Hollyburn Mountain

February 26, 2021 - Written by Mike Blackstock

Introduction

One of the things I’ve been doing during the pandemic is taking weekly hikes with my friend Rob Muir. One of our favourite hikes is up to the top of Hollyburn Mountain, a mountain just on the edge of Cypress Provincial Park. Here are a couple of the great shots of the mountain and forest views I’ve collected during our hikes.

Photos

This photo was taken on the way down February 23, 2021. I thought it was cool how I could see the mountains appear in the clouds. I’m not 100% sure what mountain that is, but since I was facing east, I think it’s Crown Mountain, or perhaps Mt. Fromme.

This one was also taken on the way down. We’re facing the city of Vancouver under the clouds. If you look carefully you can see the Lions Gate bridge. It was a strange day weather wise. We had a bit of sun break through, then snow and a bit of heavier frozen stuff - hail and snow mixed.

I took this shot of a couple of whiskey jacks on a tree at the very top of Hollyburn on January 28. They are usually out to take nuts out of our hands or off the top of our heads but I guess it was too cold and windy this week - we didn’t see any. Whiskey jacks, also called the gray jay or Canada jay are totally fearless. Canada Geographic chose them as our national bird.

Here’s one on my head from December 23, 2020 :-) I must have shaved that day.

Stunning view of the Lions on the same day, the Eve of Christmas Eve.

Last one to show off the dramatic snow and clouds that is typical while hiking up Hollyburn this time of year.

Thanks

Thanks to Rob Muir for meeting up every week to get out on a hike somewhere around our amazing city and the back country. I feel blessed to live in this part of the world and to have the time to enjoy it. Stay tuned for more hikes around Vancouver.