Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • The Great Outdoors

The Glacier Project Returns to a COVID-19 World

  • May 2, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
Total
15
Shares
15
0
0
0
0
0
Total
15
Shares
Share 15
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

After 8 days in the remote wilderness of Vancouver Island, a group of adventurers returns to a drastically different reality—and they have to learn to live in ‘the new normal’.

Man sits in a boat off the coast of Vancouver Island.
Blue skies for a whole week in Tofino is an unheard of blessing.

words :: Matt Mcrae & Jeremy Allen photos :: Jeremy Allen 

We arrived on Vancouver Island to uncommon winter scene: blue skies, uninterrupted wilderness, calm winds and an ocean teeming with life. The typical winter swell of Vancouver Island is in slumber, and from afar the ski conditions look favourable for skiing.

Most people heading to the island this time of year are looking for big surf or some great storm watching. Our goal? We aimed to ski Vancouver Island’s last south facing glacier, Mount Mariner. 

Man sitting at a camp on the beach.
Hard to beat campsite #2, The North Face hut booties highly recommended.

The objective is part of a larger project undertaken by myself, a filmmaker, Matt Mcrae, a ski guide, and Javier Munoz Santos. The Glacier Project is an educational project to educate the public on our rapidly melting glaciers. By definition, a glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. Just 50 years ago Vancouver Island was home to 170+ glaciers. Today, there are only 4 that just barely pass as “glaciers” by the traditional definition. We all look north for the melt problems, but for major cities like Victoria (on the southern tip of Vancouver Island) and Vancouver, melting glacial ice is a problem happening right in our backyards. 

What we were not aware of at the time was that the state of the world was in rapid decline.

After months of planning logistics, it was time to get into our comfort zone. It’s this process that makes a good trip, being both fully focused while completely void of thought, alone – yet together. 

Our paddle was incredible, with bluebird skies and cooperative tides, we breezed through our 2 day paddle to the mouth of the Bedwell River. The ocean was teeming with life, endless sea birds, seals, sea lions accompanied us through the Clayoquot Sound. The one path to gain the Glacier had 15 feet of fresh, chunky avalanche debris. We came to the conclusion that our safety was and always should be the most important. After attempting two different routes up to the glacier, we decided to turn around and return in September for The Glacier Project. We were where we wanted to be all along, disconnected from everything, yet connected to all.

Glacier Project Returns To A Covid 19 World Collage2
The Clayoquot Sound took good care of us during our 30km paddle.

What we were not aware of at the time was that the state of the world was in rapid decline.

Upon our departure, COVID-19 was nothing but a distant imposition on the other side of the world that couldn’t possibly affect us out here, right? But when we returned, we were faced with a drastically different reality than the one we had left behind at the docks just a week before. 

Borders closed, national and provincial parks closed, schools shut, public washrooms closed (shit), and needless to say our week long craving for Tacofino was never fulfilled.

Glacier Project Returns To A Covid 19 World Campire Skis
A textbook night for camping, stars shining, basecamp set up, and arms heavy from kayaking.

It happened fast for everyone, we were only gone for 8 days in the end. We went from the most freedom you can experience to a full quarantine in a blink of an eye. Restrictions in place to help prevent the spread of the virus is necessary in a global pandemic, but how quickly the people changed their state of mind was the biggest shock of all. 

Could fear be the biggest threat?

The whole trip we had sunshine, on our last day when we were back in cell reception, it all changed. Pathetic fallacy fell into place as we watched our week-long trip come to an end. The oh-so common winter rain was back on our last day, humbling us on realizing how lucky we were to have sunshine for 7 days in a row in Tofino.

When we arrived back at the docks to unload all of our funky smelling gear, to our surprise we were greeted with silence. A rare occasion in the small, yet busy town of Tofino. No boats in what is usually a popping marina, no sounds of engines and cars, nothing.

The first sign of change was seeing our first person, walking down the street with a stormtrooper mask on. It was clear there was something going on that we were unaware of. 

Glacier Project Returns To A Covid 19 World Kayaking
The common mood from Tofino, foggy and rain falling in the distance.

We turned to our phones and social media had a whole story to tell us. Messages from friends flooded in wondering where we were and how we were reacting to the unfolding situation. 

Matty got laid off from his job, guiding courses cancelled, work cancelled for the summer and no signs of when any of it would return..

Jeremy’s roommate had to leave on a dime because he lost his job. Shoots cancelled, adventures postponed all the whilst nature is recovering.

It was as if the sky was falling on top of us, everything coming down on our heads. All we could think about was sitting by the fire without a care in the world.

Days earlier we saw a plane fly over head and made a joke about how this meant the world was business as usual and the luxuries of society were waiting for us back at home. In this case that wasn’t a safe assumption. People were not only avoiding us physically by crossing streets, but it seemed by peoples mannerisms that eye contact was enough to transfer the highly contagious virus.

Glacier Project Returns To A Covid 19 World Collage
Blessed with a colourful sun rise on our last day of paddling out.

 We took some time to digest the new world we had just entered. 

Where did all this madness come from? 

What do we do?

Where do we go? 

Take us back. —ML

The Glacier Project is aimed to educate a the general public on our rapidly melting glaciers around North America.
Follow:
The Glacier Project 
Jeremy’s Website
Jeremy’s Instagram
Matty’s Instagram
Total
15
Shares
Share 15
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • Features
  • Mountain Lifer

Mountain Lifer: Gary McFarlane is Who We All Want to Be Post-Isolation

  • April 29, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • Features

Seeding the Stoke: Building a Mountain Bike Culture in Uganda

  • May 4, 2020
  • Mountain Life Media
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • On The Trail
  • The Great Outdoors

Helly Hansen Presents: Adventure Planning 101 with Squamish SAR

  • Sarah Bulford
  • May 16, 2022
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • The Great Outdoors

Blower Pow and Disappearing Pants

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 26, 2022
View Post
  • In This Issue
  • The Great Outdoors

ML Launches Mushroom Life

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 1, 2022
View Post
  • Leslie Anthony
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Stay & Play
  • The Great Outdoors

Spring at Sun Peaks

  • Sarah Bulford
  • March 8, 2022
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • The Great Outdoors

Backcountry Skier John Baldwin Headlines VIMFF’s 2022 Best of British Columbia Night

  • Sarah Bulford
  • February 22, 2022
View Post
  • FALL GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • The Great Outdoors
  • WINTER GEAR

The Legend of San Poncho

  • Editor
  • December 9, 2021
735990496 1280x720
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Island of Plenty

  • Sarah Bulford
  • July 2, 2021
View Post
  • On The Trail
  • The Great Outdoors

Win Adventures to the Filming Location of the HISTORY® Channel’s “Alone” Season 8!

  • Sarah Bulford
  • June 8, 2021

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Featured Posts
  • Fjallraven-Nuuk-Parka-daniel-blom-photo_jacket 1
    Gear Shed: Multisport Winter Roundup
    • January 26, 2023
  • Brian-Hockenstein-surfing-Iceland-water-and-ice-ML 2
    In the Land of Water & Ice
    • January 24, 2023
  • Marie-Pier-Desharnais-A-Womans-Experience-on-K2-flag-crop 3
    Marie-Pier Desharnais: A Woman’s Experience on K2
    • January 23, 2023
  • Paul-Manning-Hunter-Kananaskis-River-surf 4
    Behind the Photo: Rockies Edition
    • January 19, 2023
  • knorthphotography.Beverly-Glenn Copeland-crop 5
    Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Finding the Universal Broadcast
    • January 17, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • Wachs_Fairly-Mellow
    Friday Flick: “Fairly Mellow” at Fairy Meadow Hut
    • January 20, 2023
  • Season-Pass-Skis-and-Splitboard-both
    Gear Shed: New Season Pass Skis + Splitboard Exclusive to evo
    • January 15, 2023
  • Vincent-Colliart-Caroline-Cote-antarctica-sunset
    Canadian Explorer Caroline Côté Reaches South Pole in Record 34 Days
    • January 13, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
We came in search of the connection of the human spirit to both art and adventure, whether climbing from the depths of moulins and ice caves, breaking through ice while paddleboarding fjords, climbing icebergs, freediving between tectonic plates or surfing cold waves.
A thousand and one things could have gone wrong, but she made it to the top:  @mariepier.desharnais is the first Quebecois woman to climb K2.
Mountain Life is a proud member of the @printreleaf_ community. So far we've offset our print by having 1,737 trees reforested since joining in 2019! 🌲
GUESS WHAT! It's FRIDAY! Here's a flick to kick off the weekend for all you warriors.
Behind the scenes of three action photos from ML’s Rocky Mountains edition.
The @banffmountainfestival 2023 Signature Image Search is on🚨
In 1986 @beverlyglenncopeland recorded Keyboard Fantasies using an Atari computer, a keyboard and a drum machine. After releasing it on cassette and selling maybe 50 copies, he went back to writing for Sesame Street and making the odd guest appearance on Mr. Dressup. In 2015, a cassette made its way to Japanese collector Ryota Masuko, a record store owner with a big online presence, who quickly bought, and then sold, all the Keyboard Fantasies cassettes he could find. Record labels worldwide lined up to reissue the hidden gem on vinyl.
MUSIC SERIES TICKET SALE IS NOW LIVE 🗣️
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
We came in search of the connection of the human spirit to both art and adventure, whether climbing from the depths of moulins and ice caves, breaking through ice while paddleboarding fjords, climbing icebergs, freediving between tectonic plates or surfing cold waves.
A thousand and one things could have gone wrong, but she made it to the top:  @mariepier.desharnais is the first Quebecois woman to climb K2.
Mountain Life is a proud member of the @printreleaf_ community. So far we've offset our print by having 1,737 trees reforested since joining in 2019! 🌲
GUESS WHAT! It's FRIDAY! Here's a flick to kick off the weekend for all you warriors.
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.