Sea lion Point. One of the many great views along the trail. photo by Darren Placido A Brief Description and History of The West Coast Trail Nestled along the southwest shoreline of Vancouver Island lies the world famous West Coast backpacking trail. The West Coast Trail, part of Pacific Rim National Park, attracts over 5000... Continue Reading →
Dick Proenneke – Alone In The Wilderness "I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure. They didn't cost me a lot of money either.” - Dick Proenneke Have you ever had one of those days when you are just fed up with all human contact and wondered what... Continue Reading →
On April 5th, 2013 my grandfather passed away. William "Poppa" De Laat was in his 95th year. For the last decade of his life his eye sight had failed to the point that he was essentially blind. As his health failed further he spent the last 2 weeks of his life in the Collingwood... Continue Reading →
In this wonderful age that we live in, we have easy access to all types of information right at our fingertips. If you want to plan a trip, you can effortlessly do so from your phone or home computer. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to providing detailed trip logs and there are message boards... Continue Reading →
Winter in Canada can be a challenge to get through. Extremely cold temperatures, short days and snowstorm after snowstorm (which leads to shoveling) can take their toll and it can seem like winter will never end. While most Canadians pride ourselves on being hearty, winter going folk, deep down inside, many of us long for... Continue Reading →
Original Post Date January 2017 Every year on my birthday in April I write a checklist of things I will do for the year; an evolving “bucket list” of sorts. The list rarely sees completion but always sees more checked off boxes than any New Year's Resolution list I have ever made. The idea behind... Continue Reading →
All Hail Caesar! All Hail Caesar – The Quick Escape Caesar It has become a tradition within our circle that our adventures and quick escapes start off with a delicious Caesar beverage. The Caesar is generally regarded as a Canadian drink. Invented in the late 60’s in Calgary, Alberta by restaurant owner Walter Chell... Continue Reading →
**Article Originally Posted May 2019** In my life I have never regretted any of the trips that I have taken. My November 2018 canoe trip on the Gibson-McDonald route with Mark Highfield might be the one exception as we raced against Mother Nature to get one last trip in before enduring 5 long months of winter. The... Continue Reading →
I had some requirements in mind for my custom truck bed: It had to continue to be useful as a truck bed. No drilling into the truck. I wanted a slider so no crawling into my truck, and I wanted to be able to sleep in it.
**Article Originally Posted March 2016** *Authors Note: The frequent reference to beer and the consumption of alcohol in this article is intended only to add levity and humour. Please do not follow the directions about beer consumption and always drink responsibly. If you are offended by drinking, please don’t read this article. Steve! I thought... Continue Reading →
