Mount Seymour and Vancouver Friends

Once we had returned from the island we had a few days in and around Vancouver. We had an admin day spent contacting people and shopping around town - which meant an obligatory visit to MEC in order to get new sandals and a rain jacket for Geoff.  The admin day was rainy, however we had a glorious weekend of sunshine ahead of us an intended spending it outdoors!

On the Saturday morning we headed up Mount Seymour which is one of the three ski areas in North Vancouver. In summer it is a lovely hiking destination, though we had never been up there before. We drove up to 1000masl and then climbed a further 450m up through the forest to the peak - a hike not unlike Lion's Head back home.  The biggest difference was that this path was lined with blueberry bushes covered in ripe berries!  Lucy quickly identified the berries as being safe and we may have eaten one or two, or a few more, on the way....  What a treat!

Sun ripened Blueberries covered in dew. The sunnier the position of the berries the sweeter they tasted. And when they were warm from the sun they tasted the best!

Both boys eating bear treats

Christopher loved making the most of any little puddle that he could find, getting himself as wet as possible!

Looking west towards Vancouver Island

One of many little hidden pools on the way up. The First Peak on Mt Seymour is in the background.

We headed up through lovely alpine forest with exposed bits of granite and stopped for lunch at the top of The First Peak which had a lovely view down over Vancouver with Vancouver Island in the background and a relatively clear view south into the States and the snow covered Mount Baker.  The border is only about 40km south of Vancouver.

Downtown Vancouver with West Van behind (where UBC is situated) and Vancouver Island in the background.

Cream cheese on cinnamon and raisin bagels...mmmm...

Snow covered Mount Baker across the border in the States with the Fraser River in between.

Christopher needed time to play so Geoff continued up Second Peak and Mt Seymour itself. The last sections involved easy scrambles and were a fun finale to a great peak. This hike is definitely one of the most fun and accessible that we have done in the area and is highly recommended.

Geoff headed up by himself to the top of the mountain while Christopher and Lucy played in the sun.

Our 3 days were also full of catching up with friends in Vancouver.  We explored Gastown and the waterfront with Geoff's good friend Renee on the Friday night followed by a groovy karaoke session at Renee's office - The Hive - which we realized was the first time in ages we have been able to let our hair down and party without Christopher. It was lots of fun.

After our hike up on Mount Seymour we took over Tim and Rowena's house and hosted a dinner for a bunch of young people (who they luckily know too!). On Sunday Lucy met up with Adriaan, a friend of her's from high school, and spent the morning exploring downtown Vancouver with him while Geoff met up with Renee and they took Christopher up the Grouse Grind in North Van.  We then headed off to a birthday braai for another of Geoff's friends James Raymond before having picnic dinner at Jericho beach with Liz Kleynhans and her boyfriend Bill.  Nice to spend time with so many old friends in one weekend!

Dinner with friends at Tim and Rowena's place

Geoff and Renee on the BCMC trail - an alternative to the very busy Grouse Grind up Grouse Mountain. Christopher was a trooper and managed to make it most of the way up without struggling. Renee then took him to visit the bears that live up on top of the mountain and down the gondola while Geoff ran down the mountain again.

The perfect weather of the weekend was celebrated with a picnic on Jericho Beach with Liz Kleynhans and Bill Harrower. Geoff even managed a quick swim in the bay, though there certainly is a chill in the air once the sun sets.

Jericho beach was a favorite haunt of Geoff's when he lived in Kitsilano in 2004. It has a lovely swimming bay and a great atmosphere comparable to Clifton 4th back in Cape Town.