BikeHike 15 Year Anniversary Adventure - Highlights from the Ground

Well our 15 year anniversary West Coast Mountain Madness in beautiful British Columbia http://www.bikehike.com/canada/09/ has come to a conclusion and it was a raging success.

We were a full group, 13 people in total. We had 8 single women, 3 single guys and one couple on their honeymoon. That was Freddi Triback on her 9th BikeHike Adventure. Everyone was between the ages of 29 and 55 with most in their 30's and 40's. Almost everyone in the group were repeat clients, besides 4 new BikeHikers and by the sounds of it, they're now hooked as well. Almost everyone was from the US, scattered from different states and there were 2 local Canadians, one from BC and the other Ontario.

Firstly, we were incredibly fortunate to have an amazing week of weather. We couldn't have asked for a better week. The temperatures were approximately 30'C (80'F) for the full week with only two short blasts of rain. We're having a very hot and dry summer here on the West Coast of Canada.

We started the adventure with a bang on day one with a glute burning hike up the famous Grouse Grind. The Grind is Vancouver's most popular trail, otherwise known as a stairmaster, that challenges hikers to ascent 850 metres to the summit in a 3 kms stretch. Many athletic Vancouverites do the Grind on a weekly or daily basis before or after work for their workouts. The average time to make it to the summit is 1.30 hours. The BikeHikers ranged from times between 1.05 to 1.30 hours, pretty amazing considering many of them had just flown in from the east coast that day and were 3 hours behind and dealing with jet-lag.

Early the next morning we traveled by BC Ferries to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. We got picked up at the ferry terminal by Rob, our local Vancouver Island guide, who had all of our hybrid bikes ready for us. He'd even put little stickies on each bike with our names. From here, donned in cycling gear, we rode 20 miles/32 kms along the Lochside and the Galloping Goose Trails, all the way to Victoria Harbour. It was a great ride, and we didn't have to use a motorized vehicle to reach our destination.

Later in the afternoon we had the chance to paddle sea kayaks in the Victoria harbour. It's a busy harbour with a float plane terminal and lots of yachts and ships. It's a busy and vibrant harbour, and you must constantly be aware of what's going on around you. At one point we heard a load alarm, resembling a siren. It was the Blue Bridge, a double span bridge that started to open. It was fascinating to watch but then we wondered why the bridge was opening. When we turned around to see, there was a tugboat behind us, pulling a huge tanker of sand. He wasn't moving quickly, so we had plenty of time to paddle away but it was awesome to see from a kayak.

The next day we cycled through the streets of Victoria, exploring the different neighbourhoods by bike. There are some gorgeous homes in Victoria, and some funky neighbourhoods. In the afternoon we went whale watching in a zodiac. We donned ourselves in bright orange expedition suits and motored out to the US. Mick our guide, was extremely knowledgeable on all of the resident and transient whales in the area. He could pick them out by their dorsel fins. We saw at least 30 orcas that day swimming in pods all around our boat. It was incredible.

Onwards to day 4 and we woke up early and set off on bikes to Cowichan Bay. Today was a long day, 60 kms on undulating hills. I think everyone felt a little sore after this ride but it was great because we stopped along the way at a Cider House for a tour and tasting as well as a wineyard. Always a great way to soothe any sore muscles. We ended the day in a lakeside hotel and everyone set off for some downtime. Some went swimming, others walked through the one street town. I took an afternoon nap. How luxurious to nap midday. I never get the chance to do that.

The next morning we set off early and drove to Nanaimo where we caught a ferry to Horseshoe Bay, back on the mainland. We were met there by our driver and from here drove along the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. In order for BC to win the 2010 Olympics, we had to expand the Sea to Sky Highway to a two lane highway. This meant cutting into the mountain. It's been a huge endeavor, and it's very close to finished now. 30% of the 2010 Olympics will be in Whistler and the rest will be scattered between Vancouver, Richmond and Cypress Mountain.

Whistler is a playground of adventure activities and we had plenty of them included on this adventure. The first day we went zip-lining blasting through the trees, 200 feet off the ground. The longest traverse was 2200 feet and it was a rush. The next day we had a full day hike on Musical Bumps. This trip started with a ride up in the Gondola to the second station and from here we hit the trails on foot. What a gorgeous hike. The scenery was absolutely incredible, with meadow upon meadow carpeted in purple flowers and a backdrop of snowy-peaked mountain tops. I think this is one of the most spectacular hikes I've ever done. We didn't see any bears this time around, but there are 33 resident bears in Whistler. I'm sure that they were watching us from afar.



The sky turned an ominous dark midway into our hike and we got rained on in the afternoon. To be honest, I loved it. There is something quite spectacular about hiking in the rain, in a rainforest.

Our last Whistler activity was singletrack mountain biking on the Lost Lake cross-country trails. This was the most technical activity of the whole trip, and we had to split the group into three categories, beginner, intermediate and intermediate +. I was in the intermediate + group, which was a lot of fun and challenged everyone the perfect amount. We rode along tight and twisting pine-covered trails and over some man-made ramps. I feel like I've finally mastered riding ramps now. The key is to look straight ahead at the end of the ramp. Don't look down or you'll be doing a face plant.

We had a free afternoon in Whistler, and the gang split up to do a number of things. Some went for massages and pedicures, others went rock climbing, shopping, writing postcards, and two of the die hards went for a bungy jump. It's now 2 weeks later and they're still speaking about their bungy high. Good on you both. :)

Finally, we headed to Squamish for a 1/2 day of whitewater rafting on the Elaho River. This is a glacial fed river and the water temperatures are a frigid 4'C. We wore wetsuits, dry jackets, booties and helmets and off we went through a series of standing waves and chutes. The river is rated class III-IV and is set amongst beautiful forest and mountains. We ended the rafting back at the ranch, for a bbq lunch before heading back south to Vancouver.

Our final dinner was a picnic on Kits Beach where we were to watch South Africa showcase their firework display to Vancouver. The setting was ideal, right on Kits Point, with a catered dinner and our own chef who actually caught Sockeye Salmon just for us. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the sky turned black, and then orange and we got hit with the most incredible light show Vancouver has ever seen for our final farewell. We took shelter at the Watermark Cafe, right on the beach, where we safely had front row seats of this incredible show where bolts of lightening blast into the earth from the sky. It was amazing because Vancouver doesn't have electrical storms and this one was spectacular.

I want to thank the whole gang of BikeHike Adventurers for being a part of our special 15 Year Anniversary Adventure. I had a great time tripping with you all, getting to know you all better and hope to meet you again somewhere exotic one day soon.

Cheerio,
Trish