So have the footsteps of campers who venture beyond their tent pads. Limited impact also means being wary of where you walk. Don’t go off the beaten path: trails, boardwalks, bridges, portages, even game routes. If you know it’s going to be wet and muddy, wear gaiters and sturdy boots. This will make it easier to stay on the trail in even the most extreme conditions. Take responsibility for your actions. As they preach in golf, replace your divots. It takes decades for a rutted landscape to repair itself.
Bear Advisory: Consult a guide such as Backcountry Bear Basics by David Smith. Subtitled The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters, Smith’s book is an easy read that anyone preparing for a backcountry journey should refer to before setting out. The information contained in it is well researched and helps separate factual evidence from half-baked research and uninformed opinion. For example, the speed with which bears move means that even track stars should never flee from a bear or attempt to scale a tree. That’s one race you’ll never win.
If a bear spots you in the backcountry, stand your ground. Even better, if you spot a bear first, quietly slip away. Only when a bear enters your campground should you make as much noise as possible in an attempt to drive it away. The rarity of bear predation on humans is a sign that we don’t often fit their prey image like marmots, mice, and salmon do. Still, most knowledgeable wildlife biologists, such as David Smith, are unwilling to dismiss predation as an unnatural act or the desperate deed of a starving or slightly crazed bear.
Food-conditioned bears pose the most dangerous threat to humans. Once a bear has tasted food prepared by humans, all else in its diet pales in comparison. Remember: A fed bear is a dead bear. Hundreds of black bears and grizzlies, so-called “nuisance bears,” are shot each year in B.C. For their well-being and your own, only use trash barrels that are bear-proofed. Most refuse containers in Squamish and Whistler as well as in provincial parks are sturdily designed.
Mountain Biking: The difference between cycling and mountain biking is often subjective. For some, mountain biking means riding on a road that isn’t paved. For others, mountain biking is just not a challenge if the path doesn’t go straight down a mountain and involve hopping the bike over rocks, boulders, fallen trees, and hand-built ramps and bridges. For the purposes of this book, mountain bike trails usually involve at least the possibility of single track, a trail that’s only wide enough to accommodate one bike at a time.
Snow Trekking: Backcountry winter adventuring is a league apart from skiing on patrolled runs. Before you head out, prepare yourself for any eventuality. Learn to handle demanding winter camping conditions and discover how to anticipate and avoid avalanche hazards. The Canada West Mountain School (47 West Broadway, Vancouver; 604-878 -7007 or 1-888 -892-2266; www.themountainschool.com) has been offering mountain safety instruction since 1982. It has expanded considerably in the past several years to include introductory backcountry courses for snowboarders and ice climbers as well as skiers. Weekend ski treks for novices begin in early January and continue through March. As well, avalanche safety programs for skiers and snowboarders begin in early December and continue through March.
Once you’re comfortable with backcountry winter conditions, consider making an extended foray in March and April. Spring snow conditions are generally the most favorable of the year, which is why many skiers and snowboarders plan backcountry expeditions as the sun strengthens and provides longer daylight hours.
The Alpine Club of Canada’s Vancouver section posts information about trip schedules plus a variety of other useful listings and links, including weather reports, avalanche advisories, and road conditions, at their website: www.accvancouver.ca.
Hiking: When planning a hike, consider carefully what to take in your pack. Conditions can change quickly in this mountainous region, and it pays to be prepared for any eventuality. Here’s a list of the most critical items to bring with you:
> Minimum of 1 liter (roughly 1 quart) of water
> Plenty of high-energy foods such as nuts and raisins
> Sunscreen (minimum SPF 15)
> Sunglasses and a hat
> Extra-warm clothing (not cotton)
> Emergency equipment including a whistle, knife, headlamp, lighter,
candle, and large plastic bag or space blanket
> Maps or a guidebook
> Emergency first-aid kit
> Insect repellent
Finally, file a trip plan with someone who loves you as to your exact destination, the time you plan to return, and the license plate number of your vehicle. An informative, pack-sized guide to have handy is Outdoor Safety and Survival, by Judi Lees.
Freshwater Fishing: a good source to consult before you set out is the BC Fishing Directory and Atlas. Few anglers can resist supplying advice and information to anyone asking for helpful tips. It’s a given that local store operators will know about the lakes and streams in their areas and will be able to recommend what flies or lures to try according to the season. Catch-and-release with a single barbless hook has become the byword for anglers fishing ocean-bound streams and rivers in the Sea to Sky region of B.C. Once you’ve hooked a fish, do not overly tire your catch or grab at it when landing it, which can cause abrasions that in turn lead to disease. Simply grasp the shank of the hook and lift the hook bend upwards for the most effective release. Attitude means a lot in fishing. Remember that the essence of sport angling is to try to hook a fish on the most sporting terms you can handle. Use light tackle with artificial lures, barbless hooks, and delicate leaders, adhering to the philosophy that a trout is much more valuable as a living challenge to your skill than as part of a meal.
> LOCATION : East end of Howe Sound, 60 km (37 mi) north of Vancouver, 58 km (36 mi) south of Whistler, 95 km (59 mi) south of Pemberton
> ACTIVITIES : Camping, cycling, fishing, hiking, kiteboarding, nature observation, picnicking, mountain biking, rock climbing, viewpoints, walking, whitewater rafting, windsurfing
> HIGHLIGHTS : Waterfalls, climbing walls, estuary trails— all within sight of each other
WELCOME TO the self-proclaimed outdoor recreation capital of Canada. That may seem like a grandiose claim, but a quick scan of the recreational opportunities in Squamish— or “Squish,” as it’s affectionately known—offers quick verification. Despite the town’s veneer of newness, however, this diversity is not a recent phenomenon. For more than a century, day-trippers have been exploring the mountains, rivers and lakes that surround this tight-knit community of 16,000 at the head of Howe Sound. Members of the Vancouver Natural History Society, for example, regularly journeyed here by boat in the early 1900s on their way to the alpine meadows of nearby Mount Garibaldi. The society, bolstered by the local government, successfully lobbied in the 1920s for the creation of 1947-square-km (752-square-mi) Garibaldi Provincial Park. By the 1930s, hundreds of hikers were trekking and skiing in the provincial park’s Diamond Head region, which affords panoramic views of the Squamish area.
New road and rail connections—including the Squamish Highway (Highway