Hiking Brunswick Mountain
You can download my GPX or KML files for use in your own GPS trackers or mapping tools.
Brunswick Mountain is the tallest peak in the North Shore Mountains at 1788m and has a panoramic view of Howe Sound and other popular peaks including the Lions. My Garmin told me I climbed 1561m over a 17 km round trip with grades over 40%, which made for a long day. The effort is worth it in the end though, it's not often you get to look down on Mt. Harvey, Sky Pilot, the Lions, and everything else around. The hike starts at the end of Sunset Drive in Lions Bay, but there are only a handful of parking spaces and this is the trailhead for several popular hikes. It's pay parking and they will ticket you. Nothing is free these days, not even hiking.
The 2D profile for the hike is shown below. It gets progressively more steep as you go.
The trail gets into dense coastal forest immediately. I took a different route up on the lower slopes than I did coming back (see map above), and it was steeper so I don't necessarily recommend that section of trail. I did find an old truck frame though which is slowly sinking into the forest.
From the initial section of gravel trail you will come to the route marker showing the way to the Lions and to Brunswick. Don't miss the marker otherwise you are climbing the Lions. The way to Brunswick is narrow and over grown, easy to miss. Once on the Brunswick trail you start climbing through the forest with only slugs to see. The trail never seems to end and around every corner is just more of the same. New views at all, you just have to get through it.
As I was hiking I started to encounter fog/clouds and I was worried that the summit might be in cloud cover but I pressed on hoping for the best.
The trees eventually start to thin out but the trail gets even steeper from this point.
After more climbing, you start to see the first views through the trees. You have already gained significant elevation by this point, but there is plenty ahead.
You will come to an intersection with the Howe Sound Crest Trail and there are makers on several trees. You can head left to Brunswick Lake, Hanover Lake, or Deeks Lake. To the right is Mount Harvey, the Lions, and eventually Cypress. Straight ahead (and up) is Brunswick, it should be somewhat obvious at this point.
The trail isn't always obvious, but there are orange markers to help lead the way.
The views are starting to get good though, making the effort easier.
The last section of the climb is steep and sometimes loose.
You will reach a plateau where you can finally see over the mountain, but the true summit is just to the right.
Some views before the final summit push.
The summit is actually three separate peaks. This is peak 1 (which you can see in on the map at the top).
If you want to try and tackle the other two peaks it is possible without any special gear. This view doesn't show it clearly but there is a definite gap between all three peaks with the gap between the first and second being the most tricky. Obviously a mistake here has high consequences so I don't recommend it unless you are comfortable with such hiking.
The gully between the first and second peaks. It's a long way down.
The approach to the second summit is a bit sketchy. I'm not a fan of heights and I just mad sure not to look down too much.
Once on the second peak, you will find some remnants of a structure that is now a bench. You can see the view back to the first peak here as well.
Final push to the third peak.
The third and what seems like the highest peak of the three. Standing on the highest point in the north shore, which is a very cool feeling.
It's a harsh life for the plants and animals up here.
Hikers on the first peak. Don't want to slip here.
Some final views from the summit, then the long road home.
Mount Harvey in the valley, Lions in the distance, Howe Sound to the right.
Ucluelet Vacation
In early October my wife and I decided to visit Ucluelet, BC. It had been too many years since I made a visit to the 'real' west coast of BC. I forgot how beautiful and how close it is. From Vancouver it is only 200Km plus a 1.5 hour ferry ride. The weather was truly amazing, it was unseasonably warm for October and we made the most of it. At night it got quite cold but during the day it was in the mid 20's and sunny. I wore shorts, t shirt, and sandals, we couldn't ask for better weather.
On the way to Ucluelet, we stopped at a river to let the dogs have a break and enjoy some time out of the truck. Cedric immediately ran into the water and started to pull out sticks.
Jammie almost took our her eye by running through the forest.
Then she did her best impression of a wolverine.
We also stopped along one of my favorite spots along the drive. Here the river (I can't remember the name, if anyone can help please post in the comments) cuts into the bedrock leaving deep green pools and amazing formations. It is a busy spot in the summer, but now there was almost no one there.
Once we arrived in Ucluelet, we went to our condo which was fantastic. Located right on Big Beach and near the Black Rock Ucluelet Resort facing west for a fantastic sunset view.
Upstairs, Katie immediately took advantage of the chaise to relax.
I also managed to lure a resident blue jay in for a photo with some crackers.
The first night we were there, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. I find that sunsets over the open ocean are often amazing and I have seen them from several spots in the world. With no obstructions and a completely flat horizon you have the most vibrant colors.
A few minutes later. The contrast between blue and orange is great.
Katie and I spent a lot of time at Florencia Bay, it was a 20 minute walk to get there but we usually had the beach to ourselves. It is a nice walk through the forest and we saw a ton of different types of mushrooms so we dubbed Ucluelet the 'mushroom capital of BC'. Here are a few of them.
These are some of the best mushrooms to eat, I grew up collecting these with my family. Common name is the Saffron milk cap (genus: Lactarius).
No idea what this is, but looks like fungus so I'm throwing it in. If anyone can help identify it please post in the comments.
There were more, but I would just fill up this post mushroom photos. At the trail head to Florencia Bay, there was a funny sign. I guess you if you are going to deface a sign you have to do it right and in both languages.
Once on the beach, the dogs could run around and we could walk for ages and not see anyone else. There was bull kelp all over the place and the dogs loved to play with it.
I also found that it was hard to take a good photo of the waves.
The second night, I decided to venture out on the rocks at Big Beach for some sunset photos.
Also took a long exposure shot using a neutral density filter. I definitely need more practice with this, but it does give the water an interesting texture.
On my way back to the condo, I saw a couple of black tailed deer in the parking lot of the condo complex. They didn't seem to be too scared so I watched them for a few minutes.
One morning, I decided to try and photograph a sunrise instead of a sunset. I went to the lighthouse at the south end of the peninsula, it's near the Tofino MCTS Centre but it's actually in Ucluelet (go figure). This was taken just before the sun came up over the horizon. I was the only one there, very peaceful and quiet.
Shortly after the sun came up over the horizon.
Soon after the sun came up, another photographer joined me and said he could see a whale off shore. After a few minutes of looking, I did see a humpback whale breaching in the distance. I tried to get some photos, but it was just too far away to get a decent shot. Not long after this sighting, a gray whale came cruising by much closer to shore. Having seen two whales that day, I decided to check into a whale watching tour.
On the way to Tofino, we stopped at Long Beach. It was a foggy morning so we didn't stay long. I think other beaches in the area are much nicer but this is popular with the surf crowd.
Katie and I decided to go out with a tour company in Tofino. We did try to find a humpback but were unable to do so. However, we did get very close to two gray whales feeding. A great experience.
A rainbow created by the spout of a gray whale.
Considering how big these animals are, they are very graceful in the water. Even the giant tail fluke barely makes a splash as it sinks below the surface.
One more walk on the beach, here Katie is enjoying the sunshine and solitude with the dogs. It turned out to be one of my favorite photos from the trip.
We had a beautiful sunset every night we were there but the last one was the best. Clouds always make a sunset more interesting and colorful, this one was taken from our condo.
Tim Hortons Small Town Drive Through
You know you're in a small town when...
In early July my wife and I were driving through Quesnel, BC and I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I made her turn around and go back so I could capture something you are only going to see in a small town. Lucky for me I had my camera with me, and could take some photos of a guy in the drive through with his horse. I took a second to talk with him, he was riding the horse at fist but decided to walk him through thinking he will get better service. He was also having a hard time getting them to take his order, speculating his horse wasn't setting off the sensors. Regardless, it was an interesting encounter.
Photo: Sunset in Ucluelet, BC, Canada
Sunset at the edge of the continent. Taken in Uclulet, British Columbia in early October 2012. My wife and I stayed in Uclulet for a few days and were treated to great weather and fantastic sunsets every day we were there. The best sunset was the last one as some clouds rolled in and made the sky light up. The best sunsets always seem to be over the ocean, I’m just glad I was there to see it and capture the moment.
Photo: Pacific Sunset
Sunset at the edge of the continent. Taken in Uclulet, British Columbia in early October 2012. My wife and I stayed in Uclulet for a few days and were treated to great weather and fantastic sunsets every day we were there. The best sunset was the last one as some clouds rolled in and made the sky light up. The best sunsets always seem to be over the ocean, I'm just glad I was there to see it and capture the moment.
Photo: Great Blue Heron in Brackendale, BC
While waiting for a shot of the local bald eagles, I managed to get this shot of a Great Blue Heron in Brackendale, BC.
Photo: Juvenile Bald Eagle In Brackendale, BC
Photo of a juvenile bald eagle taken in Brackendale, BC. There are a ton of bald eagles around in the winter months here, they eat the dying salmon who have finished spawning.