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A Journey Inspired.

Blog
Portfolio
About
- Contact
- Why “a journey inspired?”
Home

A Journey Inspired.

Blog
Portfolio
About
- Contact
- Why “a journey inspired?”
Home

Contact

A Journey Inspired
Contact

E-Mail

candace@ajourneyinspired.com

Location

Currently: Ontario, Canada

Get in touch

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Follow our adventures on Instagram!

ajourneyinspired

From mountain tops to valleys, this year was worth

From mountain tops to valleys, this year was worth the climb 🥹 Thank you for being here throughout the journey!

2024 was a wild ride. We not only stepped out of our comfort zone with the adventures we went on, but also in our content creation journey. As a result, different types of content came to be and we got to see what would resonate with you and provide value.

It was scary at first to put ourselves out there but through the process, so many genuine connections and new community were formed and along with it came partnerships that aligned with our mission. It’s a privilege to be able to travel and create for you and we’re grateful.

We’re stoked for what this year has in store for all of us and want to hear from you - what do you want to see more from us? More outdoorsy stuff? Fitness and running? Travel? Life? More long form content on the blog? Or all of the above?

Anyways thanks for being here, and we look forward to sharing more of this journey with you! ❤️
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#adventurepeople #mountainlifer #canadiancreatives #outdoorsy

If you’re new to winter hiking or love sunsets ⤵️ you need to put this hike on your list (and send it to someone you want to go with!)

When I’m short on time but I’ve also got the itch to watch a pretty sunset, I rush over to Cypress after work.

This hike should take 1.5 hours for 5km roundtrip with 500ft (100m) gain, but it’s doable in ~1 hour excluding a break at the top (the hike back will be faster bc it’s downhill).

Here are some tips:

- If Vancouver has a series of rainy days and suddenly becomes sunny, that’s when you need to go catch the fog inversion!

- Don’t be like me and start so late! I would recommend starting at 3:30pm so you can walk at a liesurely pace. Don’t rush through it - that will cause you to sweat and feel cold when you take a break at the lookout especially in the winter. I know this trail well so I felt comfortable starting 30 minutes before sunset, but if it’s your first time, take it slower.

- The elevation gain doesn’t really pick up til the last part so you can speed through the beginning

- Make sure you pack microspikes, layers (start cold because you will sweat), headlamp, and snacks. Snowshoes aren’t necessary and might get in the way since the snow is well packed down here. There is cell service and the route is straightforward but have an offline map downloaded in case.

- Dogs are only allowed on leash and during the winter due to fragile vegetation in the area.

- In the winter it’s not safe to go past this lookout point because it ventures into avalanche terrain. Stay on trail

- Free parking is available if you park behind the last bend before the ski resort (look out for signs). It will be approx a 1500m walk to the trailhead from that point. If you don’t mind paying, there is $10 parking closer to the trail head and even then you may be walking 600m to the start. You’ll run into a lot of skiiers (and barely any hikers) at this time of year.

LOCATION:📍Bowen Lookout, Cypress Mountain, Metro Vancouver BC

Have you done this hike or do you want to?

Follow @ajourneyinspired for more winter hiking inspo🥰
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#vancouverhikes #thingstodovancouver #explorebclocal #explorecanada #hikemore #mountainpeople

Here are my top packing tips for your backpacking

Here are my top packing tips for your backpacking bag⤵️

1️⃣Line your backpack to protect your gear from getting wet, like if your bladder leaks or it rains. My hack is to use a trash bag - it’s accessible, cheap and effective! You can also buy a pack liner (it’s very affordable) but if you’re in a pinch use what you already have at home.

2️⃣Don’t let you tent hang off your backpack if it’s wider than the bag - it will rip if it catches on a tree or rock (it’s happened to a friend before)! Everything goes inside the bag including bulky less used items on the bottom like your sleeping bag, pad, pillow, and tent (make sure it’s balanced). An exception can be made for a foam pad 😜

3️⃣To lower pack weight, pack one outfit to hike in, and one to sleep in (for 1-2 day overnighter). Bring spare if necessary and a garbage bag for a poncho/waterproof layer!

4️⃣Share tools if you can, such as a stove and first aid kit and split the weight between your group.

5️⃣Frequently used or emergency items go in the brain or outside pockets, like headlamp, toiletries, and snacks.

6️⃣Where there’s no designated bear caches and where it’s permitted, I prefer to use the @ursack_usa over a bear barrel because it’s less bulky.

7️⃣Trash goes at the bottom of the bag outside of the pack liner to keep your gear clean. It also gives you easy access to pack out your trash.

👉Which tip did you find most helpful / what backpacking content would you like to see next? 😉

Share this video with your backpacking buddy, and follow for more backpacking tips @ajourneyinspired! ✨ Up next: winter backpacking tips 👀

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#backpackinggear #adventurepeople #campinghacks #outdoorsygals #travelcreatives

New series alert‼️ How to start winter hiking

New series alert‼️ How to start winter hiking ⬇️

If you want to start something new… like hiking during the winter in 2025, follow along!

We love getting outdoors in the winter so we post about beautiful places throughout January to March. That often brings people to our comments and DMs who dream of getting the same experience but don’t know how to start and feel like it’s intimidating, especially if they don’t have experienced friends who can take them along. That’s where we come in!

You guys loved our “how to start backpacking” series last summer so we’re bringing in more “HOW TO” beginner series to help you get outdoors (to backpack, hike, trail run, etc). We believe that EVERYONE deserves to experience adventure in all seasons!

Here are our top 5 tips for winter hiking:

1️⃣ START SMALL: Choose beginner-friendly, busier trails where there are other people hiking. Stay below the treeline to avoid steep / avalanche-prone zones.

2️⃣ CHECK CONDITIONS BEFORE GOING:
- Crowdsourced data on apps like Alltrails is great because usually, only popular trails have recent reviews in the winter.
- Use Avalanche.ca to check avalanche and snow conditions.
- Use local forums like r/vancouverhiking on reddit for recent trail reports.

3️⃣ PLAN FOR DAYLIGHT: Sunset arrives early in winter (around 4-5PM), so plan to finish your hike 1-2 hours before sunset

4️⃣ GEAR ESSENTIALS:
- Pack microspikes for icy trails or snowshoes for fresh snow. Make sure yours are graded for hiking and not simple walking on icy sidewalks.
- Dress in layers, start cold. Use a merino wool base layer, then a fleece, and carry a warm jacket for stops.
- Always bring the Ten Essentials (emergency bivy, headlamp, map, snacks, water, etc.).
- Offline map: make sure you have a map downloaded
- Battery: phones die faster in the cold

5️⃣ BE FLEXIBLE: Winter hiking takes longer than summer. Double your usual time estimates and be ready to turn around if conditions change.

Do you like winter hiking, or do you want to start? 👇

Follow for more tips and trail recos in Canada, and a future winter group hike coming up!
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#adventurepeople #hikemore #winterhikes #explorecanada #snowshoeing

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