Monday was Family Day in British Columbia so instead of going to work I got to go for a hike!

My friend and I decided to do the Capilano Pacific Trail from Ambleside in West Vancouver, up to the Cleveland Dam and reservoir and back down. We may not have followed the exact route as there are many trails in that area and we “changed it up” a bit, but the total was approximately 15 kilometres…wearing my brand new La Sportiva hiking boots that I got from MEC. A 15km hike may not have been the best idea for the first time out in new boots, and I did pay for it a bit, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected and I want to get them broken in quickly. At one point I stopped to put a bandaid on because I felt the beginnings of a blister and that did the trick. My feet were a bit sore for the next 24 hours, but I’ve had worse with shoes that were already broken in so I think these boots will do well with a few more wears.

There were some pretty rainy stretches on this hike, but luckily I’ve reached a point in my outdoorsy-ness where the rain doesn’t really bother me (as long as it isn’t absolutely pouring). It also helps that I have decent gear. Those new boots are waterproof, my Sandbagger pants are water resistant (and super stretchy and durable), and my North Face Venture Jacket is waterproof, lightweight and breathable. I didn’t put the hood up so my hair got pretty wet but the rest of me stayed dry and comfy. I used the jacket’s pit-zips for the first time and I was surprised how much of a difference it made when I was getting a little toasty! I definitely recommend getting a lightweight breathable rain jacket with pit-zips if you are going to be active outdoors in this region with all of our rain! I am not one of those people that can stay inside all winter and only be outdoorsy from May to September!

I was carrying probably about 15 pounds in my backpack because I’m trying to get used to carrying more weight on my hikes as training for backpacking. Even though I hadn’t been hiking in a while I did well with the weight and distance.

I personally like hiking in weather that creates moody skies and mists because I get to see beautiful sights like these:

Don’t let less than stellar weather stop you from getting outside. With the right rainwear you can be outdoorsy all year long in the Lower Mainland!