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1969-12-31, Watching TV Can Be An Opportunity to Walk »»

1969-12-31, Silver Sneakers: State of the Art Gym Membership For Free »»

1969-12-31, Need a Omron Pedomter Clip Replacement? Creative Alternatives »»

1969-12-31, Fit Deck Exercise Cards »»

1969-12-31, Lose Weight For Free »»

1969-12-31, Shake Up Your Walk »»

1969-12-31, Walk An Hour Lose 500 Calories »»

1969-12-31, Walking Gets a Boost From Honda Motor Co. »»

1969-12-31, Weight Watchers Walking Clinic »»

1969-12-31, Walk Grand Central Station in New York City »»

1969-12-31, Women Should Walk in Groups »»

1969-12-31, Walk and Learn a Language »»

1969-12-31, Walk For Better Eyesight »»

1969-12-31, Pedometer Wearers Walk More »»

1969-12-31, Walk, Walk, Run, Walk, Walk, Run »»

Take a Load Off - Lightweight Backpacking

1969-12-31, PCT Section A (northbound) »»

1969-12-31, ADZ again »»

1969-12-31, West Coast Trail »»

1969-12-31, Walking in the Rain »»

With next week's West Coast Trail hike looming, I find myself thinking back to soggy shoulder-season hikes I've done in the past. September is a bit of a gamble in this part of the world - it could be warm and sunny, or it could rain heavily the entire time. Lately, the nights have been quite chilly, and in the last week we've had a mix of sun and very heavy rain.

With this in mind, I thought I'd share some things I do differently, or at least more carefully, when I know the weather is going to be rough.

Take a couple of spare pack liners (I like the Glad Forceflex garbage bags) as these inevitably get torn. They're good for sitting on, putting under your mattress, a makeshift parka or tarp, collecting rainwater, all sorts of things.
Lots of nourishing, warm, easy to prepare food. When you're cold and wet, nothing warms you up more than a hot meal.
Label a set of clothes as "must stay dry". I usually make this my sleepwear (longjohns and a tshirt). They stay in a plastic bag until I'm in the tent and have as much mud off me as possible. Even if a bear eats your hiking clothes, wear the abovementioned garbage bag for hiking, and keep these clothes for when you're in your tent.
Take care of your feet. You'll never be able to keep them dry on a trail like the West Coast Trail, but when you get to camp, take off your wet shoes and socks and dry off your feet. Even if you're going to be out in the rain, wear your sandals and let them air out. When you get into your tent, towel them off and change/remove any blister treatment.
Wear a hat. I find a hood limits your field of vision and your hearing, both of which are important on the trail. A hat with a brim will keep water out of your eyes and prevent it from running down your neck.
A small silnylon tarp is a luxury well worth the weight. Those who know me to weigh out the peanuts in my trailmix might be surprised, but having dinner under a tarp with your hiking friends makes the rain much more bearable. If you can get a fire going just outside the tarp you can almost forget the previous 10 hours of mudslogging.
If you know you'll be spending long hours in the tent, some simple entertainment is nice. A book or mp3 player if you're by yourself, or cards, dice, and travel games are always good in a group.
Only take what can get wet. Maybe skip the SLR this time and take a cheap or waterproof camera. No amount of bagging will keep away rainforest humidity, and if you don't take it out to use, what was the point of bringing it?

1969-12-31, Vanishing Summer »»

1969-12-31, Success! »»

I got back yesterday evening from my two-day hike of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. I managed to hike the entire length in the short amount of time I had, and hiking solo was an interesting adventure.

I started out at the China Beach trailhead at 7:30 am on Saturday. The weather was cloudy but warm and dry, and the trail was in reasonably good shape. Signs warned of the trail closure due to the bridge out at Ivanhoe Creek, but I knew froma previous visit in March that there was a bypass trail. I actually didn't even need the bypass trail, as the water levels were low enough that a log over the creekbed proved enough. By 9:30 I was at Bear Beach where I stopped for second breakfast. I didn't see anybody at Mystic Beach, and only 2 small groups at Bear. One couple at Bear were turning around and heading home due to their 70lb packs. Ouch!

Not the most technically difficult, but definitely the most arduous section of the trail is between Bear Beach and Chin Beach. Roughly 10km of ups and downs take a toll on your legs, and I was feeling pretty worn out by the time I got to Chin. I stopped and had some lunch, but as it was only 1:30 I decided to press on to Sombrio Beach at km 27. I passed a few hikers from Chin on their way to Sombrio, but otherwise the trail was deserted. Being by myself in bear country, I was a little bit nervous, and did a lot of whistling and peering around corners. My hiking poles did double duty as noisemakers, clacking against rocks, tree trunks, and each other.

When I got to Sombrio I was still in pretty good shape, but my legs were ready to give out. I staggared a few more yards down the beach and plopped on the first level spot I came to. Shortly thereafter, one of the fellows from the site next to me came over to say hi, and invite me back to their site. After I relaxed for a while, I joined Stewart and his friends for an evening of wine, fresh mussels, and conversation. Stewart gave me his number so we could meet up to brew some beer, but I appear to have lost his card. If anyone sees it, let me know! The hospitality of this group was amazing, and I went to sleep well past hiker midnight (10:30) and zonked out immediately.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling pretty good, and not too stiff from my previous day's exertion. I lay in bed for a while, as I "only" had 20km of comparatively easy terrain to make today. As long as I was at Botanical Beach by 5:00, when Rebecca would meet me, I'd be fine. I packed up said goodbye to my new friends, and was on the trail around 9:00. Sombrio River was quite low, so I opted to wade through it rather than trek up to the suspension bridge. The sun was shining, so I wasn't too worried about wet feet. After a bit more beach walking, my spidey-sense was tingling. In a field of grey boulders, I saw one furry black boulder that looked out of place. Sure enough, a small bear was eating something, probably a dead seal. Luckily, the tide was out, so I was able to give him a wide berth. I had a chat with him on the way past, and we came to an understanding. I wouldn't eat his dead seal, and he wouldn't eat me. At one point I looked up and there was a bald eagle, a sea otter, and the bear all within my line of sight. I tried to take a picture of all three, but couldn't get the angle right. Rather than dwell on this, I figured it would be prudent to move past the bear and get on with my day.

The rest of the day proved to be quite uneventful. I kept up a good pace, with just a brief stop at Pyzant Creek for water. At around 2:30 I was nearing Botanical Beach, so I stopped at one of my favorite resting areas at Tom Baird Creek. I made myself a big lunch, and stretched out in the sun with my book for a couple of hours. At 4:30, I packed up and headed to Botanical to meet Rebecca and Shadow. I could tell they both wanted to go down to the beach, so I added another couple of miles to my trek and walked down to Botany Bay with them. After that, we went for dinner in Port Renfrew, then made our way home.

I'm glad I was able to meet my two goals: hiking alone, and completing the trail in two days. As for the former, hiking solo has its benefits, I got to get lost in my own thoughts, and not worry about anyone else's pace or fitness level. I did, however, find I was quite jumpy and nervous about bears, which I'm normally not around other people. As for the timeline, I don't know if I'd want to hike that distance regularly, but it was good to know my body is capeable of it, and I'm proud of my accomplishment. I still enjoyed all the scenery and solitude of the wilderness, but spent it hiking rather than sitting at a campsite. What's next.. maybe the West Coast Trail in three days? We'll see :)
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1969-12-31, Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, again »»

1969-12-31, Tell It On The Mountain »»

1969-12-31, Onion »»

1969-12-31, ADZPCTKO »»

1969-12-31, Pacific Crest Trail section hike (Warner to Morena Southbound) »»

1969-12-31, In which the remainder of my overtime pay gets spent »»

Although I'd love to take an SLR with a range of lenses, flash, filters, and tripod, it wouldn't really work with my style of hiking. Aside from the weight and bulk, if I have to spend 10 minutes setting up a photo, I probably won't bother to stop. On the other hand, if I have a camera in my pocket ready to go, I'll probably end up with a decent amount of good quality photos.

With the decision made to bring a small and portable, rather than large professional quality camera, there's still a number of other options - but the largest one is probably film vs. digital.
Film cameras, although becoming obsolete for anyone other than a traditionalist or specialist, do offer some benefits over digital. Weight, price, and durability to name three. A moderate quality, feature sparse film camera can be had for under $50, weighs a couple of ounces, and can survive most punishment you throw at it. A lot of them don't need batteries unless you want to use the flash, offering further weight savings (not to mention 6 months on a thru-hike without having to recharge). On the downside, you have to buy film, carry plenty of it, and pay to have it developed.

Digital cameras are generally heavier than film cameras, there's no getting around that. Up until now, I usually carried a Kodak EasyShare DX4900, at nearly 10 oz. including battery, memory card, and wrist strap. Although I've had excellent results, often comparable to pictures taken with much higher end cameras, I had to keep it in a padded case, waterproof bag, and be extremely careful around sand and wet areas. It is also fairly bulky, and feels uncomfortable in a pocket. The advantages of a digital camera, including holding hundreds of photos, still made it worth it to me over a film camera.

Last week, I decided it was time to replace the aging Kodak with something more suited to the outdoors. I did quite a lot of research online, and narrowed it down to either the Olympus Stylus 850 SW or the Pentax Optio W30. Both cameras came in at roughly the same price, and had a pretty similar feature set. Both are water and dust proof, lightweight (around 5 oz inclusive), and small enough to fit in a pocket.

I went into my local camera store and asked the clerk to help me narrow down my selection to one camera. He suggested that the Olympus had one major advantage: it was shock proof as well as waterproof. Knowing how rough I can be on gear in the outdoors, this sounded like a great feature. I paid the man, came home, and crossed another 5 oz. off my gear list!
In two weeks I head off for a section hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, so I'll be sure to post some photos and a review of the camera when I return.
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1969-12-31, Spring Gear Splurge »»

1969-12-31, Crunch time »»

1969-12-31, Out of Hibernation »»

1969-12-31, Trip Report: Yoho National Park »»

Our search for the sun was successful! On Wednesday morning, Ian and I got on the 9:00am ferry and headed towards the mountains. Because this was a last-minute adventure, we decided to go into familiar territory and headed for Yoho National Park. After a motel stop in Revelstoke, we proceeded early on Thursday morning to the Yoho Information Centre to purchase our park permit and wilderness passes. We asked about some of the backcountry hiking which allowed for "random camping" (no assigned campsites) but were advised that the best hiking was in the Yoho Valley. We chose an itinerary based on this advice, and opted for 3 nights: one night each at Twin Falls, Little Yoho River, and Yoho Lake.

Plans were settled, and we eagerly set off for the short drive up Yoho Valley Road towards Takakkaw Falls. Around 11:00 am, we quickly grabbed our packs and headed up the Yoho River trail. It only took about 5 minutes to leave the tourist-filled parking lot behind, and soon we were in the relative solitude of the Yoho Valley.

T

he hike to Twin Falls is about 8km on well-marked trails. Although this is some of the most accessible, beautiful hiking around, we only saw a couple of day hikers and even fewer backpackers. After an hour, roughly halfway along the Yoho River trail, we passed Laughing Falls which I assume got its name from when I tripped over a root and Ian laughed at me. Another hour later and we were at the Twin Falls campground. No, we didn't both trip over here: this one is actually named for the waterfall that divides into two distinct plumes falling 180 meters (591 feet). We set up camp and had lunch, then put on the daypack and headed up towards the Yoho Glacier.

The trail up to the Glacier begins in a pine forest, but soon opens on an expansive and barren valley and the Yoho River. Panoramic views of the Waputik Icefield, Mt Balfour, Mt Gordon, and Yoho Peak prevail. Hiking up the rock strewn pathway, the trail gets steeper and then scrambled up some rocks beside multiple waterfalls. We explored the waterfalls for a while, scrambling about on the rocks and looking for a safe place to safely cross a small branch of the river to continue on the trail. As it was getting late in the afternoon, the river was fairly wide, and we didn't feel comfortable with jumping the distance and risking a twisted ankle. After a bit more exploring, we started back towards camp. A father and son went by, in a rush to avoid what they predicted was an impending storm. They mentioned that it was just a "hop" across the river, but we still opted for safety and continued back to camp. The "storm" never materialized, so we spent the rest of the evening relaxing by the river with a book and plenty to eat.

Day two was to take us to the Little Yoho campsite. Heading out of camp, the trail takes you to the base of Twin Falls for some fantastic views, then punishes you for them by heading straight up to the top of the Falls. Well, not quite straight -- there's plenty of switchbacks. Once at the top of the Falls we stopped for lunch and took many photographs of the valley down below. Thankfully, the ruggedness of this trail keeps the majority of tourists away, so the steep cliffs are accessible without the usual blight of guard rails, fences, and warning signs. Common sense keeps you at a reasonable distance, while allowing for an unimpeded view for hundreds of miles.

Once we crossed over the top of Twin Falls, the trail continued to climb for a bit to the top of Whaleback (7250 ft.) A few more photos, and we headed down the much-steeper switchbacks towards the Little Yoho River. We both agreed that coming up from this direction would have been much harder. About 7km from where we started, we arrived at a junction and headed up the Little Yoho River trail. This 5km trail went through a mostly forested area with beautiful meadows and stream crossings until arriving at the Little Yoho campground. We set up camp and had lunch, then freshened up in the ice-cold river.

I was still full of energy at this point, so I decided to head up the 4km trail to Kiwetinok Pass. Ian was feeling his age and opted to stay at camp and guard the coffee. I grabbed some water and a snack then headed up the trail. After about 10 minutes I arrived at an unmarked 3-way junction. David, a gentleman we had met at the previous campsite, had been exploring the area and said the right-hand fork looked like the one to the pass, so off I went. A couple of easy river crossings were required, then playtime was over. The trail went straight up, and then got steeper. I was in full spirits, and practically jogged up the next few kilometers. After one false summit, I crested a second ridge and was rewarded with a small, deep-blue lake of stunning clarity. I took a short break and splashed about in the frigid water, then sprinted up the final section of trail to the top of the pass. Absolutely stunning views in all directions took my breath away, and I cursed myself for forgetting my camera. Luckily David came to the rescue and sent me some great photos, including the one at the top of this paragraph. He also advised me that the

I eventually tore myself away from the top of the world, and bounced down the trail past a few other hikers, practically beaming with contentment. When I got back to camp, I tried not to gush too much about the trail to Ian as I knew he had a hard time saying no to the hike. He made the right choice though, and didn't take a risk that could have made the rest of the trip less enjoyable.

Saturday morning, we awoke to another clear day, and started the trek towards Yoho Lake. After a few kilometers in the forest, we reached the junction to the Iceline Trail. This popular trail follows a ridge just below the Emerald Glacier, and winds through a boulder-strewn landscape replete with small lakes, ice patches, and creeks. Views of Takakkaw Falls and the Daly Glacier proved irresistible to our cameras. We passed dozens of dayhikers equally dazzled by the sights, exhausted after their climb from the valley below. After about 6km on the Iceline Trail, we turned back into the trees toward Yoho Lake.

Emerging into the campground and picnic area at Yoho Lake was a little surreal. A very popular dayhiking spot, the lake front was filled with screaming children, dogs, and guided tour groups. I knew they had all made a long, steep hike to get there, so I didn't begrudge them for intruding on my solitude. We scouted out the available campsites, and found one by the lake with a couple just packing up ready to leave. Rather than hover over them, we retreated back to the main beach area to relax and put our feet up. When the couple still hadn't left after an hour, we settled for a spot in the trees. The lakefront spot probably was probably too close to the water anyway.

After setting up camp, we started to head towards Yoho Pass and Emerald Lake. Once over the pass it was 4km straight down to Emerald Lake, and we were a bit hesitant to hike that far down and end our day with a long uphill hike. I felt suddenly very clammy and sweaty, and really wanted to go back to Yoho Lake for a swim. We abandoned our hike and headed back to the campsite, which was now deserted. I took the opportunity to don the special swimsuit given to me at birth, and jumped in the glacier-fed lake. The water was a bit warmer than the rivers at the other campsites, and I managed to cleanse myself without risking hypothermia.

After my swim, we noticed black thunderheads racing towards us over Wapta Mountain. The air thickened, then shook with thunder. We quickly strung up our small siltarp and had dinner under the shelter while the heavens opened up for an hour-long deluge. Goretex laden campers hurried in from their various explorations and sought the shelter of their tents. It seems we were the only ones who have discovered the 4 oz. siltarp. I wonder if my sudden need to abandon our hike was my body's spidey-sense tingling and detecting the coming storm long before my eyes did? Maybe I'll get a job as a meteorologist. Or a superhero. Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a Weatherman!

I digress. The storm passed and everyone emerged from the nylon cocoons. The rest of the evening was spent reading, relaxing, and chatting with our new friends Barry and oh-I'm-so-bad-with-names. If you're reading this, please forgive my ignorance, you know what we all smoke out here in BC. And mom, I know you read my blog, I'm just kidding. (Edit: Barry and Jennifer sent me an email too!)

Sunday morning we awoke early and quickly packed up camp. It was a short 4km hike back to the car, and we knew we could make the 9:00pm ferry if we didn't dawdle. Just as we put our packs on it started to drizzle. Hiking in the rain is fine, but I'm glad we didn't have to pack up in it. 45 minutes later we were in the car, and headed into Field to have breakfast at the Truffle Pigs Cafe. With casual service, excellent coffee, and a small but tasty menu, Truffle Pigs is an adventure in itself. Allow for an hour or so as it's usually busy, but there's plenty of knickknacks and distractions to pass the time.

The drive home was long and uneventful, an although we got to the ferry terminal at 6:45, there was a two-sailing wait so we were on the 9:00 sailing anyway. The buffet made the crossing bearable, and shortly before midnight I was home to a warm shower and soft bed.

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1969-12-31, Change of plans »»

1969-12-31, 5-day Menu »»

1969-12-31, Preparing Food »»

A friend of mine is heading up to hike the Cape Scott Trail this month, and she recently called me to get some ideas for meals. Good timing, as I'm up to my eyeballs in preparing food for next week's West Coast Trail hike.

I have a few goals in mind when I start preparing a meal list: weight, nutritional value, taste, and shelf life. I like to make a lot of my meals from scratch, using recipes from Lipsmackin' Backpackin, the Web, or my imagination. I know when I make the meals myself that they will be healthy, satisfying, and chemical-free. Unfortunately, sometimes that's just not what I crave on the trail, so I will augment my menu with a few commercial freeze dried meals, energy bars, and snacks. Currently about 75% of my food is homemade.

So, the first step is to calculate how many days and nights you plan to be on the trail, and from there figure out how many of each meal you will need. For this upcoming trip, I have determined that I will need 5 breakfasts, 5 snacks, 6 lunches, 6 bags of trailmix (gorp), and 5 dinners. We're planning to spend 4 nights on the trail, but weather and timing means 5 nights is just as likely. Normally I would bring an extra emergency meal, but instead I will take a bit of cash and perhaps enjoy a meal at Chez Monique's (photo), or some fresh crab or salmon at the Nitnat ferry.

Once quantities are calculated, I will grab a pad of paper and make a chart with the headings of breakfast, snacks, lunch, gorp, and dinner. Under each heading I will create a numbered line up to the quantity of each meal needed (ie, 5 lines for breakfast). I will then proceed to populate the chart with meals as I prepare or buy them.

The next step for me is to go through all the meals and make a shopping list for ingredients. This usually requires visiting a health food store, grocery store, and outfitter. Then, I will prepare all of the ingredients that require dehydrating, and load up my dehydrator. This often takes a couple of days so I try to start a few weeks in advance. While dehydrating, I will start preparing the meals that don't require dehydrated ingredients, but may require dehydrating once prepared. Between stages, I store all dried ingredients in the freezer to maximize shelf life and make them easier to chop in the blender.

The next few days are spent baking, mixing, and generally making a mess of the kitchen. Eventually, I will have a bunch of Ziploc bags full of tasty meals. Each bag gets a masking tape label with the meal name, preparation instructions, and another label with any ingredients I need to add before I leave, such as cheese. If a meal is in multiple bags I will label them with "1 of 3","2 of 3" etc. Once each meal is completed, I will put a checkmark beside it on my chart.

A few days before my hike, most meals should be checked off the list, and any prepackaged meals added to fill in any blanks. When buying prepackaged meals, I look for those with the least amount of chemicals, and make sure they don't require long simmering times or the addition of special ingredients. A paper pouch is also nice as it can be burned in a camp fire. For my Ziploc meals, I will bring the tempty bags home, wash them, and use them again.

Now it's time to load up the pack. Typically I've always put a day's worth of food in one large Ziploc, and label the bag "Monday" or "Day 1", for example. For next week's West Coast Trail trip, I am going to try a slightly different system. As we don't know what time or day we will be starting (we don't have a permit reserved) I am just going to load all the breakfasts in one bag, lunches in another, and so on. This way, if we start early or late I can quickly add or remove items and leave them in the car. Another potential benefit of this method is I can have some choice in meals each day and not force myself to eat something I'm not craving that particular day. It will also let me choose meals according to the weather and schedule: a hot breakfast on a cold day, or cold cereal on a morning we're racing to catch a low tide. Meals with longer preparation times can be used on days we decide to stop early.

In my next post, I will share my specific meal plan, along with weights and approximate nutritional information.
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1969-12-31, Book Review: Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook »»

1969-12-31, Henry Shires Tarptent »»

I got my new Henry Shires Tarptent in the mail yesterday. I will write a field report once I test it out, but for now here's a preview.

Based on conversations with Tarptent owners on the TLB Forums I decided to go with the Double Rainbow. I wanted a 2-person, lightweight shelter that could be set up with minimal amount of staking. The Double Rainbow fits the bill perfectly, as it is free-standing (with the use of two trekking poles) or can be staked out for more versatility.

The included instructions were a little bit confusing to start with, but in the end the setup was fast and straight forward. One long shock-corded pole is threaded through a sleeve, and inserted into a grommet at each end. The poles then sit on top of the extended trekking poles that lie horizontally on the ground, and are secured in place by velcro tabs. Four cords are then attached to the ends of the poles to secure the floor, completing the setup. In ideal conditions this should only take 2 or 3 minutes, but I can see needing two people and a bit of fiddling in windy/rainy conditions.

I was expecting to feel more exposed inside, considering this is a "tarp tent" rather than a tent, but the name is deceiving. The entire exterior can be pulled down and secured, resulting in a seemingly bombproof enclosure, but with a quick reconfigure can be ventilated, opened up to create "beaks" or vestibules, and an array of other configurations to suit the terrain and conditions.

Of course, the best part about the Double Rainbow is the weight. 2.5 pounds for a two-man shelter is fantastic! My current tent, the MEC Merganser, with groundsheet, comes closer to 8 pounds, so this is a significant reduction. This means my hiking partner and I can each lower our pack weights by nearly 3 pounds.

My next trip is the West Coast Trail in August, and I'm a bit apprehensive of taking the Tarptent into such wet, rugged conditions on its first outing. I had hoped to get it last weekend when I did a one-nighter on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail with my brother, but unfortunately Canada Customs decided they needed 9 days (and $11.27) to determine that the tent wasn't made from cocaine. Perhaps some backyard camping with the sprinkler on will serve as a test. Stay tuned for updates!
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1969-12-31, Lightweight Tip of the Week: Condiment Packets »»

1969-12-31, JDF Marine Trail Part II »»

This Sunday Ian and I hiked the section of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail that we didn't complete on our annual May hike. We started at Sombrio beach at 10:00am and hiked roughly 20km to Botanical Beach, arriving around 4:00.

Although an anjoyable hike, this section definately pales in comparison to the rest of the trail. Once you're past Sombrio, the hiking is predominantly away from the beach, and follows a muddy path through clearcuts and spindly second- and third-growth forests. Campy signage spin a tale about the benefits of modern logging practices, while a barren, ugly landscape reveals the truth. Even the crew responsible for trail maintenance has forsaken this area, and the trail is choked with Salal and other dense growth. Mud bogs, although dryer than in May, get deeper and wider every year, with no attempts at drainage, diverters, or boardwalks. As evidenced in the picture above, damaged areas are left for hikers to navigate around, further destroying the area. In one area, so many people mistook an unsigned turn that a side trail was almost as well travelled as the main trail. On the plus side, this wrong turn took us down to a previously unknown beach for lunch. A bit of scouting revealed the correct trail hiding behind a tree and some trail debris.

About 8 miles from Botanical Beach the scenery improves somewhat, with a slightly older second-growth forest and a trail replete with boardwalks for the benefit of day-hikers venturing forth from their SUVs. Those wishing to escape the forest doldrum can hike much of the distance on an incredible sea shelf, with frequent wildlife sightings (we saw several bears having a mussel buffet), tidal pools, huge crashing waves, and plenty of stunning vistas.

Closer-still to Botanical there are several secluded pebble beaches ideal for a final rest before the climb up to the parking lot. The hike was followed by a tasty dinner at Mulligans in Sooke, which offers a surprisingly diverse menu and affordable microbrews on tap.
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1969-12-31, Twig Stove »»

1969-12-31, Another rescue »»

About.com Walking

2011-06-06, When a Cause Gets Personal »»

2011-06-04, It's National Trails Day - Made with All Natural Ingredients »»

2011-06-03, Walkmeter iPhone App Review »»

2011-06-01, Log Your Walks on Our Walking Forum »»

2011-05-31, Kids - No Energy Drinks, Rarely Need Sports Drinks »»

2011-05-30, Scales to Track Your Progress »»

2011-05-30, Would You Wear Odd-Looking Walking Shoes? »»

2011-05-28, What's Making Us Fat - Sitting at Work »»

2011-05-26, Brisk Walking May Help Stop Prostate Cancer Progression »»

2011-05-25, 10 Most Dangerous Cities for Walking »»

2011-05-25, Take the National Walking Survey »»

2011-05-24, Shawna Didn't Let it Stop Her - Stress Urinary Incontinence »»

2011-05-23, To Walk More - Make Walking Friends »»

2011-05-20, World Nordic Walking Day Coming Sunday, May 22 »»

2011-05-19, Training for a Long Distance Walk »»

2011-05-17, Used Home Gyms and Treadmills - Trash to Treasure »»

2011-05-16, Do May Flowers Get You Out Walking? »»

2011-05-13, Traveling With a Walking Stick or Poles »»

2011-05-12, Walk About Magazine »»

2011-05-11, Consumer Reports Rates Diet Plans - Jenny Craig Wins »»

2011-05-09, Few People Know How Many Calories They Burn Per Day »»

2011-05-06, Designed for Walking, Not Long Runs? »»

2011-05-04, Exercise Helps Diabetes Control »»

2011-05-03, Top 10 Active Family Activities for Spring »»

GeoPalz Pedometer It's time to get outdoors with your kids and do something active together. Here are 10 great ideas from the pedometer people at GeoPalz.com.

Pick-up kickball game - Throw out some makeshift bases and get to kicking! Everyone will gets lots of action running, kicking, fielding and cheering. How to Play Kickball
Beachside scavenger hunt - If you are headed to the beach, go beyond sandcastle building and tanning. Hide sand toys or tokens around your beach site. Then the race is on to dig and find the most of them first.
Jump rope competition - Every player grabs a jump rope and hops as many times as possible in a two-minute interval. You can use a pedometer like GeoPalz (Compare Prices) to track your activity.
Build a fort - This was my favorite outdoors projects as a kid. Use old sheets over tree limbs and pretend it's a tent. Eat dinner there, stay up and tell ghost stories and listen to night sounds and try to identify them. Keep a kid-sized headlamp handy like the Bug Eye Headlight (Compare Prices) so you don't trip in the dark.
Grow an edible garden - Encourage your kids to plant seeds such as tomatoes and herbs like parsley, thyme, coriander and basil. If you want quick success, radishes are hard to do wrong and you'll be putting them on a salad in no time. Gardening is not only a creative activity, it is also great exercise with digging, carrying water, hoeing and more. As the garden grows, plan your salads and dishes around what is fresh from the garden. Gardening with Your Kids
Car Wash - We used to compete over who got to wash grandma's car. Park your car in the driveway, and let your kids wash it with a pot of water and sponge. Get the whole family involved and wash two cars. Make it a race for a little friendly competition. How to Wash Your Car
Geocaching - Go treasure hunting! Adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices play geocaching all over the world. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online (www.geocaching.com).
Bug Safari - Search for insects and other creepy-crawlers such as worms, lizards, frogs or tadpoles. Keep track of your findings with a notebook and/or camera and at the end, tally up who found the most to see who wins. Insects 101
Relays - Set up a Neighborhood Relay to get all of the kids in the neighborhood to log their pedometer steps. You may want to set up weekly rewards for the most steps, with a larger prize each month and a grand prize at the end of the summer.
Camping - Find a local campsite and spend the weekend exploring the outdoors. Go for a hike, roller-blade, throw a Frisbee or fly a kite.

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Welcome to All Great Walks !