Gotta Hike BC

Peter Harmathy teaches fine arts in Victoria, B.C.

There is no doubt that Skye and Lake Nomad are hooked on Canadian
mountains. Formerly named Kathy and Craig Copeland, they have hiked
together for over 20 years, and moved from the United States to Canada
to be closer to the Rockies. They have co-authored eight books on the
outdoors, most dealing with hiking trips.

Gotta Hike BC describes more than 43 mountain wilderness trips spanning
west to east from Vancouver Island to the Rocky Mountains of Southern
British Columbia. When you factor in all the possible treks within each
trip, there are well over 100 hikes contained in the guide. Each trip is
tagged with such essential facts as round-trip distance, time required,
elevation gain, and level of difficulty. The authors also describe with
rapturous prose the visual, physical, and psychological attributes of
the trip. This is followed by factual information such as how to get
there by car or on foot, and full hiking/directional instructions. The
guide also contains excellent advice on hiking, clothing, camping,
safety, and so on. There are countless black-and-white photographs as
well as a central section with color.

With its astounding descriptions and perfect instructions on achieving
the most jaw-dropping, eye-popping hiking possibilities in British
Columbia, I want to try out every hike in the book—but since that’s
not possible, reading about them is the next best thing.