All About Adventures Takes on the Sunshine Coast Pt. 2

After the snowshoeing in Dakota Ridge and the aerial float plane tour, we did something that was a personal favourite on Day 3 and 4 of our Sunshine Coast trip.

The team packed up and said goodbye to the beloved Back Eddy cabins and jumped on a bright and early ferry to Powell River. On the other side we met with Jesse from Sunshine Coast Shuttle and Eagle, the founder of the Sunshine Coast Trail. The trail was founded in 1992 and stretches 180 kilometers from Sarah Point in Desolation Sound to Saltery Bay, connecting a network of backcountry huts.

Jesse and Eagle gave us a ride up to the trailhead of the Tin Hat Hut, one of the huts on the SCT. Being the expert adventurers we are, the team decided to leave the snowshoes behind. This was a HUGE mistake, the snow was up to our waists about halfway up the trail. It definitely made for some hilarious shenanigans on our way to the hut.

After gallivanting through the deep snow, we got to the Tin Hat Hut and we were cold and wet. Eagle had given us wood pellets and lighter fluid for the stove inside the hut to keep us warm. We tried lighting the stove for about 2 hours and decided to take a break to catch the sunset. We hiked up the hill to get a better view of the hut, it was breathtaking, a complete wonderland.

Then we got back to trying to light the stove for the second time! It took us some time but we ended up figuring it out (but also using up all our lighter fluid).

Here are my tips for using a pellet stove:

1. Make a small lump of wood pellets

2. DOUSE them in lighter fluid!

3. Light them up

4. Blow on the lit mound of pellets until they have created some embers

5. Close the opening to keep it burning!

6. Add pellets and blow on the fire every 15-20 minutes

After we got the fire going we munched on some dinner and the sky cleared up for some astrophotography. Matt got some seriously epic shots of the hut!

Early in the morning we decided to head down, Jesse from Sunshine Coast Shuttle picked us up at the bottom with coffee and freshly baked bread (the perfect breakfast).

I cannot stress enough how amazing our trip to the Tin Hat Hut was, the snow around the hut made it even cozier. We definitely urge everyone to check it out year round, but if you are going in the winter remember to bring pellets, lighter fluid, and SNOWSHOES (don’t be like us).