The Canadian Adventure

2006-11-24T00:57:00.000Z

The West Cost Trail 7 days and 57K of pure bliss through anciant forest and windswept beaches

7 day roadrip through the Canadian Rockies via Wistler, Kamloops, Jasper, Banff and finaly to Calgary for the anual Stampeed/rodeo.

We thought this site would be a great place to camp off the raod for a night but we only stayed there for an hour after being engulfed in mossies which sent us crazy so we continued driving into the night and arrived in Jsper in the wee hours of the morning.

The first night in Alberta where the drinking age is 18 not 19 as it is in BC

My vision after quite a few!

Nothing like jumping into a clear blue cold lake to cure a hangover

Just one of the many crane days

Work at the boss' house

Another day at the office ...

Back in Canada now for a few more months. This is a pic from a site that we were working at for a week clearing a trail through the forest in solid blue sky overlooking the sea, bliss, except for the excavators, chainsaws and the chipper.

A few more pics from a quick trip back home to trash my fingers on the grit and get my bike.

Stanage, only an hour after arriving back home i was already out with miles rosie n sue chilling out on the boulders in the evening sun.

Me blocking down a big Cedar tree and taking a little break

A 12hr day taking down an even bigger tree on Gambia island where all the branches had to be stacked on the back of a trailor, just about the only vehicle on that side of the island

Just a couple of pics of some of the crew on training day

Climbing near Squamish during Easter weekend Sorry there could be no pics of actual climbing as there were only two of us.

Me drifting off to sleep infront of the fire after a hard days work

Ok we had a little misshap with the chipper and one thing led to another involving a digger and a river and well, take a look, it wasn't me (well it was a little). In the end we got it into the forest by lunch, did 15mins of chipping then got it stook again and spent the rest of the day digging it out.

Back in Canadaland now, after spending three hellish days as a forman on a 35ft conifer hedge next to the sea and in the snow I'm now doing work at King Edward Bay on Bowan Island where we have a year long contract to make room for a new secluded housing development. To get there it is 30 mmins drive to the ferry, 20 min ferry ride and then another 20mins to the worksite via some very windy roads. Here are some pics to give you a tast:

Now the most recent pics will be at the top now (I don't know why i didn't do that in the first place) Ok not exactly in Canada here but ... Just like to say thanks to everyone I saw when I came home in Feb, 'twas a great time, and sorry to those who I didn't see. Just a few pics of Wales Network (boozing and minimal climbing) trip. Serves you right! Houndkirk track Feb half-term, happy 51 years old Mr. Landy Series 1 Thanks to Mark, a great few days of drifting, snow balling and general mischief was had. Oh crumbs, how did a woman get at the helm! Ultimate devastation imminent... But we managed to make it through and on to the Fox House for nice cold one. MONSTER JAM at BC Place

Flying over Greenland (stupid name, do'n't look green to me)

Looking over to Stanley Park and Lions Gate bridge. A failed attepted at cycling along a pebble beach

Lighthouse Park in distant and beyond to Van. Island

On a roadtrip to Squamish

You don't get work sites much better than this! We removed a 80ft tree from a house roof just behind

Lions Gate Bridge and Mt Baker in the distant

Work

The first proper meal we made; Yorkshire meatballs

Just one of the many houses destroyed by falling trees in the first and the strongest storm we had

Oops...

A rambling along some snowshoe trails (minus the snowshoes) up a local mountain (minus a map, compass or any idea)

Our street in the snow

Rate my Christamas tree...

New Year's Day English Bay Polar Bear Swim. Temp: 3C

"The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club is one of the largest and oldest Polar Bear Clubs in the world. Its initial swim was in 1920 when a small number of hardy swimmers took the plunge into English Bay on New Year's Day. The swim has grown from around 10 swimmers in that year to the record number of 2,128 official entries in 2000."

Some aerial pics of Vancouver and North Shore

Our house...

Our house... in the middle of our street.

(bottom left)

My new ride: a Chevy 95 Corsica jus $300

Kitsilano beach looking over to Downtown and West Van (just before I locked the keys in the truck)

Resently we did a job on an oldgroth tree which means one from a realy long time ago that wasnt felled from the original forest. It was at least 6ft wide at the bottom, the top had been taken off at around 135ft along time ago and there it was still like 5ft wide. There was a big broken branch at the very top wich was about to fall off so we had to remove it as it was overhanging a road a powerlines. Due to the tree being so wide we could not climb it effitiantly and if we did it would need two people at opposit sides of the tree to climb it and even then it would take most of the day to get up there. Instead of doing that we got a 50tonne crane in to hoist myself and another guy up in a 'manbasket' so that we were suspened next to the tree so we could rigg the branch off without dropping it, it was amazing to be up there and it was an awsum day , crystal blue sky and no wind but it was minus 5 which was very cold at 130ft up. we went up at abt 10.30am and didnt get down from the crane till 2.30pm which by then I was very cold, hungy and need the toilet, but it was all good fun!

so this is supposed to hold us up then ...

is it too late to change my mind...?

Don't look down ...

too late

Yet more snow and I had to drive this truck and chipper in it (scary!)

mmm what do you do at the weekend when there are ropes at your disposal...

and you find an abondoned bridge...

We reolised the bridge had been closed because it was crumbling at the base and was starting to lean over but we figured it would still be fit enough for us to swing of it.

All was going well untill Martin's rapel knot came undone and he had to just slide down the rope with his hands but fell and whaked his hip and head. We didnt reolise this untill he didnt come back up the slope as he could hardly walk. So as he sat at the top in pain we carried on rapeling untill we thought it would be a good idea to take him to a hospital. By the time we got there we had to carry him in, he is now recovering on crutches.

Now I dont want to sugest anything but...

To be continued ...

Scotland New Year 2005/6

2006-02-27T12:18:00.000Z

Tom, Miles, myself and a bunch of norpers went to Scotland over New Year. Our task was to search for some elusive icefalls and climb them. Along the way we encountered amazing scenery and walked a number of excellent mountains.

We finaly found a few small ice falls in the valley on the south side of Ben Laws. Tom near the base of the ice fall ready for anything that comes his way and miles and ed climbing.

The expedition 'walk in' towards 'high camp' where we were to climb 'Y Gully' the following day.

Nearing the top of 'Y Gully'

Ed's Expeditions

The Canadian Adventure

Scotland New Year 2005/6