August 18, 2026 -- Chilliwack Valley Stats: 10 km / 735m gain / 2084m high / 3:30 hours MT / 4WD You get a lot of bang for your buck on this hike. Open alpine views right from the get-go. I had cancelled the day prior because my other driver said it was too smokey to do it. It was but when I woke in the morning and saw the sky, thanks to the wind the smoke haze was down to a minimum. I was regretting having cancelled it. Four of us women had made other plans to do a forest h

August 15, 2026 -- Cultus Lake Stats: 9 km / 670m gain / 1719m high / 3:30 hours MT What to do when the air quality index is moderate? Stay local and do a moderate hike. The smell of forest fire smoke and the haze it creates, was a constant throughout the hike. But it was still a pleasnt day well spent. I managed to get not one, but two 4WDs. It being a Saturday, our company could spare one. Owen said that the road was in good condition which was true, but he didn't mention

August 5-9, 2026 Every other year our family gets together at Scotch Creek campsite on North Shuswap Lake. This tradition started when I was only 6 years old! As I was driving towards the campsite after leaving Hwy 1, a lot of memories came flooding back to me. How my parents started out with a big old army tent that my mom paid for with pennies she'd saved up in a big glass jar. We helped her count them and put them into rolls. And at the age of 13 how I got hit on for the f