Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Vancouver’s Treasure Islands

Two jet-setting friends discover they’ve overlooked gold on their doorstep. Words Ryan Stuart Photography Ryan Creary A morning beer is always harsh and rarely a good idea. It burns the throat. Bubbles up the nose. And usually comes back to haunt in some foul tasting form. Morning Beer the trail is far more enjoyable. In fact, by the time I skid into the parking lot at its terminus, I’d love to down another. “That might be the best trail I’ve ever ridden,” I stammer in pleasant shock. Photographer Ryan Creary is equally blown away. “What an amazing trail,” he says, a big grin spreading across his face, eyes lighting up. “It was rough and tough, but also super flowy.” We rode it almost by accident. As team Ryan and Ryan – me the writer, him the photographer – we’d worked together for a decade. During the winter we team up on assignments for ski magazines. During the summer it’s usually mountain biking. Typically we’re flying here and driving there, always far from home. But this time Creary has come to Vancouver Island, my home on the west coast of BC. About 300 miles long and mostly covered in mountains and forest, it’s well known for mountain biking; just about every town has a trail network that’s been featured in film clips or the famous BC Bike Race. Island hopping. What a lot of people don’t know is that Vancouver Island does not stand in isolation. Off the east coast are...

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