Chain Lakes Loop

Leonard and I went to Mount Baker to hike the Chain Lakes Loop, which was listed as "easy" on the hiking website. The day didn't start off very well - we were stuck in traffic on the highway due to an accident, and we had to wait awhile at the border crossing. By the time we got to the trailhead, it was 2pm, and we were wondering if this hike would be worth the 4 hour drive we had just done.

The hike turned out to be amazing! There were views during the whole hike. No boring switchbacks in the forest, just wide open views of Mount Shuksan/Mount Baker/Table Mountain/many lakes/alpine meadows. The view changed constantly as we walked through the trail.

We underestimated the distance and time it would take for us, so when 6pm came and we realized we still had at least another hour to go, we sped it up, since we didn't want to be driving down the mountain and countryside in the dark. We even managed to hitch a ride from someone from one parking lot to the other.

Bagley Lakes - the very beginning of the hike:

Can you spot me?

 Mount Shuksan in the background:

 Table Mountain:

Our lunch break at Herman's Saddle. To the right we had Mount Baker.

To the left was a view of Mount Shuksan.

Berry picking:

Iceberg Lake, Table Mountain, and Mount Baker:

Hayes Lake:

Leonard's favourite spot, because of its zen-like natural beauty.

We couldn't find the trail from one parking lot to the other so we walked down the road instead.

View of Bagley Lake from the road.

Bowen Island

It was my birthday recently, so my friends and I went to Bowen Island for a day trip. We ate well (Shika is awesome - it is owned by the sister of the owner of Basho in Vancouver), drove around the island, relaxed, and enjoyed the scenery and weather.

Elfin Lakes

Hiking to Elfin Lakes was spectacular, as the trail went through alpine meadows and ended with the two glacial lakes. It was 22 km round trip, and the fact that half the hike was in the blazing sun with no shade also meant that we had unparalleled 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains (Garibaldi, the Tantalus Range, Diamond Head). It was amazing! 

Elfin Lakes has two lakes: one for swimming, and one for drinking. I was a bit hesitant to try the water from the drinking lake, but I ended up trying it and it tasted like....water! Exactly the same as the water I drink from my Brita filter.

It was quite a long hike, and the trail itself was a bit boring since it was a gravel trail that was also meant for mountain bikers, but the views were worth it. I look for hikes that have a high scenic reward at the end, and this definitely was up there. One of my favourite BC hikes so far.