BCYK: Vancouver & Squamish

I found myself back in Vancouver ten months after my previous trip (and a month before my next). We were here for a few days before heading up to Yukon, and I was excited to be back on the west coast less than a year after my last visit.

Squamish is undeniably beautiful but terribly touristy. I was looking forward to doing the Chief (link to the future!) this time, but unfortunately my hiking companions were not up for it.

Conquering the Chief

Stawamus Chief deserves a post of its own. I have been wanting to do this hike the last three times I was in BC, but things never worked out. We almost didn't make it here this time as well; it is difficult to visit Squamish without a car, but thankfully Ranee's roommate and Evo saved us!




The two more advanced hikers lost us pretty early on, and we started up the stairs and quickly realized we would need several breaks to get through this.

4 nights on a train

The month of July was spent travelling around Canada with Dan aboard VIA Rail. We were among the lucky 4000 youths who snagged a pass, albeit with some panic and 3AM madness. I'm sure this will be one of the stories we tell young'uns when we're seventy, on our rockers and sipping a cup of tea.

As it was the first day of travel available for those with the pass, there were celebrations aplenty awaiting us at Union Station. They were squeezing every last bit of the marketing they could get from the crowds of youth lining up for hours atop their luggage. We were showered with free candy and sandwiches to keep up our spirits.

We spent 4 days and 4 nights on a train. No beds, no showers, and minimal food available. Misery loves company, and we had a lot of it. It just so happened that our nearby seatmates were travelling solo, and we made friends with them.







Our days consisted of sunrises, sunsets, prepackaged foods, silly games, naps, reading, journaling, and awaiting the next stop so we could stretch our legs and get some fresh air.