Roar Cat Reads

Tag: Out of Shape Hiker

  • Woodland Walks Hike in Coquitlam, BC

    Woodland Walks Hike in Coquitlam, BC

    Distance from Vancouver: 42 km
    Hike Length: 7.9 km
    Elevation Gain: 340 m
    Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
    Steps: 15,000

    Woodland Walks is a beautiful trail for intermediate hikers, but good hiking shoes are a must – it’s an ankle breaker.

    Driving to Woodlands Walks will take you through a subdivision – don’t freak out like I did, this is correct. After turning onto a service road, you can park along the street. This is a reasonably popular trail, so I wouldn’t arrive any later than 9:00 a.m. (though spaces will reopen fairly regularly since it isn’t a hugely long hike).

    The biggest bonus of this hike is its diversity. There are sections in the forest with well-worn paths, steep sections that require picking your way up and down rocks, open areas with gravel roads and wider views, and an outlook or two with space to enjoy a cup of tea. I can feel myself starting to take BC’s beauty for granted, with one rainforest wonder after the other. I really appreciated a hike with open sky and views of snowcapped mountains as a change.

    The downside to this hike is how hard it is on joints! There are a lot of roots and stones in the path, so it is a must to keep your footing. The elevation in this trail is also very compressed, so while much of it is flat and easy, the up sections are very steep. They are worth it, and take heart with the knowledge that these sections never last too long. It’s also worth noting that this is also a mountain bike trail, but we never came across any, so I cannot speak to how people share the trail.

    Overall, I really enjoyed this hike and would definitely do it again! It is just long enough and challenging enough to feel like a workout, but it isn’t so long that you want to die.

    The Out of Shape Hiker’s Statistics

    Can you take your grandma on this trail? NO, there are extremely steep sections, and the easy parts of the trail still have roots and stone that could easily twist someone’s ankle.

    Does the trail have Instagram-worthy locations? Yes. In particular, there is an open section where people have built little cairns of stones.

    How many times did we get passed? ZERO! But that is more likely because we seemed to be going in the opposite direction as everyone else.

    Is the trail dog friendly? Yes, dogs are allowed on leashes. We saw several well-behaved dogs off leash though, and no one seemed to mind.

    Challenge Rating: This trail will make you sore the next day! Be prepared with ankle-supporting shoes and any necessary knee braces or hiking sticks.

  • Hiking the Baden Powell Trail

    Hiking the Baden Powell Trail

    From Lynn Canyon to Deep Cove

    One of Rachel’s goals is to hike the entire Baden Powell Trail in North Vancouver, which stretches 45.5 km from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. There is no way that we are capable of doing this in one go, so we’re breaking it into chunks. Last fall we hiked from Grouse Mountain to Lynn Canyon (before the blog, so no written record), and today we knocked off another section, from Lynn Headwaters Regional Park to Deep Cove!

    Distance from Vancouver: 16 km

    NOTE: This is a point-to-point trail. You will need to park on one end and arrange transportation to get you back to where you started.

    Length: 16.5 km
    Elevation Gain: 600 m
    Time: 5 hours

    Our stats

    First things first: 16 km is longer than you think! Because we started at Lynn Canyon, we were going downhill for most of the first couple hours of our hike. I was feeling very cocky until we paused for water. “We’ve got to be almost done, right?” I asked. No. We were only a third of the way along the trail, and spoilers! The rest was not as easy.

    This is labeled an intermediate trail, and while most of it is tended very nicely with platforms, steps – you know, hiking for dummies stuff – there is a section that is a lot more scrabbling up the trail and hoping you’re still on the trail. If I hadn’t already hiked 10 km, I probably would have found it enjoyable to hop from rock to branch. But my knees were tired, and it felt like it took forever to break past the halfway point of the hike.

    However, the hike is truly beautiful. There are bridges over waterfalls and rapids, pools, forests full of green, backyards to make you jealous, and the occasional open space to keep the views fresh. As I write this, it is early spring, and the bright green mosses and tiny budding flowers along the trail reminded me why I love living in Vancouver. This trail is definitely worthy of attempting.

    By the time we got to Deep Cove, we were exhausted. This trail was a stretch for us, but wow did we feel proud of ourselves by the end!

    The Out of Shape Hiker’s Statistics

    Can you take your grandma on this trail? No. In addition to being long, there are some sections (mentioned above) that are not paved, and it is difficult terrain.

    Does the trail have Instagram picture spots? Yes. In addition to general BC forest beauty, there are overlooks in front of rivers and waterfalls, and the Quarry Rock overlook in Deep Cove is part of the hike.

    How many times did we get passed? Five. Normal hikers passed us, older hikers passed us, and towards the end, we shared the trail with mountain bikers and runners. We did pass one group, though, so we’re not the most out of shape!

    Is the trail dog friendly? Yes. Dogs are allowed on leashes throughout, and off for some sections. However, many people had dogs offleash throughout.

    Challenge Rating

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Have you hiked the Baden Powell trail from Lynn Canyon to Deep Cove?
    Leave a comment and let me know about your experience!