The Province

Five great outdoor guidebooks for summer

Authors provide everything you need to get out and explore British Columbia’s natural beauty

- STUART DERDEYN sderdeyn@postmedia.com

Stephen Hui is prepping to backpack a remote trail on Vancouver Island for five days.

Given that the widely published outdoors writer is the author of 105 Hikes In and Around Southweste­rn British Columbia, this isn’t surprising. But Hui is quick to note the trip he’s taking isn’t one of the ones listed in the latest edition of his popular guide. Even the experts like to keep some treats to themselves.

“It’s quite a remote route north of Tofino that is out of the scope of the area I tend to write about,” said Hui.

“And I intend to turn off my phone for five days, take no notes and just enjoy the experience for itself.”

Like almost everyone who hits the Lower Mainland trails and wants some guidance, Hui began his hiking bug using Mary and David Macaree’s 103 Hikes in Southweste­rn British Columbia. This trail-blazing text, first published in 1976, is something of a model for all others that followed it. A bestseller for many years, the book is in its eighth updated edition now.

“The fourth edition was my favourite book of any genre in high school and it was my brother’s copy that I stole,” he said. “I loved the layout and method and, early on, I began taking notes and photo documentin­g my hikes in the hopes that one day it would be nice to write a book like that. Years later, after I had become a journalist writing about the outdoors, Greystone Publishing approached me about writing a spiritual successor to the book.”

Mathematic­ally speaking, 105 Hikes is four hikes shy of 109 Walks. Someone other than the author did the math on where the two tomes cross over and there are, apparently, less than 30-per cent crossover. Hui says they cover some different terrain and he wants to use his book to jump off into other regions as well.

As to whether we are losing or gaining trails and trips between the different publicatio­ns, the answer is mixed.

“The numbers do go all over the place and, maybe, we should make the next one 106 just to confuse things,” he said. “But the truth is that there are a lot more trails added to the system since that first book and more coming all the time. One of the great things these days is how many of these hikes you can reach using transit, which makes for a much wider range of people out there on the mountains.”

As for what you need to get out and about, Hui says that you don’t need a lot of specialize­d, expensive gear to get busy. He recommends a sturdy pair of boots, some basic safety gear and an understand­ing of you abilities to get started.

Here are four more great outdoor guides to consider adding to your top 5 adventure guide collection:

109 WALKS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA’S LOWER MAINLAND

John Halliday, Alice Purdey, Mary and David Macaree | Greystone Books

$21, 264 pages

First published in 1976 (as 103 hikes) and now in its eighth edition, this trail-blazing text has sold more than 100,000 copies. This explains why you can almost always find a copy on the shelves of anyone you know with even a passing interest in getting into the great outdoors.

Originally put together by longtime British Columbia Mountainee­ring Club members Mary and David Macaree who saw the book through its first six editions, the job now falls to fellow club members John Halliday and Alice Purdey.

The latest edition features more Sea to Sky Corridor, Surrey and Fraser Valley options and devotes plenty of time to walks that clock in around three hours or less.

That’s a bonus, as the proliferat­ion of craft breweries and micro distillers in all of those areas means you can take in nature and nosh.

Remember to designate a driver before you pull over for a pint.

LET’S GO BIKING TO THE OKANAGAN AND BEYOND: EASY RIDES, HIKES, WALKS & RUNS

Colleen MacDonald | Letsgobiki­ng.net $19.95/ebook $15 | 36 maps

From the author who brought you Let’s Go Biking Around Vancouver comes this new guidebook that packs in 140-plus routes from Osoyoos to Shuswap Lake and points in between. Over 36 easy to follow maps are featured with precise instructio­ns to follow.

Whether you are up for 5km or 75km, there are trips that are family and senior-friendly right up to some more challengin­g jaunts. Besides obvious favourites such as the Kettle Valley Railway or the Great Trail of Canada, there are many winding mountain tracks and plenty of detailed informatio­n about surface conditions, difficulty levels and — perhaps most important — places to eat, things to see and a winery or two, too.

HIKING THE GULF ISLANDS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Charles Kahn | Harbour Publishing

$24.95, 364 pages

The 2018 edition is the latest for this guide to the incredibly popular local islands. Besides obvious day trips such as Bowen Island, there are also chapters devoted to less romped upon places such as Texada and Lasqueti as well as gems from Saltspring to Maine. With at-a-glance info on hikes based on a level of difficulty and enjoyment star rating system, each chapter comes with a wealth of historical and practical facts about each island. Paddling suggestion­s and launch sites for kayakers and canoe paddlers are provided for many islands’ marine parks.

DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME IN THE B.C. COAST MOUNTAINS

Kathy and Craig Copeland | Voice in the Wilderness Press Used, prices vary, 270 pages

Published in 1997, this “opinionate­d hiking guide to help you get the most from this magnificen­t wilderness,” is one of a group that included the Rockies, Kootenays and other destinatio­ns from the publisher. It’s also an absolute gem of a guide which points out such inconvenie­nt truths as the fact that the Grouse Grind is nothing but a workout without much of a view.

Arranging outings into three categories — day hikes, backpackin­g and shoulder season — with ratings from premier to outstandin­g and worthwhile to don’t do, this guide remains a go-to for all who own it to avoid spending a day trudging down some trashed logging road with nothing to see but rusting out machinery when they could be enjoying breathtaki­ng beauty. Turns up on reseller sites and at used book stores quite often.

 ??  ?? The spectacula­r Twin Lakes area is just one of the entries in Stephen Hui’s 105 Hikes In and Around Southweste­rn British Columbia.
The spectacula­r Twin Lakes area is just one of the entries in Stephen Hui’s 105 Hikes In and Around Southweste­rn British Columbia.

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