Story: Magic in the Mountains

Magic in the Mountains

Originally printed in Comox Valley Collective, Spring 2016 issue 

An endless coastline, mild climate, and constant ocean breeze are all part of life on Vancouver Island. Most visitors come to Canada’s lush West Coast isle to stroll the beaches, play in the surf, and get a taste of Island time.

But Vancouver Island hides a wild secret far away from its sandy shores.

#explorethevispine With Me!

Have you heard the news?  In case you missed my big announcement (which is going viral on Facebook woohoo!), here are the details about my upcoming Adventure Run...for a great cause!  Follow along via the new page on this blog called: #explorethevispine

I have a BIG adventure planned for 2016...and I am inviting YOU to join me...as I explore the Vancouver Island Spine Trail! 

Hike to Cruikshank Canyon

Sitting on the edge of the world...Cruikshank Canyon lookout

The journey to the Cruikshank Canyon lookout is just as spectacular as the destination. Travelling through pristine sub-alpine terrain, and past endless crystal clear lakes, the trail to the lookout is loaded with awesome scenery. The icing on the cake is reaching the Canyon and enjoying lunch at the lookout, complete with Whiskey Jacks and 180 degree mountain and valley views. If you haven't been to Cruikshank Canyon yet, be sure to add it to the top of your Vancouver Island hiking list.

Hike to Flower Ridge

 Have you been to Flower Ridge in Strathcona Provincial Park?  Well...you've got no excuses now...

I have written about Flower Ridge before- after my first trip up to this magical trail in the Park.  That day, Kim and I did a great ultra training run on the Ridge, covering 32kms of gorgeous alpine singletrack and falling in love with the route in the process.

Head over to The Outbound Collective to read the entire trip report and create your own 'bucket list' of adventures!

Hike to Flower Ridge

With a name like Flower Ridge, who wouldn't want to add this hike to their bucket list?
The Flower Ridge trailhead is located approximately 26kms down the Buttle Lake Parkway, towards Westmin Mine, in Strathcona Provincial Park. A classic Island alpine approach, you will be more than warmed up after the first few minutes. It is straight up through calf searing vertical terrain, but the views will distract you from the burn. Steep out of the gates, the trail gains 1200m in 5kms to reach the ridge. On the way up, the trail is sheltered in an ancient, peaceful forest, with giant trees and a green shag carpet.

Hiking to Century Sam Lake

Wow.  Just wow.  Have you been here yet?

Hiking to Marble Meadows

Last month, I finally made my way up to Marble Meadows, on one of the last warm weekends of the year.  This area of Strathcona Park has been on my list for a while now and I was stoked to get the chance to scout it out.  Check out my trip report on The Outbound Collective, along with my other adventures and recent articles.  Not on the Outbound yet?  Well, you best get on over there my friend!  Set up your own profile so that you can read, save and tick off your own adventure 'to do' list on this awesome online collective.  Hope to see you over there!

Cheers,
SS

Hike Mount Albert Edward

Let's go on an adventure!

New Adventure up on The Outbound Collective!  Read on for details on hiking the striking, Mount Albert Edward.

Happy Trails,
SS

Secret Trails

Hands on thighs I push onward...desperate to see the view from the top.

W O N D E R

I wonder what is up there.  I wonder what views await me.  I wonder how much further it is to the top.

I can see the light breaking through the canopy now.  More light.  Less darkness.  I can feel it.  I'm so close.

Snack Attack: The Best Foods for the Trail

Need some ideas to help you plan your next 'Backcountry Menu'?  Check out my latest article on The Outbound Collective to get your creative juices flowing!  

Not a member of The Outbound Collective yet?  Get on over there and join this awesome community of outdoor enthusiasts!   The Outbound is loaded with trip reports, articles and amazing images that will help you plan your next adventure.  Happy Trails!
SS

Image: Sarah Seads

Snack Attack: The Best Foods for the Trail

What is the best food to eat on the trail? The answer is, of course...it depends!

Singletrack Mind

"If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go." 

~ Terry Tempest Williams

This feels like the first moment that I have stood still in two months.  My laundry is folded.  I have groceries in my fridge.  My house is (as good as it gets) clean.  My shrivelled up plants have been watered and are returning to life.  The last of the blueberries are picked.  My big toenail finally fell off.  I'm ready to sit and ponder and reflect for a moment. 

July and August have been a wild and wonderful ride. I need to take a moment to unload the thoughts and images that have been rolling around in my singletrack mind...  I have been posting snippits of mountain moments in the little square boxes of my Instagram account (LOVE my new insta family!)...but I'd like to revisit some of them and reflect on this fantastic summer spent playing in the dirt...so far... Here are some (not so deep) thoughts, by Sarah Seads, on this lovely August afternoon... 

Review: Delorme InReach Explorer

Solo adventures can be the best adventures.  Home for the night, on the Augerpoint Traverse.

Do you like to 'get away from it all' and 'get off the grid' for your kicks?  Do you seek the high alpine, the far back country or the distant peaks?  Do you crave adventure in truly wild spaces?  Or... do you know someone who does?  This post is for you.

IAG Mountain Skills Course

 

Mountain mornings are good mornings.

Well, that was pretty awesome.

The Outbound Collective: 7 Leave No Trace Principles

I am excited to share my most recent article from The Outbound Collective- be sure to follow the link below and head on over to this great online resource for inspiration, education and motivation to help you plan your next outdoor adventure.

Enjoy!
SS

7 Leave No Trace Principles to Respect the Wild

Take only pictures, leave nothing but footprints

Best month ever?

Loving life on Mount Matchlee

It seems like a dream now, but I am pretty sure I really did fly in by helicopter to Mount Matchlee a few weeks ago to learn how to lead climb on ice, build snow anchors and travel across glaciers...then I ran around the province with 11 other women...then I ran across Vancouver Island...haha.  Seems surreal now... but I have the photos, so it must have really happened!

What a wild month it has been.  I have been working and playing overtime in the mountains since the last week of June and I need to get my adventures and images on 'paper' before the lines blur.  Here is a catch-me-up to catch-me-up:

Run BC Project

Girls + Mountains = Rad

Over the past week I have driven 1800kms of winding roads, run close to 130kms of pristine alpine single track and climbed a super dose of elevation in the mountains of BC alongside 11 rad women. The inaugural Run BC Project was an epic road trip to remember and I am grateful to have been a part of it!

The Outbound Collective: Hiking Mount Becher

I have just started contributing articles to the Outbound Collective and hope that you will come on over and join the community!  If you are looking for inspiration, motivation and direction for your next outdoor adventure, then this is the place to start.  A collection of people, images, stories, tips, maps and many other resources awaits you on the Collective.

Please head on over to check out my first submission complete with images, trip details and tales from the trail: Hiking Mount Becher.  Hope to see you there!

Happy Trails,
SS

Backpacking: Jack's Augerpoint Trail

 "All good things are wild and free." - Henry David Thoreau

Ain't that the truth.

Last week I had the pure pleasure of living in the mountains and on the trails of Strathcona Provincial Park.  With a week off and my other half out fishing the coast I decided to pack up and try to cure some of my wanderlust.  It was a full on 'dirt bag peak week' loaded with adventures and I need a week off from my week off- but wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is how I spent the first few days...

Dirtbag Peak Week

 So many peaks, so little time...

Wow.  Just wow.  I need a week off after my week off!  I am totally spent and completely filled to the brim with mountain stoke.  Over the past week I have been hustling from one adventure to the next, making the most of my time off and dirt-bagging it out of my back pack for most of the days.  After a week straight of hiking, running and biking, I woke up at 5am on Saturday morning in the BC Parks Forbidden Plateau Ranger Station cabin (yup, that's right) and realized I was done.  Physically maxed out, mentally toast, covered in bug bites, blisters and sunburns...I was dirty, exhausted, ready for a real meal and overflowing with trail stoke and mountain bliss.  I couldn't be happier:).

Backyard Bliss: Mount Albert Edward

**Interested in Backcountry Running?  Be sure to read my article for the tips and gear needed to get you there safely!


 Ready to go on another backyard adventure?  Follow me!

NE aspect of Mount Albert Edward.  1700m, May 30

Mount Albert Edward is hard to miss.  If you have ever driven up to Mount Washington you will remember the unique profile of this mountain to the west of Raven Lodge.  Its long drawn out scree ridge ends dramatically in a ski jump style peak before falling off into the abyss below.  The Grinch himself would surely be proud to call this summit home.  Mount Albert Edward is one of only 16 peaks belonging to 2000m+ club on Vancouver Island.  At 2093m, it is the 6th tallest peak on the Island and it stands guard at the eastern entrance of Strathcona Provincial Park.

Backyard Bliss: Mt. Becher

I have travelled this path 100 times and I can only hope that I am lucky enough to do so 100 times more.
4:30am...I'm awake...the birds are chirping...the mountains are calling...I must go.  Three cameras, one fruit bar, water, my sneakers and I am out the door.