Seattle & Canada - The PNW
I am going to say this straight up, I have never seen scenery like this before. Ever.
I spent around 6 days total in Seattle and Canada (3 days in each spot). I wanted to mainly focus on the hikes since it was the highlight of the adventure and most of the time, it was commuting from one place to another. I’ll save the food spots at the end.
Day 1 (Saturday, September 11, 2021): Blanca Lake
My first time seeing a teal color lake. Like what?
The trip to Blanca Lake started at about 7-8AM in the morning (and woke up around 6AM to get ready and eat a bit). Parking was not too bad to access as there were still a good amount of spots at that time.
Blanca Lake was a 8 mile hike round trip. The initial climb up was a bit rough on the knees. Floors were slightly uneven, which made it difficult to climb and had a somewhat of a steep incline. It almost felt like stairs at some point. But thankfully, there were hiking poles that my friend brought along with us to avoid knee replacements. Some spots had an ample amount of light around, enough so that moody photos made it easy to do (photos below).
The climb eventually leveled out to a plateau and a small lake. The lake gave a nice moody vibe with the fog / mist covering the area. It created a nice moody spot for photos. Following the lake is a climb downhill with some obstacles. There were a couple trees trunks that required climbing over to get to. Otherwise, a nice change from the few hours of climbing uphill.
Finally, we’ve reached the lake. The climb did feel like it was a journey that took forever but the reward made it worth it. It was hard to imagine water being so teal.
As we finished up the photos and lunch for about 45 minutes, heading back was not too bad. Going back some elevation to reach the plateau and back down after. Overall, it was a solid 8-mile hike.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Random part of the hike to Blanca Lake
Second Photo: Trying to model in front of a tree, I think it worked well?
Third Photo: My friend walking into the unknown / mist
Fourth Photo: Blanca Lake, using the rock as a foreground element to show that I had to climb over a rock to see. (But in reality, I didn’t have to climb much)
Day 2 (Sunday, September 12, 2021): Lynn Canyon Trail, Stanley Park, Granville Island
First time outside the country for me…yes a shock…
After arriving to Canada, we stopped by Lynn Canyon for a quick exploration around the park area before getting food. It was a packed lot and limited in space but as we were losing hope, someone was leaving.
After we parked, we walked over to the start of the trailhead across the street. We followed signs to the 30 foot pool which ended up being a short hike ( < 30 minutes there). Even from being sore from Blanca Lake, the hike there was not so bad itself. It was mainly flat and some stairs here and there to reach the 30 foot pool. The stairs were even and well maintained.
Once we arrived to the location, we’ve realized that it was an interesting spot. Not too crowded but had some people around with kids playing in the water. There was a ledge far out across the river that gives you the chance to climb up if you wanted to. I decided to be the brave soul and cross the river to check it out but not really much to see there.
We later saw a sign for a small suspension bridge about < 0.5 miles away from the 30 foot pool. From afar, it there were a good amount of people there. I had never been on a suspension bridge before but it was pretty cool. Looking over the suspension bridge was a small little waterfall that I was able to capture on camera (photo below).
For the rest of the day, my friends and I decided to explore the rest of the city for a bit in Stanley Park and Granville Island. Mainly biking around Stanley Park taking photos here and there and walking around / touring Granville Island. It was a chill day.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Suspension Bridge Shot at Lynn Canyon
Second Photo: Photo taken by a fellow photographer at Hallelujah Point
Third Photo: Lions Gate Bridge
Fourth Photo: Granville Island
Day 3 (Monday, September 13, 2021): Panorama Ridge
Probably the longest hike and most rewarding one that I’ve done. ~18 miles in ~12 hours.
Panorama Ridge was just gorgeous in photos so I had to take the chance to go. Despite hiking for the past 2 days.
The climb started at about 7AM in the morning where it was somewhat chilly outside. It was fine after since I started to warm up a bit once the hike started to pick up. The climb up was pretty steady. It had a good amount of zig zags going up the mountain for quite a bit. Very well maintained trails and wide enough for people to walk up. Usually there would be branches and rocks everywhere but the roads are well paved out.
The climb eventually reached a plateau where its a giant grass field with some trees around. A very open fielded area. A mix of yellow and greens around the area for some moody photos. There was a small lake around and a river as well which looked pretty cool. It was a good partial resting spot for photos and to snack a bit. But the journey cannot stop here…
Once we passed the plateau, we had to climb up quite a bit of rocky terrain to reach the ridge. The climb up was a bit of a struggle as the rocks were massive. Halfway up the hike, we had the urge of giving up due to the knee pains and how much we have struggled. When we glanced to the right, we suddenly saw a glimpse of the blue Garibaldi Lake. It was a morale boost for just enough to get to the top of the ridge. Within 20 minutes of nonstop complaining, we’ve hit the ridge. Just wow. (Photos below)
Photo Description:
First Photo: Photo of @dannysnaps_ taking a picture of a lake
Second Photo: At the Peak of Panorama Ridge
Third Photo: Couple shot below Black Tusk
Fourth Photo: More lake views
Wide Angle Photo: Me at the Ridge (PC: @dannysnaps_)
But wait…what about food?
Food was just purely amazing on this trip. Saliva inducing photos below!
My friends and I had a variety of dishes in the PNW. Ranging from dim sum to KBBQ / Korean bar food to ramen to sushi. Amazing all around.
Photo Description:
Dim Sum: Kirin Seafood Restaurant
Satisfying and probably one of the best dim sum spots I have had. Very high quality foods.
Ordered the main stuff (Ha gow, siu mai, chouzhou dumplings, beef rice noodle roll, shrimp rice noodle roll, egg yolk bun, sticky rice, chicken feet and the basics)
*Vaccination cards required (Covid times obviously)
Wait time: 1 hour
Ramen: Marutama Ramen
Good spot that my friend chose after a small hike at Lynn Canyon.
Ordered the Shoyu Ramen basic just to try it out. The soup was a bit creamy which was really filling. It was a good meal after a long car ride into the border from Seattle and from the hike.
Wait time: 30 minutes
Chirashi and Spicy Tuna: Kun’s Omakase Bar
Ordered the Chirashi Don and the Spicy tuna roll
Food was amazing and nice bright setting. The wall art was really cool at this place. Very well presented and feels a bit fancy.
*Required temperature check before entering (Covid times)
Booked appointments before hand
Korean Food / Bar Food: Kochi Po-cha
Dishes we had included fried chicken, bulgogi, tteokbokki, gopchang and the seafood pancake.
It’s a bit of a cheat day for me but nonetheless delicious to eat. Nice chill and dimmed environment with somewhat loud music.
No wait time needed
KBBQ: Cho Sun BBQ Korean Restaurant
Ordered the combo set (combo B) which included a variety of meats along with some soju.
Good way to end the day after a long day from Panorama Ridge
*Required to show vaccination card (Covid times)
Wait time: 5 minutes
View of Lion’s Gate Bridge
