Slow Down Tours

This little blog has been created to share my personal outdoor experiences with you.

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“A joy shared is a joy doubled”

Nature promises a lot: every day, every month and every year. We just have to go: out of the house, into the forest or up the mountain. During the winter months, I'm a big fan of snowshoeing. It can be a leisurely stroll over snow-covered plains, through hilly forests or climbing a mountain, that's the beauty of snowshoeing. It's a sport that is easy to learn and a fun way to bond with people. Take a look at nature, take your friend and get moving.

Snowshoes work by distributing a person's weight over a larger area, so that your feet don't sink completely into the snow. You will burn a good number of calories and improve your cardiovascular fitness. Snowshoeing in the Coast mountains around Vancouver means you will exercise in excellent air. An indicator for this particularly good air quality are Lichen. These living creatures are ancient and so beautiful to look at, hanging off the trees here in the mountains and absorbing air pollutants. As an interpretive guide, I am particularly enthusiastic about bringing people to these trees and explaining the importance of Lichen. 

If you want to enjoy snowshoeing without a guide, approach new places cautiously. Go with other people, not alone. Make sure there are experienced people in the group who are able to understand the weather and lay of the land

However, with an experienced and certified guide who is trained in risk recognition, who can determine rest breaks and that the pace is appropriate for the group, you will be able to enjoy your snowshoe experience even more.

https://www.avalanche.ca/

https://www.adventuresmart.ca/winter/snowshoe.htm

Lichen showing their vibrancy and ability to survive extremes

Die Natur verspricht viel: jeden Tag, jeden Monat und jedes Jahr. Wir müssen nur gehen: aus dem Haus, in den Wald oder den Berg hinauf. Während der Wintermonate bin ich ein großer Fan von Schneeschuh-Touren. Es kann ein gemütlicher Spaziergang über schneebedeckte Felder, durch hügelige Wälder oder das Besteigen eines Berges sein, das ist das Schöne am Schneeschuhwandern. Es ist ein Sport, der leicht zu erlernen ist und besonders mit anderen Menschen viel Spaß bringen kann. Schauen Sie sich die Natur an, nehmen Sie Ihre Freunde mit und bewegen Sie sich. 

Schneeschuhe verteilen das Gewicht einer Person auf eine größere Fläche, sodass Ihre Füße nicht vollständig im Schnee versinken. Sie werden mit Sicherheit viele Kalorien verbrennen und Ihre Herz-Kreislauf-Fitness verbessern. Schneeschuhwandern in den Küstenbergen um Vancouver bedeutet, dass Sie sich in ausgezeichneter Luft bewegen. Ein Indikator für diese besonders gute Luftqualität sind die Flechten die hier von den Bäumen hängen. Diese Lebewesen sind uralt, absorbieren Luftschadstoffe und sind im Winter besonders schön anzusehen. Als Guide für die Naturkunde von Westkanda begeistert mich besonders, Menschen zu diesen Bäumen zu bringen und die Bedeutung der Flechten zu erklären.

Wenn Sie lieber Schneeschuhwandern ohne Guide genießen möchten, gehen Sie bitte vorsichtig an neue Orte heran. Gehen Sie mit anderen Leuten, nicht alleine. Stellen Sie sicher, dass es erfahrene Wanderer in der Gruppe gibt, die das Wetter und die Lage des Geländes verstehen.

Allerdings, mit einem erfahrenen und zertifizierten Guide, der in der Risikoerkennung geschult ist, Ruhepausen bestimmen kann und das Tempo für die ganze Gruppe anpasst, können Sie Ihre Schneeschuh-Tour sicherlich noch mehr genießen.

Mehr Informationen zum Lawinenlagebericht erhalten sie auf Avalanche Canada https://www.avalanche.ca/

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Pretty parts of the outdoors

In times of micro travel, I was thinking to highlight some trails in Alberta and British Columbia to help you get started with your plans for local adventures. My focus is on short but rewarding hikes because if you want to really experience the pretty parts of the outdoors, you have to leave the car. If you are looking for a bit of a challenge or a multi-day experience, you can always hire a local guide. As certified professionals, they are knowledgeable in mountain weather, wildlife management and they are passionate about making the most of your time in nature. 

Parker Ridge Trail, Banff National Park, Icefields Parkway, Canadian Rockies Alberta 

Total hiking 5 km, Elev. gain 250 m

Old Fort Point in Jasper, Jasper National Park, Canadian Rockies Alberta 

Total hiking 4 km, Elev. gain 130 m

Kinney Lake, Mount Robson Provincial Park, Canadian Rockies British Columbia 

Total hiking 9 km, Elev. gain 150 m

Al’s Habrich Trail, Sea-to-Sky Gondola, Squamish, Coast Mountains British Columbia

Total hiking 7 km, Elev. gain 440 m

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SLOW in the Forest

We all know how good being in nature can make us feel and help us to relax. Human beings have a biological urge to spend time with “Mother Nature”, it’s primal to us. The scent of the trees, the sound of the forest, the fresh air and sunlight through the leaves - these things give us comfort and restore vitality. When I moved to Canada in 2004, the old growth and temperate rain forest in British Columbia blew my mind.  

Close to one quarter of the world’s temperate rain forest is in British Columbia, most of it is coastal. Everything, the rocks, the living and dead trees are covered with a thick growth of mosses. Precipitation and the low temperature are key factors in this environment. The biomass doesn’t decay as quickly as in a tropical rain forest resulting in a rich vegetation base. Everything decomposes really slowly here, the bacteria and fungi need a lot more time to do their work yet this rain forest is more productive and stores much higher levels of carbon than those in the tropics. Truly a habitat that defines hope and tranquility. 

“What a friend we have in a tree, the tree is the symbol of hope, self improvement and what people can do for themselves” Wangari Maathai 

Wir alle wissen, wie gut wir uns in der Natur fühlen und entspannen können. Menschen haben einen biologischen Drang, Zeit mit „Mutter Natur” zu verbringen. Das war für uns schon immer wichtig. Der Duft der Bäume, das Rauschen des Waldes, die frische Luft und das Sonnenlicht durch die Blätter - diese Dinge geben uns Trost und stellen unsere Vitalität wieder her. 

Als ich 2004 nach Kanada zog, hat der gemäßigte Regenwald von British Columbia mein Herz verzaubert. Nahezu ein Viertel des gemäßigten Regenwaldes der Welt befindet sich in British Columbia, der größte Teil davon ist an der Küste. Alles, die Felsen, die lebenden und toten Bäume sind mit dichtem Moosbewuchs bedeckt. Niederschlag und niedrige Temperatur sind Schlüsselfaktoren in dieser Umgebung. Die Biomasse zerfällt nicht so schnell wie in einem tropischen Regenwald, was zu einer reichen Vegetationsbasis führt. Hier zersetzt sich alles sehr langsam, die Bakterien und Pilze brauchen viel mehr Zeit für ihre Arbeit, aber dieser Regenwald ist produktiver und speichert viel mehr Kohlenstoff als die in den Tropen. 

Wirklich ein Lebensraum, der Hoffnung und Ruhe definiert.

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Train journey across Canada

I often get asked as a Tour Guide, if I have taken the train across the country. It has never really been on my bucket list to sit and travel for 4,466 km but certainly I have heard about the stunning scenery. This fall I decided to finally make the VIA rail eastbound Canadian journey from Vancouver to Toronto my priority. I just wanted to get a different perspective of the Canadian Rockies. Especially see some of the idyllic Canadian shield, a large area of exposed rock that formed 3 billion years ago. The Shield occupies more than 40% of Canada’s territory across 5 provinces! 

The Shield is Canada’s largest physiographic feature but contains only 8% of the country’s populations. 

My 4-day great continental train ride started on October 31. at 8 PM.

On the train with a small glass of Champagne, what a nice welcome gift! Bienvenue and Happy Halloween.

Next day’s view of the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies - Mount Robson, often called “cloud cap mountain” as the summit is generally hidden by clouds.

  Excellent food, top notch service and a wonderful experience to have a meal with three strangers.

While I’m having dinner my bed is being made every evening in the Economy class. Very cozy and comfortable while it’s snowy outside. 

Saskatchewan, the prairie province in Western Canada.

Lake-dotted geology. Getting closer to the Canadian shield

The Shield in Ontario, rocks and more rocks. 

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Nature is the best classroom

Every spring and fall, I get the opportunity to teach kids to treat the Earth with value and assist in some outdoor recreation programs for Vancouver schools. We were in Tofino on Vancouver Island and I had the chance to enjoy a morning walk on Long beach. 

Tofino is one of the rainiest places on earth. The rain is what created and continually feeds the stunning nature that most visitors are there for. The giant trees of the Clayoquot sound, the salmon, whales and bears are all dependent on the bounty of rain that feeds this amazing eco-region in Western Canada. This photo shows a plant called Bull Kelp, one of the fastest growing plants on earth. It can grow up to half a meter (2 feet) in one day alone or can reach a total length of 24 meters (80 feet) in one season, spring to fall. Bull kelp is the largest form of brown algae and grows in ‘forests’ along the rocky shelves of the ocean.

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