Look at this, I finally write a full week’s worth of adventure in my last blog edition (Cycling Pemberton to Vancouver and More – Week 6) and then skip a week of blogging entirely. To be fair, I was lost in the wilderness that is Yosemite National Park down in California, but more on that in later blogs. Or you can keep up on Instagram, @GoHikeABike, which I try to keep updated as best as possible! Well, I guess I owe another full week to the fans.
So let’s get into some Week 7, starting off right after my big 167km Pemberton to Vancouver ride. I’m sore, I’m tired, I’m in desperate need of more calories. As Becca would tell you, this is the state I’m always in, but I swear it’s amplified after a bike ride!
Vancouver Relaxing
So how does one relax in Vancouver? Well, it starts off by a nice trip to the airport at 4am to drop Becca off for her flight to Ottawa. That sounds “relaxing,” doesn’t it?!
But the day does get better. June 19th was a Sunday, and also Father’s Day! Happy belated to all the Fathers out there! With both Brandon and I being away from our fathers on this special day, we decided to still celebrate the only way we knew how. We went golfing. We aren’t dads, but I think our dads would have respected the decision.
I did not bring out my clubs to Vancouver, but thankfully the city is filled with these awesome ‘Pitch and Putt’ courses. All par 3s, holes ranging from 50-120 yards. You need a wedge and a putter to play the whole course, and you can get it done in under 2 hours. Drinking isn’t encouraged, but is allowed. Just a fun spot for all skill levels to come out and try the game of golf!
And lucky me, because I felt like a beginner out there! This round was my first time out for the 2022 year. Safe to say Brandon kicked my ass, but it was nice to be out on a course again. I just wish I could figure out how to actually relax, as my golf game is more likely to inspire anger than anything else.
Vancouver Triple Crown
June 20th, the day I was planning on riding Vancouver’s Triple Crown. And you may ask, what in the world is that?
Vancouver’s Triple Crown is a name fitting for the challenge that awaits on Vancouver’s famous North Shore. The deal is, Vancouver’s North Shore has 3 main mountains. From East to West, the order is Mt. Seymour, Grouse Mountain, and Cypress Mountain. And if anyone is doing the quick maths, the Triple Crown is road-cycling these 3 mountains in one da – wait a moment. This is starting to sound awfully familiar. Have I wrote this before?
Alright, it’s coming back to me now. This Triple Crown was a previous Destination Spotlight!
So if you haven’t already, take a read of how I spent the 20th of June here: Vancouver’s Triple Crown Attempt – Destination Spotlight. It really was an awesome adventure, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone up for a (139km, 2,828m climb bike ride) challenge.
Seymour Dam Ride
I’ll jump ahead two days from the Triple Crown to the 22nd of June. The 21st was a day filled with rest, refuel, and maybe another round of Pitch and Putt at a different Vancouver course. And to put it briefly, the refuel consisted of a ridiculous amount of sushi and Thai food that the coastal city is known for.
But I decided that one rest day was enough from the ordeal, and decided to get out on my bike and head back to the North Shore of Vancouver. I wasn’t in Vancouver for long, and wanted to make the most of it.
During the Triple Crown, I had noted a biking path leading into a valley between Grouse and Seymour that seemed frequented by many cyclists. Upon further research, I realized that the biking path led deeper into the wilderness towards Seymour Lake, an apparent hidden gem in the Vancouver wilderness!
Surrounded by picturesque mountains, this lake is home to a dam that feeds multiple rivers running into Vancouver and on into the Pacific Ocean. The paved trail ends at the dam, but a bridge across the dam led to a dirt road running down the other side of Seymour River. Deviating from a set route is always a bit risky, but a fresh gravel road was calling my name, and I was summoned.
You should know by now, no story seems to be complete on Go Hike a Bike without a bear involved. Along this route, I was forced to turn around on a section due to a teenage black bear playing on the side of the road! I attempted to wait it out, willing it to move on from its position, yet it looked content and I was not looking to push its limits. I turned around and cruised a different way, leaving it well alone.
On the dirt road home, I FOMO’d into adding about 3 kilometres onto my ride by seeing a sign for Lost Lake. Well, I couldn’t leave the lake lost! I had to go find it!
And I did find it, after having to get off my bike and walk down a muddy and root filled path down to the water’s edge. While I understand why it’s not on people’s radar, as there is no beach or good swimming access, it was still a nice lake and I’m definitely content that I went to check it out.
Becca arrived back in Vancouver later that evening and we spent the night at Brandon’s, yet again enjoying the Vancouver cuisine.
Return to Pemberton
The following day, Becca and I made our return journey to Pemberton. With all my new found knowledge of the city from biking over the last few days, I suggested a few stops for the drive home before we got too far out of the Vancouver area.
Cypress Mountain was an incredible stop. The road up Cypress is about 4-5 switchbacks, with half of them having parking lots for the stunning views of the ocean and the city across the inlet. Also along the route up the mountain to the switchback, a nice café is available to grab a coffee and sit out on the lawn overlooking the ships gliding in off the ocean. It’s a pleasant spot, and I’d recommend the viewpoints to everyone as they are driving accessible. For those in the area, the café with the beautiful view was called ‘The Shed,’ just before the first switchback up the mountain.
We also travelled to Shannon Falls in Squamish on the way back to Pemberton. This amazing waterfall drops 335 metres creating a beautiful scene that’s in close proximity to the Stawamus Chief. There is a hike to the top of Shannon Falls that is now on the bucket list, but for this drive we just did the quick and accessible walking tour to the base of the waterfall (only 1.5 kilometres round trip). Absolutely worth it, and the spring melt made the waterfall extra impressive.
We finished off the Squamish Tour with Topside Burgers for lunch before doing the rest of the 2 hour drive up to Pemberton. All in all, an enjoyable sightseeing day for the both of us!
Cycling to Strawberry Point
Since we had arrived in Pemberton almost a month ago, there was a dirt road that we always passed just East of us that seemed like nice bike riding territory. After doing a bit of research just to make sure it wouldn’t dead end a kilometre in, we headed out the door on the 25th, our goal being to reach Strawberry Point.
Strawberry Point is a campsite and recreation area located on Lillooet Lake. We weren’t sure what to expect, as my previous bike rides through the Lillooet River area have shown very silty water running through those channels. But I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Lillooet Lake was gorgeous, and a great atmosphere. The beach was full of people swimming, kayaking, SUPing (stand up paddle-boarding), playing music and just having a good time. While we felt a little out of place in our biking gear, we took the bike shoes off and waded in for a nice break on the hot day.
On the way out of Strawberry Point, Becca took the direct route home while I decided to split off and bike off to Joffre Lakes. I didn’t realize I was setting myself up for a literal mountain climb. The overall Joffre Lakes climb is about 900m of elevation over 11.25 kms. It’s actually ranked as the 4th toughest climb in Canada, where in comparison Mount Seymour from the Triple Crown is the 10th toughest climb (per PJAMM cycling, my new go-to cycling resource).
But I will say, the way down from the climb was incredible. Curves, tight turns, high speeds. It is one of those descents that cars will slow you down, and not the other way around. Although it ranks #4 in toughest climbs, it ranks #1 in my heart as my favourite descent so far.
Overall, Strawberry Point and Joffre Lakes ride made for a great way to spend a warm summer Saturday! It’s a little bittersweet that we found out so late in our stay at Pemberton about this beautiful spot, but as Becca’s motto is “We’ll have to come back,” I’m not too worried.
Lumpy’s Epic (Hike Version)
Becca and I finished off the week by doing the Gnarly’s Epic hike. In the last blog installment, I ran this trail, so slowing it down to a walking pace was a better exposure to the trail itself. Just about 9km, we departed from the Airbnb and took the trail at a nice pace, enjoying the scenery. Unlike the run that I completed, we actually saw mountain bikers on the trail! I figured with the difficulty of the trail itself, no one actually rides it, but as it turns out, I was dead wrong. People are just hardcore out here.
Thanks for tuning in to another installment of Go Hike a Bike! The website traffic has picked up in the last few weeks, so welcome all the newcomers as well! Hope you’re enjoying your time on the blog.
Cheers from sunny California!
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