Mount Seymour in North Vancouver is mostly known for its winter skiing but the hiking in the summer time is nothing short of spectacular, especially on a clear day like we had. It was a fairly hot summer day that we decided to conquer the peaks of Mount Seymour. We got to the parking lot at the ski resort around 10:00am to find it pretty packed already. We had extra water packed and of course, a nice chilled reward beer to enjoy at the peak. We set out on the 9KM in and out hike that stated an elevation gain of 450M.  It doesn’t waste any time beginning its incline. There is very little reprieve from the steady incline for the duration of the first ascent to the first peak also known as “First Pump Peak” From here the sweeping views of downtown Vancouver, Indian Arm, the Fraser River and all the way south of the US border greets those that put in the work.

For many this might be the turn around point as the views from the next two peaks is only marginally better. We ventured on down through a small valley and then up a very steep slope to reach the second peak. With the temperature kicking our butts and plans to visit some breweries in the afternoon, we decided this would be the end of the line for us. I cracked by Juice Monkey Tropical IPA from Spinnaker’s Brew Pub and took in the serenity and unbelievable views.

We had a bite to eat and relaxed for about 20 minutes. Theresa then struck a few yoga poses so I could snap some cool shots and then we began our return to the parking lot. The total time including the break was about 3.5 hours but we were pretty determined to get back quickly and ran a bit of the downhill sections.

From there we headed into East Vancouver, which was a short 25 minute drive away. A well-earned stop at Strathcona Beer Co. for some delicious house made pizza and amazing craft beer. I enjoyed their recently released Catching Feathers IPA while Theresa indulged in their Black Berry Berliner Weisse. Both were so good we picked up a couple of packs of cans to take home with us.

From there we took a walk over to the South American themed Andina Brewing which is just a short few minutes away by foot. We were still a bit hungry so we had some of their popular “Pachos” after seeing them go by to another table! Pachos are their take on nachos made with plantain chips. They paired very well with some Monita Blonde IPA while the custom “Andina Radio” was bumping creating a lively atmosphere.

All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a hot summer day doing what we love. After all, you gotta burn it to earn it! – Cheers