🚀 go-pugleaf

As an avid vancouver hiker I can tell you that what falls as rain here in
the city is snow up in the mountains.  Almost all the mountain trails are
impassable from November until April however snowshoeing is rather popular.
Your other option is to hike a low elevation trail like the famous West
Coast Trail, it is available all year.

David Crowe

Alan Sausse wrote in message <6vdtap$52q$1@barcode.tesco.net>...
>I have been offered a very cheap flight to anywhere in Canada from London.
>The price is �100 return (US$170, C$250) which is very very cheap indeed,
as
>I am sure you can see.  I have to take the flights between 11/1/99 and
>10/2/99.
>
>I went to Vancouver in winter a few years ago and loved the place.  I'd
like
>to go back and one thing I'd really like to do is to explore some of the
>country around Vancouver and/or Vancouver Island.
>
>Question 1: any suggestions as to where would be a good place to go?
>Question 2: am I barking mad to want to go hiking in Canada in the middle
of
>winter?  I do know that the climate around Vancouver is fairly "British",
>i.e. the winters aren't particularly cold (I wouldn't be going hiking in
>Winnipeg in January) but that there's a lot of rainfall so it could be dull
>and damp even if I don't risk extreme cold.
>
>Has anyone had any similar experiences that they would like to share with
>me?  I'd be very interested.
>
>If it really is a stupid idea then I'll just go skiing in Whistler for a
>week.  It's a hard life, isn't it?
>
>If you are able to reply to me personally as well as by e-mail I would be
>very grateful.
>
>Thanks.
>
>AS.
>
>

David,

Thanks for the advice.  Do you have any details of the West Coast Trail -
any websites with any info?

I have the Lonely Planet guide which mentions it briefly.

Worth a trip?

Also: another reply warned me of La Nina and the possibility of a very
severe winter.  Do you know anything about this?

Alan.

David Crowe wrote in message ...
>As an avid vancouver hiker I can tell you that what falls as rain here in
>the city is snow up in the mountains.  Almost all the mountain trails are
>impassable from November until April however snowshoeing is rather popular.
>Your other option is to hike a low elevation trail like the famous West
>Coast Trail, it is available all year.
>
>David Crowe
>
>Alan Sausse wrote in message <6vdtap$52q$1@barcode.tesco.net>...
>>I have been offered a very cheap flight to anywhere in Canada from London.
>>The price is �100 return (US$170, C$250) which is very very cheap indeed,
>as
>>I am sure you can see.  I have to take the flights between 11/1/99 and
>>10/2/99.
>>
>>I went to Vancouver in winter a few years ago and loved the place.  I'd
>like
>>to go back and one thing I'd really like to do is to explore some of the
>>country around Vancouver and/or Vancouver Island.
>>
>>Question 1: any suggestions as to where would be a good place to go?
>>Question 2: am I barking mad to want to go hiking in Canada in the middle
>of
>>winter?  I do know that the climate around Vancouver is fairly "British",
>>i.e. the winters aren't particularly cold (I wouldn't be going hiking in
>>Winnipeg in January) but that there's a lot of rainfall so it could be
dull
>>and damp even if I don't risk extreme cold.
>>
>>Has anyone had any similar experiences that they would like to share with
>>me?  I'd be very interested.
>>
>>If it really is a stupid idea then I'll just go skiing in Whistler for a
>>week.  It's a hard life, isn't it?
>>
>>If you are able to reply to me personally as well as by e-mail I would be
>>very grateful.
>>
>>Thanks.
>>
>>AS.
>>
>>
>
>

David,

Thanks for the advice.  Two questions:

(i) do you have any info about the West Coast trail?  (Or a URL)
(ii) Do you know anything about La Nina?  Should I worry?

Regards,

Alan.

David Crowe wrote in message ...
>As an avid vancouver hiker I can tell you that what falls as rain here in
>the city is snow up in the mountains.  Almost all the mountain trails are
>impassable from November until April however snowshoeing is rather popular.
>Your other option is to hike a low elevation trail like the famous West
>Coast Trail, it is available all year.
>
>David Crowe

I'll answer the second part first.  La Nina is suppose to bring on heavier
snowfall this winter - that remains to be seen - El Nino was blamed for just
about every weather related anomoly last year so I don't put too much faith
in such things.  As long as I've lived in Vancouver the most snow I have
ever seen was last December and it lasted a total of about four days.  On
average we get about two snowfalls a year and the snow barely lasts a full
day.  What we do get is rain and the West Coast of the Island is one of the
rainiest spots on earth regardless of the time of year so even if it does
rain more this year I doubt you will notice.  That being said I should
clarify a few things, the West Coast trail itself is a week long gruelling
trail, not to be attempted by anyone without the proper gear and experience.
However it is just one part of Pacific Rim National Park and there are many
other less difficult options.  Frankly I find the West Coast trail is a bit
overated, the scenery is beautiful but there is an abundance of great
scenery on the Island and across the water at Olympic National Park in
Washington.  Of the two I have hiked the Olympic Penisula more often because
the $100 cost of a round trip ferry ride to Vancouver Island.  I don't know
of any specific web page but I know both governments host their own National
Park web sites which can be easily found using a search engine.  In addition
literally hundreds of local bed & breakfasts, hotels, tour operators etc
have web pages devoted to this area.  I'll leave it at that I don't know
specifically what you want/expect to see or how you plan to spend your days
so I can't help you much more plus I'm from the lower mainland not the
Island so I'm not really an expert on that area.  Good Luck & Enjoy Canada

David Crowe
dckb@direct.ca

NO SPAM PLEASE!

Alan Sausse wrote in message <6vdtap$52q$1@barcode.tesco.net>...

>I have been offered a very cheap flight to anywhere in Canada from London.
>The price is �100 return (US$170, C$250) which is very very cheap indeed,
>as I am sure you can see.  I have to take the flights between 11/1/99 and
>10/2/99.
>
>I went to Vancouver in winter a few years ago and loved the place.  I'd
>like to go back and one thing I'd really like to do is to explore some of >the country around Vancouver and/or Vancouver Island.
>
>Question 1: any suggestions as to where would be a good place to go?
>Question 2: am I barking mad to want to go hiking in Canada in the middle
>of
>winter?  I do know that the climate around Vancouver is fairly "British",
>i.e. the winters aren't particularly cold (I wouldn't be going hiking in
>Winnipeg in January) but that there's a lot of rainfall so it could be dull
>and damp even if I don't risk extreme cold.
>
>Has anyone had any similar experiences that they would like to share with
>me?  I'd be very interested.
>
>If it really is a stupid idea then I'll just go skiing in Whistler for a
>week.  It's a hard life, isn't it?
>
>If you are able to reply to me personally as well as by e-mail I would be
>very grateful.


"David Crowe" <dckb@direct.ca> replied:
>As an avid vancouver hiker I can tell you that what falls as rain here in
>the city is snow up in the mountains.  Almost all the mountain trails are
>impassable from November until April however snowshoeing is rather popular.
>Your other option is to hike a low elevation trail like the famous West
>Coast Trail, it is available all year.

To quantify "snow up in the mountains": The snowline gets down to about 
1000' in winter in the Sooke Hills west of Victoria. I often see snow on the 
hills when it's just raining in town, and there's often snow at Malahat 
summit overlook (1100') when it's simply wet down below on Saanich Inlet.

Also, the coldest average temperatures occur during the last two weeks of 
January and the first two weeks of February, just when you can get your 
cheap flight (if I read your dates correctly as dd/m/yy). It usually isn't 
all *that* cold, unless we get a big blast of arctic air over the Cascades 
from the interior of the continent. Look on the weather maps for high 
pressure systems over Alaska or Yukon as a forewarning of coastal cold 
snaps.

Personally, I'd say that you could happily hike along the eastern edge of 
Vancouver Island from Victoria north. It's rather built up -- you'd be 
going through rural and farming communities -- but that means that you are 
never far from warmth and food and a hot bath. You really don't want to go 
out in the bush by yourself; if you slip on a log and break a leg, you will 
be stuck and no one may find your remains for a long time...every so often 
someone stumbles across a skull or human bones just a few yards from a 
well-travelled trail...

The "dull and damp" of the coast is, btw, just as dangerous as Winnipeg's 
extreme cold, if not moreso because the clueless think "oh it's not very 
cold today" and don't dress carefully enough. You can die from hypothermia 
at 40F quite easily, esp. if your clothes are damp or wet. If you decide on 
a winter walking tour, I'd urge you to dress for dryness as well as warmth, 
and don't plan on sleeping in a tent. Plan a route that has a motel room 
waiting for you each evening. 

HTH

-- 
Rodger Whitlock

"Alan Sausse" <Alan.Sausse@tesco.net> wrote:

>David,
>
>Thanks for the advice.  Do you have any details of the West Coast Trail -
>any websites with any info?
>
>David Crowe wrote in message ...
>>Your other option is to hike a low elevation trail like the famous West
>>Coast Trail, it is available all year.
>

The West Coast Trail is theoretically hikeable year-round, however
1) During the winter months, expect torrential downpours and washouts to
make the storms on the west coasts of Scotland and Wales look like sunny
summer days. A weather station nearby holds several North American records
for daily and annual rainfall. Most of it falls in the winter.
2) Unless you bring along your own boat, and are expert in navigating the
local waterways, you will have to arrange crossings of the Nitinat Narrows
and the Port San Juan bay. Neither are swimmable, jumpable or wadeable in
the best of conditions. Hikers are carried across these crossings by
locals, and these services do not operate off-season.
3) You will be very lonely. No support or assistance.
3) For reasons including the above, Parks Canada, if not actually
forbidding it, strongly advises that you do not hike the trail in the
winter months.

Come in the summer and do it. Highly recommended. I did it in July 1992 and
had a day and a half of rain, followed by five days of perfect sun. If you
try and do it in the winter, you'll be lucky if it doesn't rain for every
minute you're out there.

In the winter, an option may be to try the Juan de Fuca trail nearer
Victoria. Sort of a "light" version of the WCT, day hikes are possible,
even using Victoria as a base, and there are multiple entry points. 


Bill in Vancouver
(delete EAT-SPAM-AND-DIE
from e-mail address to respond)

On Tue, 6 Oct 1998 20:57:04 +0100, "Alan Sausse"
<Alan.Sausse@tesco.net> wrote:
LOL,,hiking in winnipeg in january !!!!! very bad idea,,believe me
>I have been offered a very cheap flight to anywhere in Canada from London.
>The price is �100 return (US$170, C$250) which is very very cheap indeed, as
>I am sure you can see.  I have to take the flights between 11/1/99 and
>10/2/99.
>
>I went to Vancouver in winter a few years ago and loved the place.  I'd like
>to go back and one thing I'd really like to do is to explore some of the
>country around Vancouver and/or Vancouver Island.
>
>Question 1: any suggestions as to where would be a good place to go?
>Question 2: am I barking mad to want to go hiking in Canada in the middle of
>winter?  I do know that the climate around Vancouver is fairly "British",
>i.e. the winters aren't particularly cold (I wouldn't be going hiking in
>Winnipeg in January) but that there's a lot of rainfall so it could be dull
>and damp even if I don't risk extreme cold.
>
>Has anyone had any similar experiences that they would like to share with
>me?  I'd be very interested.
>
>If it really is a stupid idea then I'll just go skiing in Whistler for a
>week.  It's a hard life, isn't it?
>
>If you are able to reply to me personally as well as by e-mail I would be
>very grateful.
>
>Thanks.
>
>AS.
>
>