The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore

The North Shore Mountains have always attracted hikers willing to challenge themselves, exploring the many trails in the region that are located in such close proximity to the city.

While there are many trails that most are familiar with in and around the Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour areas, there are plenty of mountains in the backcountry that are far less traveled and known. Thanks to authours David Crerar, Harry Crerar, and Bill Maurer, they have “bagged” all of the North Shore’s mountains, collected all of their experiences, and written a book titled The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Peakbagger’s Guide.

It first should be noted that this is not your typical hiking guide meant for the average hiker. There are some routes in this book that venture well into the backcountry, requiring multi-day trips, mountaineering skills, route finding skills, or all of the above. Some of these routes should only be attempted by very experienced backcountry hikers.

Secondly, what exactly is a “Peakbagger“? The idea of “peakbagging” is summiting a number of mountains in a region. It’s sort of like keeping a list of mountains and checking each one off that you’ve done.

This is one impressive book and equally impressive accomplishments by each of the authors. The 500-page book goes into great detail about each route, not just about the route itself but also in-depth history about the area.

Each peak is categorized in the book into the following North Shore regions:

• Howe Sound Islands (9 peaks)
• Britannia Range (23 peaks)
• Grouse Mountain Area (9 peaks)
• Hanes Valley Peaks (3 peaks)
• Lynn Peaks (5 peaks)
• Cathedral Peaks (4 peaks)
• Fannin Range (14 peaks)

Each of the above sections has maps that show where the peaks are and the routes to get to them.

The book goes on and on…. there’s a “best of” section that contains lists of “Best Post-Bag Swimming Holes”, “Best Peak Routes for Old-Growth and Giant Trees”, and more. There’s a section on different fauna and geology, a section on wildlife, there’s even a section on radio repeater towers!

The final appendix in the book has several photographs of the North Shore peaks from different angles and labels each one to give a visual reference of what you’re looking at.

There’s really nothing that this book left out. Every time I open it, I discover a new section with more information that was somehow missed before. For anyone who really wants to learn about the North Shore Mountains, this is a must have book.

Where to Buy the Book

Online

• Amazon
• Chapters

Bookstores

• Albany Books, Delta
• Banyen Books & Sound, Kitsilano, Vancouver
• Bolen Books, Victoria
• Grouse Mountain Resort, North Vancouver
• Hager Books LTD, Kerrisdale, Vancouver
• Mt. Waddington’s Outdoors, Chilliwack
• Munro’s Books, Victoria
• Museum of Anthropology SHOP, UBC
• Pulpfiction Books, E. Vancouver
• Word on the Strait, Delta

BCMC Event

The BC Mountaineering Club is hosting a social on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at 7:30pm at the Anza Club (3 W 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC). The authours of The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore will be presenting a slideshow, talking about their experience writing the book, answering questions, and signing the book. While the event starts at 7:30pm, it’s sure to be popular and the venue can hold a maximum of 117 people, so be sure to arrive early. You must be 19+ to enter.

For more information, visit the BCMC Website or the BCMC Facebook Page.