Hanes Valley

(Hanes Valley)

My boyfriend Peter is one of the reasons I end up doing a lot of the more interesting adventures in my life. He is a true mountaineer, climber of every style, mountain biker, ski tourer, alpinist, and adventure runner. He has all the back country knowledge and if it weren't for his guidance, I would not have been to many of the places I have talked about in this blog over the past couple of years. I find him very inspiring and he just seems to come into his own when in nature. We do a run on the North Shore which we call Hanes Valley. It always starts off in the Lynn Valley Headwaters. You head out past Norvan Falls and turn L at the sign to Hanes Valley. Head up the boulder feild and back towards the Grouse Lodge. Many people end the run there and take the gondola down, however, we always run down old Mountain Highway and dart onto the mountain bike trails, taking us all the way back to the headwaters for a soak in the canyon. This is one of my all time favorite runs and I was stoked when Pete suggested we do it on Monday. This time however, he suggested he do it backwards with a slight deviation.


(We ran into the lovely and ever so pregnant Rachel at the base of Grouse Mountain)


(The first view point on the trail up to Grouse Mountain)


(Having a bit to much fun jumping in the snow)

Our only concern was the snow, but he was pretty sure the snow would be cleared off the boulder feild. We ran from our house to Grouse and hit snow once we reached Dam and Goat mountain. I won't lie and say I wasn't the least bit scared, I was a little, but kept the fear at bay as long as I didn't look down. I was being very cautious.





Peter was ages ahead of me, or at least he could have been if he didn't stop to wait. He even showed me what to do in case I started to slip down the mountain (elbows and knees in the snow)! We ended up going down some pretty steep stuff, and we were making fresh tracks in the snow. The snow was deep and cold (obviously) in parts and my shins were getting a royal thrashing. Of course, Peter, was well protected as he sported his zoot calf sleeves! It didnt take long to reach the boulder feild, which was completly covered in snow. I tip toed my way down, driving my heels into the snow, as I watched peter glisade down the slope on his 2 feet, as if he were wearing ski's! The snow quickly faded at the bottom of the boulder feild and we had a nice run back to the headwaters, followed by a soak in the canyon.

All in all, it was a great day and I can't wait to get out again for this run on a nice, sunny, snow free day!

Warning: Hanes Valley is technically closed and I would not recommend doing it unless you are very experienced in snowy and slippery conditions (I would not have done it if I weren't with Peter). On any given day, you never know what the snow will do, so be cautious if you do decide to attempt it. Do not go alone, and always tell someone where you are going. See you in the trails!!!