Scouter Operations

Ready for an Adventure?

If you are a 76th Scouter (or thinking of becoming one) and would like to see what backcountry adventures are all about with a friendly group, come join us. Successful adventures depend on group fitness, so we have a few criteria:

Beginner trips: 

Everyone is welcome! We can lend you gear if you don't have a full kit yet. If you have a decent pair of shoes or boots and a can-do attitude we will make sure you have fun. We will run one beginner trip each summer, and possibly more.

Intermediate trips: 

Every participant

• must have successfully completed a beginner trip with us. 

• should have their own gear and be building familiarity with it as this point.

• should be able to carry additional shared gear as required.

Advanced trips: 

Every participant

• must have successfully completed a beginner trip (plus a high-intensity add-on) with us.

• must have their own gear and 

• must be able to carry additional shared gear as required.

Winter trips:

Every participant 

• must have successfully completed a beginner (non-winter) trip with us.

• must have cold-weather rated gear or be able to borrow/rent some

• should be able to carry additional shared gear as required.

Upcoming Scouter Operations

Mt. Seymour OR Garibaldi Lake OR Heather Meadows Snow Camp (1 night)

• Exact date TBD 

• Classification: Intermediate (Winter)

Flora Lake Loop (2 nights)

• Exact date TBD

• Classification: Intermediate

Golden ears (Viewpoint or Halfmoon beach) beginner camp (1 night)

• Exact date TBD

• Classification: Beginner

Alouette Lake (boat luanch or north beach) paddle camp (1 night)

• Exact date TBD

• Classification: Intermediate (paddle)

TRIP REPORTS

27-Aug-22 Howe Sound Crest Trail

The Howe Sound Crest Trail snakes along several peaks adjacent to the Sea to Sky Highway and runs from Cypress Ski Resort to Porteau Cove. The total distance is 30km with 1800m cumulative elevation gain and lots of scrambling, making this a physically difficult and technically advanced trail. It is commonly completed in 1-3 days by trail runners and backpackers. We chose to complete the trail in 2 days with a single night spent exactly halfway at Magnesia Meadows.

Attendees: Hugh Turner, Jonathan Helmus, David Burns, Esten Williams

Trip Report by: David

Day 1: 

Scouts Jonathan, Esten, Hugh and David set out on Saturday, August 27th , stopping first to drop off a vehicle at Porteau Cove so that, on completing the hike the following day, they could drive to pick up the first car back at the start of the trail.

The HSCT begins with a couple of hours of switchbacks (tight zig-zags in the trail designed to help hikers move quickly up steep inclines) and morphs, after stops at St. Marks’ and the Bowen Island Lookout, into a hike and scramble to the highest peak on the trail, Mount Unnecessary – so named for the way in which hikers must climb to the peak only to descend immediately after into a series of other peaks. As the Scouters crossed between the lookouts on the way up Unnecessary a fog rolled in, obscuring the vast views and blue vista’s of Howe Sound and Metro Vancouver in the distance. As the group descended the far side of the mountain the fog became dramatically more dense – making it very difficult to find a way across the crest without losing the trail and walking into dangerous terrain so high up. Some careful compass work, though, led the way, and as other hiking teams connected it became clear the correct route was found.

Each of the following peaks were, while lower in elevation, more steep in their scrambles and climbs. Several areas involved fixed ropes and chains. The sun went down and the Scouters moved slowly across the final ridges of David's peak and stumbled into the camp – unaware they had arrived until they nearly walked into a tent. It was 21:30h, and they had been on the trail since 08:00h. Setting up tents in the dark directly beside a pond, they quickly filtered water, cooked and took weary, grateful breaths, then changed into warm clothing as the temperature dropped into the low single digits.

Day 2: 

Morning was a brighter, more hopeful time as they awoke among 20 other tents – nearly all from teams that had arrived before dark the previous night. The hike down the mountain was long. After setting out at 08:00h, the Scouters took in beautiful ponds and lakes spread out in the valleys they traversed, and enjoyed the plentiful water they offered. Just above Deek's Lake, at an emergency shelter, they stopped for a lunch of dried food and snacks. Steep scrambles down ridges, and hot hikes through open valleys, greeted the team as they passed clear, blue water and bright, sunlit sky. Some 10 hours after they set out from Magnesia Meadows, the Scouters arrived at the parking lot and started the drive home. 

16-Jul-22 Half Moon Beach for Beginners

Golden Ears park has a relatively flat trail that follows Gold Creek along the canyon for 15 km to Hector-Ferguson lake. There are campsites at 5km (Viewpoint Beach) and 10km (Half Moon Beach). We planned this trip as a 10km (each way) in-and-out for a couple of newer Scouters to test their legs.

Attendees: Odessa Ditson, Honor Almeida, David Burns, Sol Lancashire, Esten Williams

Trip Report by: Esten

Day 1: We set out for Half Moon Beach with the option of stopping early at Viewpoint Beach if anyone in the group was feeling like they had run out of energy. The trail was in good condition with minimal elevation gain and nice views of the river for most of the trip. In the end, we made it all the way with energy to spare - some of the group continued along the unmaintained trail past Half Moon Beach in search of the lake. After about 1km we reached piles of windfall that we could not get around with walking in the river, so we headed back. Wild berries were plentiful and made a delicious on the trail and at camp.

At camp, the Scouters practiced pioneering skills, backcountry cooking, and proper food clean up and storage.

Day 2: Some Scouters were well rested, others weren't, but we all got up with the sun and had breakfast all the same. The hike out was a quicker as Sol shifted into high gear and the rest of us chased him. The weather was fair, the ground was dry and we made quick work of the 10km and minor elevation loss. The newer Scouters finished with a few sore muscles and a lot big smiles. 

31-Dec-2021 Mt. Seymour Snow Camp

Mt. Seymour is located in Mt. Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver. The mountain was named after Frederick Seymour, the second governor of the Colony of British Columbia. Camping is permitted north of Brockton Point, which is at the north end of the Seymour Resort ski area. There are three peaks long the trail from Brockton Point - Pump Peak, Tim Jones Peak, and Mt. Seymour Peak. 

Attendees: David Burns, Sol Lancashire, Jonathan Helmus, Esten Williams, Reese Williams (special guest)

Trip Report by: Esten

Day 1: We arrived at the mountain late in the morning and it was a perfectly sunny day. Mt. Seymour Resort restricts parking for backcountry users to the lower parking lots, so we had to hike almost 1km up the road to reach the trailhead. From here, it was about 2km up to Brockton point, which is near the top of the chairlift in the ski area. The route had several steep sections but overall was a well-groomed trail. About 300m past Brockton Point at the low point between Brockton Point and Pump Peak, we set up camp just off the trail. We dug a snow cave for some people to sleep in, while others were in tents. The clear skies lasted well into the evening and the temperature stayed between -10 and -15C. 

Day 2: We quickly had breakfast and broke camp. The sky was overcast and snow/sleet was expected. The hike down was easy and we saw other campers returning as well. 

30-Jul-2021 Garibaldi Lake and Black Tusk False Summit

Garibaldi Lake and Black Tusk in the Garibaldi Ranges are some of the more iconic backcountry destinations close to Vancouver. The Black Tusk is the pinnacle of a stratovolcano in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt and is easily identifiable from many directions. The Squamish people call this mountain t'ak't'ak mu'yin tl'a in7in'a'xe7en, which means "Landing Place of the Thunderbird".

Attendees: David Burns, Sol Lancashire, Esten Williams

Trip Report by: Esten

Day 1: We hiked 9km to Garibaldi Lake campground and set up camp. The hike was mostly forested switch backs and not terribly exciting. It was unusually warm at the lake so we spent most of the afternoon swimming and getting shade in our hammocks. The shelter areas and food hangs were in good condition and quite busy. The outhouses were full of mosquitos and black flies all day, except very early morning hours (before 6am).

Day 2: We hiked 4.5 km (each way) to the Black Tusk summit. This leg of the hike was beautiful - passing through meadows, crossing brooks and walking through fields of wildflowers in bloom. We left very early to avoid the heat and were the second group on the summit. Helmets were required for the scramble up the Tusk because lots of the rock face was loose and crumbling. We took some detours on the way down to photograph different angles of the tusk and check out some interesting rock formations to the west. It was another hot day and we spent the afternoon swimming in Garibaldi Lake again. We caught several trout in the lake but they were quite small - all were released.

Day 3: A quick hike down to the parking lot early in the morning to avoid the heat. There were a lot more fish jumping in Barrier Lake but we did not stop to catch any.