An elderly man, in about his 80s, was discovered dead on the BCMC trail on Tuesday near the Grouse Grind. The trail he was on is steep and closed for the winter, and the man appears to have been hiking alone. These are obviously unsafe hiking conditions for anyone, but at 80, you have to admire the man getting out there.

Police are investigating after an elderly man was found dead on a trail near North Vancouver’s Grouse Grind.

The unidentified victim, believed to be in his 80s, was discovered Tuesday morning on a steep stretch of the closed BCMC trail, adjacent to the Grind on Grouse Mountain. It is not clear yet what caused his death, but investigators do not suspect foul play.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene at about 9:45 a.m. when a couple walking in the area made the grim discovery. Snowy conditions and the difficulty of the trail made removal of the body by land too dangerous, so the first responders called North Shore Rescue, who ultimately hoisted the body out by helicopter.

…you can read the full article from the North Shore News.

**Feb 23 Update from North Shore Rescue Blog:

Just received this message from Tim Jones:

Just wanted all members to know that Roy Mason, a long time supporter of NSR and former member of the old Mountain Rescue Group (which Karl, Gerry, George and other NSR members belonged to also), died while hiking on the BCMC trail Feb 17.

His family has directed all donations to NSR.

Related Posts:
• Grouse Grind Open For 2009
• New NS Rescue Station & Body Recovered From Cap. River
• North Shore Rescue Member Passes After Ski Tour Accident

Tags: Death,Grouse Grind,Hiking
Categories: News
2 Comments »

There was a funny article posted in the latest Wanderung newsletter about a spike in nude hiking taking place in Switzerland.

I found it hilarious given my older post about “nude hiking” and “nude kayaking” coming up as recommended Google search keywords to use associated with with “outdoors” (a funny post and worth the read if you haven’t seen it before). It also made me curious to see how popular my old post about nude hiking has been, since it actually has the keywords of “nude” “hiking” and “kayaking” in the post itself….

So I did a little Google Analytics research and it turns out, of my 193 published posts to date, that stupid post has been the 5th most visited! I don’t get it, are there that many people out there into nude hiking / biking / kayaking, etc, or do you chalk this one up to the “sex sells” category? I guess it shouldn’t be that surprising, and this post itself will too, become one of the most popular found by Google searches.

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Tags: Google Searches,Hiking,Keywords,Nude
Categories: Random or Unrelated
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ClubTread is a great website for planning a hike. There is an active message board, a trail wiki, links to related sites, and lots of other good information. You have to register to use the community forum, but membership is free.

Clubtread is an online community dedicated to the outdoors. We are a group of outdoors enthusiasts who get together online to share ideas, trip reports, photographs, and advice.

Related Posts:
• Featured Website: Trailpeak
• Featured Website: Bivouac.com – Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia
• Online Hiking Groups

Tags: Clubtread,Hiking,Outdoors,Trips
Categories: Websites
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Photo by aloalosabine’s on Flickr

Saint Mark’s Summit is a peak along the Howe Sound Crest Trail that offers spectacular views of Howe Sound. Hiking the Howe Sound Crest Trail (which runs all the way to Porteau Cove) is more than a day hike, but heading to St. Mark’s Summit is a great 5 hour hike. From the peak you can see the islands of Howe Sound and the Tantalus Range. Overall the hike isn’t too strenuous as there is only 460m of elevation gain (one of the bonuses of starting from a ski resort parking lot!) and offers remarkable views on a clear day.

To begin the hike, go to the Cypress Mountain parking lot (exit #8 off Hwy 1) and head up to the chair lift near the guest services cabin. From the chair lift, head west about 100m until you come to a gravel road. Follow the road up a little ways and you will come to a giant green water tower. Here you will see the sign for the Howe Sound Crest Trail. Follow the trail up into the woods. You will quickly come to another gravel road. The road will narrow into a trail, and the hike becomes a lot more enjoyable from here.

You will come to a sign board with map of the Howe Sound Crest Trail. Here, you can see where you are and get your bearings. You can also take a quick 5 minute detour to a viewpoint before carrying on along the trail. Next you will come to a meadow with two bridges. Keep left and follow the trail uphill along some switchbacks. Keep grinding up the trail until you reach the summit where the trail levels out and you can see the Lions in the distance. Don’t go any further along the trail, but go to the view point on your left. You will be rewarded with one of the most spectacular views of Howe Sound you can find anywhere.

Hike Specs:

• Rating: Moderate
• Distance: 11 km
• Time Needed: 5 Hours
• Elevation Gain: 4600m
• Total Elevation: 1335m
• Peak Season: July to October

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Tags: Cypress,Hiking,St. Mark's Summit,Trail
Categories: Hiking, Hiking Trails
3 Comments »

This is a tough hike that starts at the same logging road as the Lions. The first half of the hike is pretty uneventful, but the climb up the second half provides a good hiking challenge, and great views. Another upside to this hike, is that there are never any crowds, as most people veer off to the Lions. To start, follow the logging trail to the Lions. When you come to the first junction, near the water station, turn right and continue up the never-ending switchbacks. Once you come to the second junction, you will see a big sign for the Lions. From here, head straight, and get catch your breath as you travel on the relatively flat trail. You will cross a few small creeks, and finally the larger Magnesia Creek. This is your last chance to grab some water if you need any. Shortly after the creek ( ~100m, you will come to another juncture. Straight will take you to Hat Mountain, and right to Brunswick. Now the trail will steepen again, with more switchbacks, until you finally start to cut more directly up the mountain. You will come to a view point where you will see a great view of Howe Sound. This is roughly the half way point.

From here, keep heading up the trail and you will come to an intersection with the Howe Sound Crest Trail. From here you can actually access Deeks Lake or the Lions. From this intersection is the final scramble up some steep, exposed and loose rock. Pushing on and finally getting to the top will give you a great 360 view. You will be able to see a small lake in one direction, and look DOWN on the Lions in the other (provided it isn’t cloudy as it was when I recently did this hike ). Getting over to the actual peak requires navigating down and back up a narrow ridge. Take caution here, as the drop on either side of the ridge is about 300ft! Rest up, enjoy the view, and try not the think about the endless switchbacks that are awaiting your trip back down.

Hike Specs:

• Rating: Difficult
• Distance: 14.5 km
• Time Needed: 7 Hours
• Elevation Gain: 1550m
• Total Elevation: 1785m
• Peak Season: June to October

Related Posts:
• Featured Trail: Panorama Ridge
• Featured Trail: Garibaldi Lake
• Featured Trail: St. Mark’s Summit

Tags: Brunswick Mountain,Hiking,Trail
Categories: Hiking, Hiking Trails
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