Mt. Artaban, Gambier Island, BC

A few weeks ago, my hiking friends and I decided that Mt. Artaban on Gambier Island would be our first camping trip of the year 2012. We synched our schedules and made plans for the end of April. Weather was a consideration, but in order to make sure we all had the same days off, work was notified well in advance, so we just had to hope for the best. Days before leaving, the weather forecast was grim. Cloudy with showers on the Saturday we would camp and rain on Sunday. Fortunately, the weather did a 180° turn and both days were beautiful and sunny.

From 2012-04-21 - Mt. Artaban, Gambier Island, BC

Hike to and Camp on Mt. Gardner.

After a few weeks of planning and preparation with my buddy Richard, we finally hit Bowen Island to hike Mt. Gardner with our girlfriends. The original plan was to hike the mountain in the morning and return to the base by the evening and setup camp by Killarny Lake. Plans changed once we saw how little privacy the lake offered due to its proximity to roads and houses. Not knowing exactly where we were going to sleep that night, we put it from our minds and headed up a service road that was the beginning of a great hike up Mt. Gardner.

From 2011-03-31 - Mt Gardner, Bowen Island, BC

What's got two thumbs and a new tent?

This guy!

Still grinning from my factory sale find! North Face was having a factory sale and I've chosen the North Face Rock 22 as my tent of choice for backpacking. As luck would have it, I got the last one! All the merchandise at this factory sale was discounted by 50%. My $220 tent cost me only $110. Brand new!

The reviews for this particular tent were mostly quite positive. There are a few negative reviews, but as with most things, this is normal. I weighed the perceived pros and cons and I feel I've made a good choice.

The Sickness

I've been sick with Bronchitis for the past few days, but it's given me plenty of time to surf the Internet drooling over gear that I will eventually be stocking up on. I'll be doing a GIWAWIWI review on a pack and sleeping bag soon enough. For now, behold! My first camping adventure of the season will be in two weeks from now.

Camping on bowen island!


View Mt. Gardner in a larger map

We are planning for either the March 25th & 26th or April 1st & 2nd, whichever weekend has the most promising weather. We will be hiking Mount Gardner and then camping somewhere on Lake Killarney (Crippen Regional Park). I'll have a write up on the trek and will most certainly have GIWAWIWI updates in the coming days.