During the month of July, Mars is at its closest since 2003! To celebrate the point in Mars’ orbit, Tyler and I hiked up Elk mountain 4 km uphill to an incredible viewpoint overlooking the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, BC. As the sun ducked below the horizion the the milky way came out perfectly framed by the Mount Baker, in Washington. 

Elk Mountain’s summit provides a breathtaking view over Chilliwack, Cultus Lake, and the Fraser Valley region. The trip starts with a steep ascent up the mountain through a lovely wooded region. It’s a quick hike, that the locals in Chilliwack come back to time and time again. The hiking route can be viewed here. At the top, you can find an incredible view of Mount Baker across theboarder in Washington. I would argue that this is the ideal location to get some photos of it, from within Canada. At the top, we took advantage of the incredible views, set up our tent, and waited for the stars to come out. It was worth the wait.