10 Activities in the Pacific Northwest in June

May 31, 2010

You’d never know the June was less than 24 hours away if you looked at the thermometer. I’m an optimist that sunnier, warmer days are just ahead.

Here are 10 activities that would be fun to do in June in the Pacific Northwest.

3648455445 77e82c74d1 10 Activities in the Pacific Northwest in June

  • June 19-20th Comox Valley Shellfish Festival. Get the sea to table story by BC’s shellfish farmers.
  • Try a trip to Bend, Oregon. This mountain town located at the edge of a desert, 6 hours from Seattle, enjoys 300 days per year of sunshine. Every outdoor sport imaginable is available in Bend.
  • The West Coast Trail is on the must do list of many a backpacker but if you want a more remote experience that’s in line with what the West Coast Trail used to be then head up Vancouver Island and hike the recently completed North Coast Trail. This trail is a 43 km extension to the Cape Scott Trail. Go prepared for hard backpacking and wild, spectacular scenery.

2741971446 81950e2d76 10 Activities in the Pacific Northwest in June

san juan islands april 09 018 10 Activities in the Pacific Northwest in June

Roche Harbor

  • Take a culinary tour of Vancouver’s Chinatown, complete with lunch. Tours are offered every Saturday in June.
  • June is the perfect month to cycle sections of the Kettle Valley Railway in the Okanagan area of BC. Choose one day sections with Monashee Tours or try a multi day B&B to B&B trip on your own.

Leigh McAdam

HikeBikeTravel

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Biking, Canada, Miscellaneous travel tips | 1 Comment 

Cruising to Alaska

May 28, 2010

The sight of the first cruise ship of the season, from my house in Vancouver, is a sign that summer is just around the corner.  The Alaska cruise ship season is short – early May to late September although there are some smaller boats that extend the season. We have seen as many as four boats go by in a single evening but now we’ll see fewer as several cruise ship companies have moved their base to Seattle.
3684002964 753a58c29c Cruising to Alaska
Alaskan cruises appeal to a wide spectrum of people – from families to older folks, from nature lovers to party goers. They all have different reasons for heading north and so might you. Some of the highlights you’re likely to experience on an Alaskan cruise include:

  • The famous  Inside Passage
  • Amazing vistas of forests, glaciers, mountains,  ocean and isolated villages
alaska cruise Cruising to Alaska

Eastern channel of Sitka, Alaska

  • Wildlife – whales, dolphins and seals, many types of birds including bald eagles and probably even some bears.
  • Glaciers and fjords especially in Glacier Bay National Park
  • A chance to visit the Klondike gold rush era town of Skagway, Alaska
  • The narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Railway into Canada from Skagway and the train ride from Anchorage to Denali
  • Land of the midnight sun and long days especially in June and July
  • A visit to the pretty town of Juneau and to Sitka enriched by Russian architecture
  • Denali National Park

34058552 7e96dd3526 Cruising to Alaska

Picking the right boat for your Alaska cruise is very important. First consider the size of the ship. The biggest ships hold over 2000 passengers and their focus is as much on shipboard activities as it is on the Alaskan – Canadian landscape. There are plenty of ships in the 800-1500 passenger range and a few small ships with only about 200 people which are typically more nature oriented.

4405408010 14a8042b10 Cruising to Alaska

Each cruise line also has its own niche so to make the most of your cruising experience it’s important to match your interests with what the cruise ship offers. What are you looking for?

  • Pampering and spa experiences
  • Ship board cuisine
  • Onboard activities; look for courses in cooking, photography, computing, pottery…
  • Some ships cater to families. If you’re single that isn’t going to be a good fit.
  • A luxurious, high end experience from start to finish or you can find some cruise deals that fit your budget. There are many great discount cruises to Alaska available.
  • What sorts of shore excursions are offered? Expensive options include flight seeing and helicopter tours perhaps even combined with dog sled rides on a glacier. Some offer a chance to stretch your body by biking or kayaking.  The bike ride out of Skagway is particularly good for the fit and restless. Intimate whale watching can be an option.
  • Are there optional land packages offered? A train trip to Denali is one of the most popular add-ons.
  • Do you want a 7 day or a 10 day cruise? What towns do you want to visit? Skagway? Juneau? Ketchikan? Sitka?

There’s more to consider than people realize but whatever cruise you pick it’s bound to make your summer memorable.

Leigh McAdam

HikeBikeTravel

Photo Credit: Sitka, Alaska

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under United States | 1 Comment 

Climbing Colorado’s Fourteeners

May 27, 2010

MountoftheHolyCross Climbing Colorados Fourteeners

Mount of the Holy Cross

Before I lived in Colorado I hadn’t spent any length of time in the mountains and the world of climbing high peaks was unknown to me. Then I went to an evening talk at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder given by Ed Webster on Mongolia of all places, and I was hooked. Colorado’s 54 Fourteeners as they are called, may not be Mongolia but now they beckoned. Climbing as many of Colorado’s Fourteeners as I could was now a my goal.

You don’t have to be a mountaineer to climb many of the peaks. Some are little more than walk-ups – under the right conditions. All can be deadly if you’re unprepared. Many trailheads are within 2-3 hours of Boulder and Denver. The closest trailheads have the largest number of visitors. If you can hike on a weekday or get to some of the more remote southwest peaks then chances are you’ll have very little company.

I’ve climbed 35 of the peaks but almost none of the really difficult ones. The likelihood of completing all 54 of them diminishes every year. I don’t know if I’d have the guts now to do the knife edge traverse on Capitol Peak or the wherewithal to try the crumbling but beautiful peaks known as the Maroon Bells. What I do know is that each and every climb was memorable and well worth doing.

62837002 1c3dd77d08 Climbing Colorados Fourteeners

Here are my favourite fourteeners

  • Long’s Peak especially heading through the Key Hole – exhilarating and a tad scary.

 4864370965 d3b35d5e75 Climbing Colorados Fourteeners

  • Quandary Peak but as a snow climb in the spring. I have NEVER had so much fun on a mountain. In under 10 minutes I glissaded 2600 feet to the base. Do not attempt this without knowing how to self arrest with and without an ice axe.
  • Snowmass Mountain near Aspen is beautiful and can be done as a two to three day backpack. Expect world class scenery through here.
  • Mount Sneffels near Telluride is a stunning peak.
  • La Plata Peak has fantastic ridges and beautiful cirques.
  • Mount of the Holy Cross near Vail is a beautiful mountain with a tough climb at the end of the day of almost 1000 feet.
  • Mount Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado and the second highest peak in the contiguous United States. It calls you. Views from the top are amazing.

2840690055 c0b2111139 Climbing Colorados Fourteeners

I’d love to return to Colorado to climb the Wilson Group of peaks down in the southwest corner of the state and Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn Peaks are still on my list. I think I could be happy holding at 40 summits.

If you’re going to start hiking and climbing Colorado’s Fourteeners, get a very early start so you’re heading down from the summit by noon. Thunderstorms are exceedingly common in the early afternoon. And don’t forget your 10 essentials. Happy climbing.

Leigh McAdam

www.hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Books and Book Reviews, Hiking, backpacking, walking, Safety Tips, United States | 1 Comment 

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