Well, I did it... I took a full week-long vacation not too long ago...
And I finally got to check out Quadra Island, British Columbia!
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Last summer was a bit of a bummer, with some weekend work mixed in frequently enough that it prohibited us from going on any long trips -- but this year, we've got more flexibility, and even encouragement for me to work remotely. We've been eyeing up going to Quadra Island for some years now, as I've heard the climbing is excellent, the scenery spectacular, and the vibe is better than anything. We went for a few short-but-intense hikes to some climbing crags, swam in a beautiful lake to cool down, and even did a bit of rockhounding on the beach -- Helo found some pretty nice driftwood sticks to play with, too! Pictured above, you can see the big driftwood Sasquatch sculpture that some local artist made at the park -- a couple of the less intelligent dogs were barking at him.
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I'm not exactly known for taking lots and lots of pictures -- I tend to put the camera down while I'm out camping. However, I have a hard time resisting photo shoots with my dog, or shameless selfies at the top of a climb. The views from these crags were pretty spectacular too -- both of the above selfies are overlooking Rebecca Spit Provincial Park, and had sweeping views of the spit, the forest and out to the ocean. Pretty spectacular.
In total, we spent five days at the We Wai Kai campsite, owned and operated by the We Wai Kai First Nation on their land -- the campsite was a little crowded, but it still felt comfortable and private. Being in heavy tree cover certainly helped. Between the goofing around at the crag, a little bit of hot and steep hiking, and some fun moderate climbing with sweeping views I think it's fair to say that I've had a very nice reminder of why I liked climbing and how much I've missed getting out. This was my 2nd climbing trip of the year, and hoping that I get one or two more in before the snow falls. I think the dogs enjoyed it, too, but forgot about how much work it is for them.
I even found a bit of time to sneak in some flying with the Mavic Pro drone I bought a while back. This thing keeps continuing to impress me -- takes great video and beautiful stills. It has even come in handy for some mapping projects I've done for work. The tools we have available at our fingertips these days is truly impressive -- now I just need to get a bit better at flying it and get my full license so I can apply for permits to fly in sensitive areas rather than always being out in the bush.
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I'd love to hear about some other peoples recent adventures, whether they're camping, climbing, running, kayaking, or whatevering -- I've spent a bit too long cooped up inside this year, and I need to be reminded about the goodstuff. Also -- if anyone has any good tips for getting better photos with the drone, I'm keen to hear that too!