Tents for camping

Well, with the amount of rain we received this weekend we did not go out hiking with the kids.  Some rain I can do but not the torrential downpour we received. 

We also recently adopted a new puppy into our family (details to follow in another post) so it has put a temporary halt on any real hikes this fall. 

So, in anticipation of next summer, let's talk about tents!  Also, if you're like me shopping during the off season is a great way to get super gear at fantastic prices. 

I won't drone on too long here, but if you are new to camping I've got some pointers, and if you're in the market for a new tent this may be of interest to you too. 

First of all you need to decide what kind of tent you need. 

• how many people need to sleep in the tent?
• how much extra space do you want? (ie, playroom for the kids)
• does the weight matter?  For car camping it really doesn't matter.
• ease of set up?  Personally if the tent is complicated to set up it's not worth it.
• pockets!  Basically tent storage on the inside.  This is like storage spaces in your house.  Some of our tents have these great little pockets in the corners and overhead which are so handy for little things you need to reach for during the night.
• Vestibule space--what's this you ask?  The space of coverage between the outside of your tent and the outside of your camping spot.  It's that little bit of room that still has protection from the elements without being inside the tent.  Some have larger areas for either play space or gear storage and some are smaller.  What is important to you.
• Doors and ventilation:  Some tents have two doors, one on either end or side.  This is handy if a few people will be sleeping in the tent.  It's even handy in two person tents (that way you aren't crawling over each other to get out during the night). 

Make sure your tent comes with a fly and a footprint.  Usually they do come with a fly (the cover for rain and wind protection) but the footprint is usually sold separately.  (The footprint is your ground cover that matches the size and shape of your tent to protect the bottom of your tent from damage). 
If you do not want to buy the matching footprint, you can always use a good tarp under your tent instead. 

One more tent tip:  My husband decided to do some backpacking this weekend with some family members in the rain.  They used a very old tent (now in the garbage) which leaked quite badly, had a few holes and a broken zipper. 
It also leaked from the bottom up despite them using garbage bags as their footprint. 

Big tip here:  If you are tenting in the rain, consider moving your footprint or tarp to the inside of your tent instead of the outside underneath.  The rain can easily pool between your footprint and tent but if it's inside you will still stay dry on the bottom of your tent. 

Enjoy the outdoors and just because we're coming into cooler weather is not excuse not to get your family outside! 

Hiking Teapot Hill-Cultus Lake Park

Quick facts

Driving distance: approx. 100 kms from Vancouver
Permits required: none
Driving map: this one will give you a good idea Click here for map to the area

See the teapot? 

This is a great hike for the family!  We went hiking here a week ago on a lovely sunny day and even our littlest one enjoyed herself. 

This hike is in the Chilliwack area, you drive past the Cultus Lake waterslides (a nice additional stop if you have the time and it's warm enough outside) and past the campsites. 

There is a small parking lot or side road parking and parking is free.  The trail itself is popular especially during the camping season.  The trail itself is wide for most of it and well groomed.  We came across three horses who were also enjoying the day.  One of the many things we loved here is the forest filled with beautiful western red cedars.  Some of them are huge!  What we also loved observering with our kids is how the trees are covered in moss except as we neared the top of the hike.  Ask your kids why this is?  We got great answers from our kids and it had them thinking about all the elements for a while. 

Our kids were all fascinated by a huge banana slug they came across! 

The trail is pretty steep to begin with, and just before you reach the top you come to a lovely opening with a fantastic view of Cultus Lake.  Here we let our kids have a short break with some treats we had brought along. 

This is really family friendly and our kids enjoyed reading these signs about the area. 

After you are finished admiring the great view of the lake, a short jaunt up a further and you reach the top of Teapot Hill.  It is fully fenced in along the edge so there's no danger of children falling down.  We reached the top in about 45 minutes at a very leisurely pace. 

This is a very pretty and fun walk for the whole family, one we will probably do again and could be done at any time of the year although I would prefer a sunny day to see the lake from up top.  As it is a pretty short walk (completed in less than 2 hours), it would be easy to add some other stops along the way or on the way out in the area. 

And just in case it's needed, there is an outhouse right at the start of the trail. 

Happy hiking!

Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park

The soft sandy beach at Birkenhead Lake

Quick facts
Driving distance: approx. 216 kms from Vancouver
Permits required: camping fee, reservable campsite or first come first serve
Driving map: this one will give you a good idea   Click here for google map
Resources: click on the title above to go to the B.C. Parks website for this park

Birkenhead is a beautiful lake, one of the prettiest we've camped at.  There's a lot to do, great hiking trails for every level of hiker, a lake to swim in (although quite cold), good fishing and wildlife viewing in the right month.
Oh, and at nighttime, the sky is literally littered with stars and if you haven't been out of the city in a while the night sky here will be a welcome surprise! 

Campsite notes: There are no flush toilets or wash houses here.  Only pit toilets which is fine but after a few days with mostly girls we were wishing for a flush toilet.  We're ok without the showers because we either swim in the lake and use some biodegradable soap or hang our solar shower near our campsite (I highly recommend these-we have two!). 

There are also drinking water taps located throughout the campsite. 

We've noticed at some campgrounds that the rangers will sell ice on a daily basis although that wasn't the case when we were here.  However, there is a little "store" just up the road leading into the park that sells ice and a few food and snacky items. 

This is one of the nicest beach areas we've camped at.  It's very long and wide, perfect for kids and adults who like to play in the sand. 
It was pretty windy when we were there in late August of 2009 but we still dared ourselves to get in the water!

The view from the Goat Lookout trail

Although we weren't here for the goat sightings, the view of the lake is spectacular from the top of this 1 km trail.  It's pretty steep and rocky but with a little help even our 5 year old managed this one through the old growth forested trail. 

And the forests here are fantastic, there is a mix of tree species: Douglas -fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, cottonwood and Engelmann spruce which can all be seen hiking along the trail to the wilderness campsite (permantly closed down now) which runs along the north west side of the lake.  However, hiking to the wilderness campsite has it's merits, for one it's a beautiful hike with lots of wooden bridges to cross and great fishing sites. 
  

This was our favourite fishing
site at the walk in campsite

Fishing for trout proved to be quite good for us.  We always bring some lemons, garlic and butter when we go camping just in case some trout are caught! 

There is now an interpretive program for kids at this park and kids can collect their Jerry Ranger stickers. 

If you live in Vancouver or farther away from this park, it can be a long drive but easily broken up with stops along the way, the drive itself is quite nice and scenic.  We will definately be back to this one within the next few years. 

Panorama Ridge-Garibaldi Park

Last year we hiked up to the gorgeous Panorama Ridge in Garibaldi Park.  We based ourselves right at the lake after about a 3 hour hike up from the parking lot.  This was our first time up here and although tiring with all the weight on our backs once we got our first glimpse of the lake we knew it was well worth it.  After a dehydrated dinner and a walk around the lake we headed into our tent for a good night's sleep.  If you are coming up to the lake, either keep your hiking shoes/boots on or bring good sandals with you.  Flip flops are not an option.  The rocks around the lake are lava, uneven and sometimes sharp.  My advice is not tempt twisting an ankle.  The next morning under a warm sunny sky we headed up to Panorama Ridge.  This is a gorgeous hike filled with meadows, smaller lakes, creeks and tons of flowers in bloom. 

This is a great hike if you love rocks!  There are so many varities and shapes of rocks to look at and I'll have to look up the correct terms before I misquote the types we saw. 

The thing about this hike is that you seem to see the peak but once you climb to the top you look up and realize there's another peak to climb, you're just not there yet!  So, after climbing a to a few peaks we thought were the top we finally arrived and was it ever worth it.  The views of the lakes are outstanding!  The hike up through an icefield was tough but you forget the challenge when you are staring at such a glorious, natural beauty. 

The infamous Black Tusk

This is me hiking back down from the peak ready to melt some snow in our pot and have some hot lunch!  There were about a dozen people on the path when we hiked up here and it was on a weekend.  I strongly encourage you to leave early and avoid long weekends as it is extremely busy.  I've heard that climbing up Black Tusk can be a gong show with too many people heading up and down the Tusk on weekends.  If possible I would do this again during the week to avoid the weekend crowd.  Garibaldi is an ever increasing popular place.  Don't forget, pack in what you pack out! 

We loved this place, we'll do it again for sure.  There are no amenities on the trail, make sure you have your water and food with you and a means to purify your water along the way.  Once we reached this icefield we ended up packing the snow into our empty water bottles and letting it melt for drinking.  Nice, cold water! 

Being prepared-what does this mean?

With the recent disappearance of hiker Tyler Wright in the B.C. wilderness it has opened up a discussion of safety and preparedness.  I have read many articles and comments about this very sad event but it has also made us question the preparedness of his adventure.  Was he prepared for what he said he was going to do?  From what we have read we don't think so.  But what do you need to be prepared?  Everyone has their own opinion, every hiker and camper will be prepared in different ways.  Hikers, whether day hiking or backpacking will be prepared differently too.  Was Tyler a true minimalist backpacker and is that why he took so little with him?  Why didn't he have hiking boots with him?  Why didn't he have some type of communication device with him?  Why was he alone?  Is he really an experienced hiker?  Did he have a compass and map?  We hope he is found alive, maybe he went a different way then where the search efforts have been?  Maybe he doesn't want to be found?  These are just a couple of hundreds of questions pouring in from all over.  Let's hope he's found and can answer these. 

So, back to the original question of being prepared and what that means.  If you are camping with your family it will be something entirely different than backpacking and hiking up a mountain. 
I don't think anyone's "list" of what to bring is the end all and be all but must be only used as a guide.  In our family, we are constantly revising and updating what we bring, what we think is essential depending on what we are doing, how long and where we are going. 

Looking at our last hiking trip this is how we prepared ourselves: 
We backpacked up Frosty Mountain knowing we would spend two nights.
First of all we checked the weather, we found that some people we met up there obviously hadn't done this which we found surprising.  Keep in mind that the weather changes quickly in the mountains and you do need to be prepared for it all.  Layers, always bring layers and avoid cotton.  We love to layer up in wicking fabrics, merino wool and goose down (ever seen a cold goose?).  We also bring rain gear even if all that means is a good strong garbage bag. 

Shelter: We have a variety of tents for different needs.  Bring a tent with a good fly for wet weather. 
We have quality mummy bags and will soon be investing in winter bags as well to do more cold weather camping.  You need to stay warm at night.  There is nothing worse than a sleepless night because you are cold.  If it is cold out, don't forget my tip for warming up your sleeping bag. 

Food: Make sure you have enough.  Be prepared in advance.  Write out your meal plan on paper if that helps, we do it just to make sure.  Remember what you are doing, if it's lots of hiking you'll need proper re-fuelling with good carbs and protein.  Dried fruit is nice and nuts are a great source of long lasting fuel. 
We always bring assorted salted nuts, chocolate candies and some type of fruit. 

First Aid:  Again, this is just what we do for a weekend backpacking trip, but we bring a small roll of duct tape, magnifying glass wrapped with some medical tape, matches,  band-aids, polysporin, a mirror, some type of pain reliever, bug spray, emergency blanket(the compact foil looking ones), swiss army knife, tensor wrap, ear and eye drops and sharp tweezers. 

We also have bear bangers and bear spray.  A compass and topographical maps of the area. 

We have our water bottles and a water purifying pump.  We also bring extra fuel for our stove. 

We also bring our phone with us although it doesn't work in many areas.  We do tell AT LEAST three people when we are leaving, where we are going and when we'll be back and we notify those people as soon as we're done our adventure. 

Rope, always bring rope, it just comes in so handy.  Whether for hanging your food if there isn't a cache, fixing things, using for your tent or hanging clothes between trees. 

We're always adding or renewing what we take for our own safety and well being, just really think through what you are going to do and what you would need in any given situation.  It just makes the whole experience more enjoyable if you are prepared. 

And remember this: depending on the situation, what you bring with you can have multiple uses.  A magnifying glass can be used to get a better look at some really cool small things you find but also used to make a fire in an emergency.  Same with a mirror.  Duct tape can be used for a variety of uses including the back of your heels if you get any blisters.  Be creative, things have multiple uses when you're away from home!

Backpacking at Frosty Mountain-Manning Park

What a fabulous weekend!  This is my new favourite hike even though it was very cold. 
We arrived at the day use area at Lightning Lake at about 5pm and started to layer up as the wind was blowing pretty  hard and the temperature had dipped to about 5 degrees. 

As we headed up, the first 4 kms were pretty steep, we gained lots of elevation but the trail is well maintained and very narrow.  I wouldn't want to have to pass many other hikers on this one.  After about 4 kms though, the trail levels out and the hiking gets a whole lot easier.  And before you know it we arrived at the sign indicating the campsite was up ahead. 

View from trail

Just before arriving at the Frosty Creek campsite we saw an outhouse and food cache which we didn't know were there and we were really happy to see the metal food cache.  Looks like two large metal lockers.  We had brought up rope to hang our food in case. 

The area around the campground is pretty slopey but we found a spot that wasn't too bad right beside the firepit which was another surprise.  Although campfires aren't allowed up there it was tempting with the weather being so cold.  As we began to set up our tent it started gently snowing.  We checked out the creek before it got too dark and there are lots of spots to get water from even being a small creek.  We got our camp set up and then started boiling water to make a quick dinner before climbing into our sleeping bags to

stay warm.  What was really cool was that we were the only ones on the mountain that night.  It was also a tiny bit unnerving.  Needless to say we didn't sleep much that night, partly because we were cold.  The next morning was tough to crawl out of our bags into the cold but the coffee helped!  And knowing we were heading up to the summit was enough to head out, dress warmly and get our oatmeal eaten.  The sun was out and we began our hike.  There are such beautiful meadows, many purple lupines were still flowering, the larches hadn't changed colour yet which means we'll have to go up again.  The views were stunning and this is one hike that I know I'll want to do over and over.  The trail itself is narrow but well maintained, steep in parts and fairly easy walking in others.  There are km markers along the path if you look up at the right time, we didn't notice them on the way up.  At about the 9 km mark it starts getting steep again and pretty rocky for the rest of the hike to the summit.  You'll come to the junction for Windy Joe here too.

The climb from here is pretty scraggly, if you've still got your heavy pack on then take it easy to keep your balance.  I will admit that we had just acquired trekking poles and were using them for the first time on this trip and we love them!  It does take some of the weight off your legs and really helps your balance and I highly recommend poles to everyone.

The rocks are a bit loose along here, watch your footing, it's hard not to stare out at the vistas that completely surround you.  We were expecting to hike through snow but never had to.  There were large snow packs around us, but not on the trail itself yet. 

Look at this gorgeous vista!  Lightning Lake is below in this photo.  A lovely surprise at the top is the creation of a small semi shelter with a fairly flat bottom of rocks that has been used for tenting by some brave hikers but also made for a lovely spot to enjoy our lunch and escape the cold wind. 

Upon our return to Frosty campsite, we met up with lots of other hikers who were spending the night and it is so much fun meeting fellow hikers.  There are lots of stumps in the campsite  which were used by all of us for sitting, tabletops and anything else we needed them for which was a treat over just cooking and putting everything on the ground. 

Frosty Mountain is a gorgeous, beautiful and terrific hike.  One well worth adding to anyone's list of hikes to do.  Although we did this one without our children we know that we'll be back next year attempting it again with at least two of them who we think can do it fairly easily.  Breaking the hike up the way we did with two nights at the campsite made it almost leisurely and very do-able for younger hikers or those wishing to make it a bit easier. 

Frosty Mountain backpacking

We're child free for the weekend and the packs are full!  We're going to E.C. Manning Park to hike up Frosty Mountain.  I'll take lots of photos and report back next week.  Can't wait to eat my dehydrated 3 bean chili tomorrow night, yummy!