BC Winter Road Trip! (Part 1/2)

I have a project under way that is temporarily in the hands of someone else, so as I wait to get it back and finalize it, I am trying to be productive in other ways. Seeing as my new sport as of December is ski touring, I thought I'd go on a road trip to test out my skins in new terrain while visiting old friends across the province. 

I started in Falkland, BC where the fresh dusting of snow was a pleasant change from wet and dreary Vancouver weather. My friend and I tried to go for a walk around his neighbourhood to find a higher vantage point in the valley, but were denied access due to a maze of fences and uninviting signage. We decided to head to a park and try out some nordic trails in Vernon which proved to be a much more rewarding activity. 

I hesitate to admit it, but my skis were the fat ones in the middle (above). Instead of renting nordic skis, I slapped on my skins and took my oversized sticks for a ride.... Brent and I stopped at a fire-warmed hut to enjoy a Kahlua Mudslide which made it all worth while. 

The next day, Brent and I took a scenic driving tour to Gort's Gouda Farm in Salmon Arm. We enjoyed smoked gouda and salty European liquorish. So worth the drive. 

Gort's Gouda Farm near Salmon Arm. 

After a few days in Falkland, another friend and I made an impulse decision to drive up to Smithers, BC. I was easy to convince since the detour would add an impressive 1,000km each way to my meagre attempt to do a road trip. Plus, I am a fan of Smithers and was looking forward to visiting with my friends from there while also trying out the local ski terrain.  

Creatively named runs at Hankin-Evelyn, the fire-warmed hut just below alpine, and Luke floating on top of the deep damp powder. 

Luke, Alfred, and I hiked up Hankin-Evelyn in the Bulkley Backcountry Ski Area. Unfortunately, Alfred's binding broke as soon as we reached the hut, so Luke and I left him to tend the fire while we went for a quick run without him. It was my first time skiing powder on skis in about 15years (if ever) and I virtually tumbled the whole way down. Luke's technique was quite the opposite of mine—fully fine-tuned and flawless. 

Backcountry skiing on Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers. 

The next day we headed to Hudson Bay Mountain for the luxury of chairlifts and easy access to backcountry. I got my butt kicked but had a blast following Luke and Alfred around the hill. 

Enjoying chairlifts and the odd groomed run at Hudson Bay Mountain. 

After spending a couple nights enjoying my time with Luke in Sun Peaks, I made my way back towards Vancouver. I decided to head along Highway 1 until Cache Creek, then make my way through Lilloet to eventually arrive in Pemberton. It was only a three hour drive but I stretched it into most of the day by stopping often to take photos and drive down quiet unassuming roads. Since the weather had been pretty grey and warm most of the trip, the scenery had been mostly uninspiring for photography. Luckily on this stretch I found a bit of creative inspiration. The drive was incredible especially between Lilloet and Pemberton. I felt like I was in a different country. 

Taking the time to take photographs along the way. 

TO BE CONTINUED >>>

English Bay

A few images from a winter's evening spent sailing with close friends. 

On the waters of English Bay

Winter Wanderings

I recently purchased a pair of new-to-me touring skis, and my brand new Garmont Luster AT boots are in the mail! I'm very excited to try skiing again for the first time in nearly 15 years! In the mean time, I'm happily wearing in my snowshoes from Christmas last year. After a fulfilling Christmas dinner with friend's friday night, I got up early Saturday morning to make my way up Mt Seymour for the low morning sun. I couldn't believe how much snow there was and fresh snow too!! 

After that perfect little hike in a sparkling wonderland, I'm even more in love with winter. 

Get out there! 

Puddles and Puppies and Planting

Ahh... It feels good to finally get some film developed. Always a treat to see the negatives and prints for the first time. These images were taken with my Flexaret.

I'm doing a little summer retrospective here, but why not look back on the sunny days as winter closes in?

Joel

Camping between contracts on the way to Keremeos, B.C.

Peanut

Chilling on a bridge over-looking a frothy foamy fast-flowing river.

All those flattened boxes were full of seedlings at the beginning of the day. During this one day, tens of thousands of trees were planted by the crew on this block. We were planting under and around the burnt remains of yesteryear's forest fires.

We don't usually use quads to transport trees, but this block was unique. We had about an hour walk in (and out) due to deactivated roads. Without quads it would have been a heli show and our wages would have dropped dramatically to compensate—one more reason why our company rocks. 

Keremeos, B.C.

After some crazy hot and dry days we finally got a serious thunderstorm to ring in the end of the contract. We took the brilliant rainbow as a sign and got out of there as fast as we could. Who wants to sleep in a hotel when you can sleep in the wilderness anyway? We figured there was no moisture left in the sky since the potential there had been for rain had ended up on the pavement. 

Thanks for getting your feet wet Joel! 

And in honour of Joel and his blog, I'm going to end with a quote:

You've gotta live young to die old. 

(If it isn't a quote yet, it is now)

Photographing a Wednesday on a Monday

I met Wednesday at a friend's wedding this summer. After chatting briefly, I found out that she was passionate about music and also a dedicated musician.  We decided to meet the next day for this shoot.

We stopped to photograph our first shots against a wall of an old building in Fernie, B.C. and stumbled across some good fortune. The building was empty and rundown—either about to be torn down or being prepped for a major renovation.

 When we took our first shots in front of the back door I noticed there was a lock but it was not closed. We cracked the door open and stealthily snuck inside. It was a perfect space to work with. I wish I had access to a building like this every day!

Thanks to Wednesday for being keen for the shoot and an easy subject to work with. She wasn't afraid to get dirty; believe me that floor was dirty. No rats though, not that we saw. 

A Perfect Day

It was a perfect day; a rare day. 

It was a day filled with so many of my favourite things. 

It was virtually a flawless birthday. 

Surfing and Sunsets- Last couple days at age 26.

The first beach day was a short one. I was kind of glad I had committed myself to shooting rather than surfing. I'm pretty sure I was as content on the sand as I would have been in the water. Plus, as Laura and her friend's shredded (do they even call it that?) her dog Delani kept me company. 

There's a girls only surf competition in a couple weeks I want to come back for- strictly for photography's sake... If I make it out I'll definitely be posting about it. 

That afternoon I tried to find some other friends of mine who were kite boarding at Chesterman's, but I missed them. I snapped a couple shots and moved on. 

They found me in Tofino later and as the evening approached we walked to the beach for a sunset mission. 

It was glorious. The sky glowed for hours as we inspected sea creatures, climbed an old over-hanging shoreline tree, and explored a cave. 

As we wandered along the beach we felt as though we were inside a giant snow-globe with stars instead of snowflakes. 

Those were yesterday's adventures. Today I ate a delicious Gringo from Tacofino and went surfing with Dan for the afternoon. A little slack-line was thrown into the mix as well. It was a perfect way to spend my last day as a 26 year old. 

What an amazing year.