted two new trail guides to the website in August (bringing the current total number of guides to 115)!

Iceberg Lake

Iceberg Lake is a popular day-hike in Whistler. The hike up to Iceberg Lake follows 19 Mile Creek, which originates at Iceberg Lake. The 19 Mile Creek Trail is scenic and climbs through a beautiful forest. Along the way, you get views of Green Lake and pass by several waterfalls before emerging into a beautiful meadow.

This is all before reaching Iceberg Lake itself. The lake sits below Rainbow Glacier and Rainbow Mountain, and remains partially frozen deep into the summer.

Read the full Iceberg Lake trail guide here.

Smoke Bluffs Park

The Squamish Smoke Bluffs Park has a network of trails used to access different rock-climbing routes. There are over 400 granite climbing routes within the park! But the trails within the Smoke Bluffs also make for a fantastic hike.

Smoke Bluffs Park, established in 2006, has scenic and peaceful trails which offer great lookouts over Squamish and Howe Sound.

Read the full Smoke Bluffs Park guide here.

2. (Mostly) Local Outdoor News

1. Family remembers boy killed by falling tree in Chilliwack, B.C.. @Global
2. Missing Coquitlam hiker caught on camera, helping search effort. @CTV
3. Body of hiking missing since July has been found. @Free Daily
4. Cliff jumper dies in North Vancouver canyon. @Pique
5. 'Huge increase in rescues' on the horizon, warns Coquitlam SAR. @Tri-city News
6. 4 hikers found safe after chilly night spent in North Shore mountains. @CBC
7. NS SAR responds to 3 calls in 24 hours, plead for hikers to be prepared. @Van Sun
8. 'It's been a really busy year': SAR teams on track to break records. @CTV
9. 10 Essentials for Trail Running [Video]. @YouTube
10. Now that we're going outside again, we're bringing our garbage with us. @NS News
11. Grouse Grind set for major $3.5 million improvement project. @DH
12. Toddler found 5 km away from family in B.C. backcountry. @Global
13. 'Explosion of activity' at Coquitlam trail getting on nerves of residents. @News1130
14. B.C. park users say day pass system not being enforced. @CTV
15. Garibaldi never set foot here. Why is a park still named after him?. @NS News

3. 14 Great Late-Summer Hikes

Late summer is the perfect time for hiking. The temperature is starting to cool. The bugs are fewer. Mud on the trails is at a minimum. Snow is finally clear from most of the trails. And there’s still enough daylight to tackle some big objectives.

After building up your fitness on shorter hikes during the early summer, late August and early September is a great time to get out and tackle the big, challenging hikes.

See the full list of 14 recommended late-summer hikes here.

4. Book of the Month - Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care

Personal safety is the most important consideration when it comes to hiking. If you don't believe me, scroll up and re-read the list of local news articles from this month. While we're lucky to have amazing Search and Rescue volunteers who will to their best to come to our aid when something goes wrong, you should never be fully dependant on the help of others.

There is no better way to be prepared than to take a wilderness survival course and/ or wilderness first aid course. But there are books that can help you learn as well. Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care is one such resource that is great for this.

"From wilderness expert Dave Canterbury and outdoor survival instructor Jason Hunt comes the next installment in the New York Times bestselling Bushcraft series—a go-to first aid resource for anyone headed into the woods.

Out in the woods or on top of a mountain, there’s no calling 9-1-1. Bushcraft First Aid teaches you how to be your own first responder. The authors’ years of experience and training will help hikers and backpackers deal with a variety of emergency situations, from cuts and burns to broken bones and head injuries. You’ll also learn what to pack and how to make bandages, dressings, and slings at a moment’s notice. As bushcraft experts, Canterbury and Hunt explain how to use plants as medicine to treat various conditions. Bushcraft First Aid provides the lifesaving information you need to keep yourself and your fellow hikers safe on the trail.".

Read more about the book here.

We compile the books we feature every month in our Book Store.

5. West Coast Best Coast - Help us pick our next Tee-shirt design!

We'll be launching a new T-shirt soon celebrating the West Coast lifestyle!

We have some great designs and would love your input on which is your favorite.

When looking at the designs, ignore the shirts (they are just for sample), and focus on the design itself.

See all the designs and place your vote here!

6. Current Gear Deals

A few online retailers have some good deals going right now:

Mountain Equipment Co-op

Save up to 60% off at MEC.ca during the Mountain Days Sale!

Cabela's Canada

Save up to 65% on brands, including The North Face, Columbia, Under Armour, Merrell and more!

Mountain Warehouse

Sale - Up to 70% Off!

Until next time!
Karl

GREAT HIKES FOR SEPTEMBER

Panorama Ridge (Whistler)
The Lions (North Vancouver)
Mt. Elphinstone (Sunshine Coast)