Category Archives: BC Mountains

Britannia Museum in Squamish

idearabbit-britiannamuseum9Yay! Trip to the mountains :)

We got our tickets for the noon tour. It was partly sunny, but the winds were bone-chilling. I knew from their website to dress warmly as the tour would be taking place inside the mine where it was going to be dark, cold and damp. I suggested to my friend to get his coat that he left in the car. I’m sure he was glad he did.

The actual tour seemed a bit short for $25 (compared to the Underground Tour in Seattle), though it was neat to see everything. The rest is self guided, and there is a gold panning area where kids and adults can try and pan out some gold. Sheepie got so into it that he spent so much time freezing his hands off to get some gems and gold looking stones while his friend and I went to the cafe to have some hot tea and coffee with chips. The cafe isn’t really a real cafe. Something you’d expect out in the middle of nowhere…with simple table and chairs set up, and a few snacks with coffee brewing in the coffee pot. Very simple and low key. But the tea is nice to warm up with! And for those that doesn’t want to freeze their hands off panning, you can buy the gems in the souvenir shop :P

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The real thing idearabbit-britiannamuseum5

Our tour guideidearabbit-britiannamuseum4

Little train we ride to get deep into the mineidearabbit-britiannamuseum6

So, with the actual guided tour part, you ride on a small train into the mines. The guide will show how they use to mine with facts that made the Britianna Mine so special and important back then. The train may be fun, but for the rest, it may not be suitable for infants. The machines are super loud as the guide turns them on to demonstrate how they used to dig back then. The little ones on our tour got scared or were restless as they got bored.

Overall, it’s a nice half day trip to Squamish from Vancouver. It’s a nice museum, but $25 for admission is pretty expensive. Students get discount, so don’t forget to bring your student ID if you are one!

Quarry Rock Hike at Deep Cove

Region: The North Shore
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 3.8km
Elevation Gain: 100 meters
Season: year-round
Camping: No
Dog Friendly: Yes
Public Transit: Yes
Approx. 30 minutes from Vancouver
Things to bring: towel, granola bar + snack, water bottle, sunscreen, camera

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Although you see that it’s under the easy level, and only a gain of 100 meters, this one was tough for me. I dunno if it’s because of the hip and knee problems I have from time to time (although they didn’t bother me that much when I went twice over the summer), but perhaps I was really out of shape, and perhaps the minor heart regurgitation I have could be the reason to have me puffing and dying already at 10 minutes into the hike, while everyone is fine. “this is so easy!” a girl says as she had done the Grouse Grind the day before. Note to self = never to the Grind. And my friend who does the Grind at least a dozen times over the season wants me to go along, but is afraid I’ll never make it up…and with all the warning signs at the entrance, and no emergency to fall back on, I guess it’s just not meant to be in my bucket list. I have no problem with that since I’d rather travel to experience different culture than do the Grind.

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I was last in line of a group of dozen to get to the rock. Everyone else was already relaxing and enjoying the spectacular view from above. At least this hike is very rewarding. There is quite a bit of going up and down during the hike. Wear comfortable and supportive shoes, though I have seen many girls in their flip flops. Good luck.

Once you’re down, it’s nice to have restaurants to dine in at, enjoy some ice cream, and chill by the waters. There is more to do here before/after the hike at Deep Cove that makes the journey more interesting.

Grouse Mountain

Sheepie has the yearly-pass membership, which allows up to 4 others to ride the gondola for half off. Even with 50% off, it was $20.98 – pricey like many tourist attractions in Vancouver.

It was a cloudy day, and slightly chilly up top. I managed to see some of the lumberjack show, which was pretty impressive. It gathered a large crowd and the humour of the performers made it an entertaining afternoon show.

Separate from the lumberjack show, there is an area where you can try out some axe throwing at a target. Not for children.

I unfortunately didn’t get to see the Bird show which my friend had mentioned that it was really spectacular. With all the fog, it might not have been a really visible show anyhow…

I was really impressed being able to see the two grizzly bears up close. Like many animals kept in captivity, they were used to having a crowd stare at them, photograph them, or have annoying people telling them to ‘look this way’. Seeing the grizzly’s made it worth the trip of coming up Grouse.

Luckily, it didn’t rain, but if it did, you can check out the small film theatre or buy some snacks at the food court, many whom has just done the Grouse Grind.

If you haven’t gone to Grouse, it’s worth checking it out. It’d be best to find someone with a yearly pass so you can go up half price. Spending nearly $50 just to go up and down a few minutes on the gondola is a bit of a rip off.
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You can see 2 Grizzly Bears up close!! :D

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Lumberjack on top of the pole doing stunts! It was a very foggy day…

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Lumberjack show. The seats were jam packed with spectators.

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Chilling at lounge…

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Hikers coming up the Grouse Grind