The Okanagan Surprise

   

Hey y'all, it's your boy Felix. I'm taking over this blog post, so buckle in!

This post won't be filled with epic photos of cliffs and adventures, but we managed to find another slice of paradise. We had planned on staying for a few days, but we quickly decided to stay much longer.

On a side note, Megan said "You are in charge of the next blog post"..... and then she preceded to take almost no photos for the next two weeks, haha. So I'll do my best.

We all know Squamish is incredible. In fact, when we were leaving I told Megan "I think Squamish is my favorite place on the planet".

So as we were driving towards Banff, another place that I am expecting to be unbelievably incredible, little thought went into the small climbing area we were gonna stop by for a few days. 

Have you ever heard of the Okanagan valley? 

Have you ever heard of Penticton?

Have you ever heard of Skaha Bluffs?

No? Well you should! What a place. 

The Okanagan valley lies between the Banff and Squamish, and it is covered with lakes that provide stunning views, hills lined with vines and vineyards, and an overall mindset of serenity.

We stayed in a small town called Penticton, it is located between two lakes, and we took full advantage of the beautiful beaches, the beach volleyball, the beautiful parks, the pickleball, the river float, the climbing, the mountain biking etc.

Enjoy the pictures!

Megan finally realizing she has all her ducks in a row

A quick stop in a small town called Peachland provided a great introduction to the area.

No caption needed.

We spent 4th of July on a budget... and in Canada. So buds, beans and dogs were on the menu.

We parked by the north beach of Penticton, only a couple of steps away from the water.

Megan has been doing a great job transferring some of our pictures into art.

Can you tell where this drawing takes place?

Still working on my first book of the trip.

I think megan is on her 3rd already.

"One of the books were 2000 pages long" - Megan

Helicopter flying out an injured climber.

Our first day climbing started out a little rough. Half way through the day we heard somebody let out a scream around the corner. No more commotion occurred and we didn't think more of it. A little while later we saw the fire department walk by with medical equipment. Turns out someone was very seriously hurt and we went over to help out. I helped carry the basket with the victim to a location where the helicopter could pick them up, and Megan carried out a bunch bags with medical gear.

It was a stark reminder of the dangers of climbing. 

We ended up talking to one of the partners of the victim, and if there is a silver lining, and to be blunt about it, the accident was due to human error and one hundred percent preventable. I did not witness it so I'm only working off second hand knowledge, but it involved rappelling of the end of the rope. Tie your knots, use ropes with middle marks. Complacency kills.

It got pretty warm during the days, so luckily we had this south side beach to escape to. We went almost everyday! Just behind the sand is park with beautiful grass as well. We even managed to park there overnight a few times.

I wasn't allowed to post any pictures from the nude beach. Sorry!

We played some beach volleyball aswell but I was not able to get an action shot.

Sometimes we eat canned food, sometimes we make masterpieces like this!

Next up we got some climbing pictures.

Skaha Bluffs is a quick 10 minute drive from town. It is essentially all sport climbing, so we had to shift from our trad Squamish mindset. We usually come down from our climbs and say "that was good...... for a sport climb". Despite the lack of trad routes, we embraced the lighter packs, the abundance of bolts, and we were able to find some climbs that were simply fun, no "for a sport climb" needed.

The more I think about, the Penticton lifestyle embodies sport climbing.... So it would have been weird to do a bunch of trad.

It took a little bit to get used to bolts, but after few days in I started feeling better on the Skaha rock and was able to onsight most mid 11s. Ended this day with a 11c onsight and burl fest of an 11b onsight. Climbing good feels good.

Working on my modeling career, what do you think?

This place has it all! Next up we got some mountain biking.

Campbell mountain and the dave whoop trail provided everything we needed. So we even did it twice.

      

      

     

      

Our first attempt to go to a winery that my aunt recommended ended with us going against GPS advice, and ending up in the middle of the forest with non van friendly roads. We finally admitted defeat and returned home. (Penticton was so nice it feels right to call it home)

I was determined to do some wine tasting so we picked a backup and had a great time.

This little guy scared me on the trail.

We are lucky to see such amazing scenery, from epic views and sunsets to the simple beauty of flowers.

Nothing in this world is better than Megan's touch.

We enjoyed a quick rain soak to break up the streak of hot, sunny, days.

We managed to convince our good friends Carly and Sean that Penticton was amazing and they drove out from Tacoma to visit us. We spent some great days together.

I missed the "look badass" memo.

I always hit it to Megan's backhand.

The Burns women signature look.

Felix climbing, Sean supporting.

Who decided to put that tree there??

Hot temps made it a little harder to climb. Perma draws made it a little easier to climb. I was able to get the 11c redpoint, but not the 11d extension.

Megan making moves.

We finished the Okanagan valley with a trip to Summerhill Pyramid winery.

Thanks for checking in! It really was a pleasant two weeks. Next we're on to Banff!