BC Hiking Club Blog - Chilliwack & Vancouver Hiking British Columbia

1. Don't wear cotton: Cotton Kills! It quickly gets soaked with rain, or sweat, and takes too long for it to dry. When cotton gets wet it loses 100 percent of it's insulation properties. Wet clothes wick heat away from the skin.

2. Don't wear jeans: You'll be hiking in BC rainforests, not herding cattle in Saskatchewan. Jeans are heavy, and don't insulate when wet. Cotton sweatpants are just as bad.

3. Wear Synthetic Fabrics: Synthetic fabrics don't retain water easily, they insulate when wet and dry rapidly.

4. Dress in Layers: Layer 1 should be comfortable thin synthetics ( ie T-shirt and shorts). Layer 2 should be for warmth (ie a fleece jacket/vest and long pants). Layer 3 should be for protection (ie goretex jacket, toque, gloves)

Labels: fleece jackets, fleece vests, goretex jacket, hiking tips, vancouver hiking clothing

DID YOU KNOW? Through Al Gore's movement, The Climate Project, a handful of Vancouverites have been trained as Climate Change Messengers. This select group will present their version of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in towns and cities across Canada. If you would like to invite a Climate Project presenter for Vancouver and other towns in Canada and the States, visit www.theclimateproject.ca

Labels: al gore, climate change, inconvenient truth, the climate project

British Columbia Hiking Tips:
(Chilliwack & Vancouver Hiking - Ten Essentials to Bring on Every BC Hike)


If you're planning on going out hiking or backpacking into the mountains in British Columbia, specifically in the Chilliwack or Vancouver area, here's 10 essentials to bring along on every hike:

1. Flashlight, spare batteries and bulb
2. Firemaking kit - waterproof matches/lighter, firestarter/candle
3. Signalling device -whistle or mirror to signal searchers if you become lost
4. Extra food and water - 1 litre/person
5. Extra clothing (rain, wind, water protection and toque)
6. Navigational/ Communication Aids (maps, compass, GPS, charts, cellular phone, satellite phone, hand held radio - fully charged battery) and know how to use them
7. First Aid kit - and know how to use it
8. Emergency shelter - orange tarp or large orange garbage bag. These can also be used as signalling devices
9. Pocket knife.
10. Sun protection (glasses, sunscreen, hat)

It's always a good idea if you're planning to hike BC trails to plan to have the following on every Chilliwack or Vancouver area hike or backpacking trip.

* Comfortable, warm clothing
* Hiking Pole(s)
* A second layer for warmth on colder days
* Wool socks plus extras
* Hiking Boots
* Small backpack/camel back water system
* Bug spray
* Moleskin for blisters
* Extras for Overnights
* Proper backpack with good support
* Tent
* Sleeping bag and pad
* Stove and fuel
* Food/Scented items bag
* Gear repair kit

Labels: chilliwack hiking, hiking gear, hiking tips, outdoor gear checklist, vancouver hiking

Jeff Bell, Times Colonist

Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park, home to the famed West Coast Trail, is getting $700,000 in federal funds for recovery efforts stemming from December' devastating windstorms.

The winds brought down more than 2,000 trees, triggered a mudslide, and toppled two cable cars and a suspension bridge on the well-travelled 75 kilometre hiking trail. Cleanup work has already begun.

"Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is one of the jewels of the West Coast," Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said yesterday as he announced the funding at Parks Canada's Sidney Operation Centre.

Lunn's words echoed those of federal Environment Minister John Baird, who in January called storm-damaged Stanley Park "a national treasure." At that time, Baird gave $2 million in federal funds to help repair the urban Vancouver park, which suffered about $9 million in damage.

Of the funds announced yesterday, $500,000 will go toward general restoration work, said Lunn, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands. The remaining $200,000 is part of a deal between Parks Canada and the Ucluelet-based Central Westcoast Forest Society to restore Sandhill and Lostshoe creeks and improve their salmon-spawning capacity.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve encompasses about 50,000 hectares along Vancouver Island's west coast divided into three areas: the Long Beach Unit, the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail. Established in 1970, the park attracts millions of visitors from around the world, including about 5,000 a year who hike the West Coast Trail. Read full story

Labels: best hikes in bc, pacific rim national park, vancouver island hiking, west coast trail hike