update

Circumstances over the past few months have kept me occupied with other activities.  First, my old laptop died after four years of service.  Then I got a new notebook through a new IP but in the mean time I had to set up things with the new computer, which took time.

Then some weeks ago I adopted a 15 year old boy, who is now 16 since his birthday came along since, but this has kept me away from blogging since we chat online daily.  He is in Indonesia and I am in Canada.  Wahid lost his parents and his older brother in a car accident in the mountains.  They were on vacation and the car ended up in a mountain ravine with all occupants dead.  So the 15 year old (now 16) came looking for someone that would fill the roll of a father.  He found me and neither of us has looked back.

The weather has improved, so I have been back to hiking over the past few weeks.  I hope to post some photos soon from some of the recent hikes which include the Fraser River near home, Barnston Island in the Fraser River between Surrey and Pitt Meadows, British Columbia plus some from Hollyburn Mountain in West Vancouver (that hike is planned for tomorrow).  Look for some interest new images soon!
- Volker

Eagle Mountain - September 4th

Well, I've edited most of the photos taken on the September 4th hike up Eagle Mountain, the one on the Labour Day weekend. The top one is of some wild geranium flowers found in bloom along the Coquitlam Crunch Trail. There is a photo of wild asters as well. The mountain is Mt Baker across the border in Washington (state). The last photo has some huckleberry bushes in it. I was eating the berries as we went along. They are related to the blueberry. I'll let the images speak for themselves. Enjoy! - V

Lauterbrunnental, Switzerland - summer 1972

During my 1972 summer trip to Europe, Switzerland was another destination. In this case it was the Lauterbrunnental (Lauterbrunnen valley) in the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland. The photos I took show you what the area looked like at that time. Since then, I've heard that the glaciers are receding due to the changes in the global weather patterns. I stayed with a farm family above the village of Lauterbrunnen (elevation 795 meters). I arrived on a Friday. The Saturday was the first full day in the country. In the scene above you see the Staubbach falls which drop 297 meters from the edge of the cliff above. By the time the water hits the ground below it is like a mist, hence the name.
On the Sunday I went on a long hike further up the valley to a cable car station at Stechelberg (960 meters elevation). From there it was by cable car (Seilbahn) to the village of Muerren where the next station was located (1650 meters elevation). Then it was a trek up the Schilthorn mountain to a cable car station at Birg. I had originally wanted to hike all the way up to the summit at 2,973 meters but decided against it due to time limitations. The photo above shows the scene on the walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg.
From Muerren and on the way up it is possible to see various mountains such as the Jungfrau (4,158.2 meters), the Moench, the Eiger and the Breithorn. As the following images will attest, its a very scenic view from this height.
A view looking south where the elevation is even higher. There are glaciers behind these mountains. The image below was shot near the ski lodge. The area was used as a setting for the James Bond film called "In her Majesty's Service." The entire cable car system and stations was built for the movie by the studio and then given to the Swiss when the filming was done. The filming took place a couple of years before I arrived to view this scene.
Above is the view from the cable car station at Birg looking across the Lauterbrunnen valley toward the Maennlichen in the foreground at 2,343 meters in elevation. Below is another view looking toward the south.
On the way back down to Muerren, I took this shot of a group of farm buildings at Sonnenberg. Monday it was time to return to Interlaken by the narrow gauge railway and then on to Basel and into Germany. Two two photos below show the train (regular gauge) passing through the town of Thun on Thunersee and finally the main railway station in Basel, Switzerland before continuing on to Germany. I planning the itinerary I ended up crossing destinations off my list just because there wasn't enough time or money to see them all. Time was probably the biggest factor. I was only in Europe for seven weeks and had a two month student railpass to get about ($120 at the time through the Germanrail office in NYC). The visit here and to Salzburg set my interest in mountainous environments. Is it any wonder? I hope you have enjoyed the photos! Feel free to ask any questions. - V

Buntzen Lake trails

Normally, I start hiking in May and keep going through the summer. With the mini-stroke I had in early May this year, things were delayed but I've done the best I can with the season that is left. Seeing the view from Eagle Bluff last weekend has been inspirational but do some homework before you go out hiking, where ever you are!

Before you go out on a hike, familiarize yourself with the area and the lay of the land. Be sure to dress for the weather. Read about what others have done in the way of hiking. Invest in a topographical map for the area of interest. Be sure to take along some water and something to nibble on. Even a good flashlight can come in handy if your hike is longer than planned. You can find a lot of useful material online that will help keep you from having search and rescue sent out to find you. The trail map above is just one of many. If you do get lost, stay put and call for help! Its a safety issue at that point and may prevent you from getting into some real trouble that'll give the search and rescue people a nightmare! Don't let your ego get you into trouble! Good luck, and stay safe! - V

Note: For those challenged and unable to find their way around the landscape easily, invest in a compass, so that you map can be pointed to the north. Some of us can find our way by the position of the sun during the day and the moon and stars at night. Easily memorizing the landscape is a great help.

If you want to avoid bears, wild cats (such as lynx, bobcats and cougars) and coyotes, avoid hiking when the animals they prey upon are around (at night and in the early morning). True, you won't see deer or rabbits but you won't have a black bear breathing down your neck. If such things are not a concern to you, then carry on! Regardless, be aware of your surroundings!!! - V

Eagle Bluff - photos

Here are some photos of Saturday's hike on Eagle Mountain. The goal was Eagle Bluff which I reached without incident. Enjoy the photos and the scenery! The hiking route took me up the Coquitlam Crunch Trail once again, to a view of the lower mainland and then on to Eagle Bluff. I couldn't have asked for better weather. I plan to post some more photos taken during the beginning of the hike but these will suffice for now. Enjoy!
That's the approach to the bluff above and tread marks in the sand from trail bikes in the photo below.
Here's another beautiful shot of Buntzen Lake above and a shot of the trail from where I came.
The image above looks down to Burrard Inlet and Burnaby Mountain. The photo below shows the top edge of the Eagle Bluff. Its a significant drop down from there.
Finally, this is a shot (above) across the top of a rock found near the edge of the bluff. The view alone was well worth the effort in getting there! - V

view from Eagle Bluff

On Saturday, rather than hike up the mountain I decided to complete the original hike to Eagle Bluff and the view from there of Buntzen Lake was more the worth the effort to get there. More photos are coming as soon as they are edited. Meantime, savour this one! - V

Eagle Mountain hike - photos

This past Saturday afternoon took me to Port Moody by a combination of bus, then train and then a bus once more (B-97). Then I walked to the start of the Coquitlam Crunch Trail in neighbouring Coquitlam. It turned out to be a much nicer day than I had originally imagined. It was bright and sunny, not to mention very warm. It was so warm that I took off the t-shorts I was wearing. I didn't need them, nor did I need the sweater I brought along in case it was cool. Part of the trail was sponsored by someone named "Mr. Bear." I saw neither Mr. Bear nor the furry creature, so all was well. Anyway, the weather was peerfect!
Going up the trail there are some courts of one description or another. The one pictured was used to play a sort of field hockey.
Raspberries and such are in season. Canes are found in many places. The photo above gives you an idea. Then the rules were posted for the safety of those using the Eagle Ridge Greenway.
The photo above looks south and the one below shows a bee visiting a buttercup (flower).
Rugosa-type roses are to be found with plenty of flowers or buds about to open and the rose hips that I found are large and plentiful.
Another wildflower to be seen is the Goldenrod, a sign that autumn is getting close. There is a close-up of a bee visiting one above and then a grouping growing along the trail in the photo below. The yellow blooms look lovely against the blue sky.
There is tall grass dried from the recent dryness plus vetch and crown vetch grow in the grass as well.
That's Yarrow in the image above and a view of the Golden Ears Bridge across the Fraser River in the photo below.
There is another field and a lovely view plus a photo of daisies in bloom on a hillside in the photo below.
I found a clump of Western Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea var. occidentalis) growing at the base of a tower. Below is a close up shot of one of them.
Eagle Mountain is off in the distance. Below is a shot of one of the mileage and elevation markers along the trail. The one shown was the last one at the end of the Coquitlam Crunch Trail.
I encountered several guys on motorbikes and trail bikes during the hike up the mountain and back down. On the way down I encountered a group of three I had seen earlier plus one other that stopped to ask permission regarding biking on the trails, then yet another before I made it back to the road.
There are all sorts of wildflowers along the trail if you take a careful look (see above). Eagle Mountain is ever closer as I proceed further up in elevation.
Thistles are associated with summer time and as I hiked up there were more and more of the Western Pearly Everlasting to be found along the trail.
There was moss-encrusted rock along the road. Below is a close-up shot.
It wasn't all Western Pearly Everlasting. I found some yarrow growing along the road and trail as well. Something that caught me by surprise was finding the bed of a railway freight car along the trail. I keep finding surprising things. Now how did that get there?
I encountered three streams on the hike. The one pictured is just one of the three.
Again, I couldn't get over the weather. We normally get such weather much earlier in the summer, but not this year. Huckleberries are in season now. A bush is show below and a close-up of the berries below that. The shrubs are related to the blueberry. I was nibbling on them as I hiked along.

A short trail is shown in the photo above. It lead to a wonderful surprise, a beautiful vantage point to see the area from the height of Eagle Mountain.
That vantage point is near a microwave tower. And again, lots of the Western Pearly Everlasting are to be found.
There was another vantage point looking west, southwest. Here you see Burrard Inlet, then downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park plus English Bay behind that. The photo below shows where Indian Arm meet Burrard Inlet at Burnaby Mountain (looking southwest).
The above photo looks west toward the mountains around Buntzen Lake. There is fireweed as well (below).
I had intended to hike to Eagle Bluff (image above). There is a view of Buntzen Lake from there but time ran out and I had to turn around to return home. There will be another attempt on the Labour Day weekend.
Then there are fish habitat signs posted, in this case regarding salmon!
I saw a nurse stump on the way back down that I had missed on the way up and on the road I found this big black slug crawling along! Enjoy the photos and feel free to comment or ask any questions! - V