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Explore beautiful BC

» The resources you need to pick the right hikes

theotherpress.ca

Sophie Isbister

4 Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle

@theotherpress.ca

H iking is a popular fitness
activity not just because
it gives you a good, full-

body workout, but because

it gets you out of the house,
exploring the beauty that
British Columbia has to offer.
Also, hiking is a fairly sun-
safe activity for the summer:
you tend to be under a shady
canopy of trees as you trek
along. If you’re anything like
me, though, you have a vague
desire to go on hikes but don’t
necessarily know the best ones
to go on—or even how to find
out!

The Internet is a great
resource for hikes and maps,
for both more well-worn trails
and walks that are off the
beaten path. Whether you
have some friends in mind
to hike with, or are seeking a
community of fellow hikers,
the following websites should
get you started going outside!

Vancouver Trails (http://
www.vancouvertrails.com) has
avery comprehensive list of
local trails. You can sort their
list by region (including close-

 

: by options like Vancouver City,
: or further journeys like Fraser
: Valley East or Pemberton), by

: length of time, distance, or

: difficulty level. This site is a

: great resource for beginners

: and experts alike. They also

: offer news that would be

: relevant to the hiker, like sales
: at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
: Head on over to their Region

: Map section fora handy visual
: of where all the local hikes are.

The Washington Trails

Association (http://www.

: wta.org/go-hiking/hikes) is

: similar to Vancouver Trails.

: It has a massive database of

: information on hikes and trails
just south of the border, so

: if you're a seasoned BC hiker
: looking for a change (and a

: stop for cheese at Trader Joe’s
: on the way home), check out
: the WTA site for Washington
: trails. Don’t forget your
passport!

The BC Parks Board’s

: section on hiking (http://

: www.env.gov.be.ca/beparks/

: recreation/hiking/) is also

: quite useful—while it doesn’t

: lay out the information quite as
: well as Vancouver Trails, it does
: tell you about trail closures or

: poor hiking conditions. It can

: also be useful as a camping

: resource, as it tells you which

: parks are under campfire

: restrictions. Lastly, it’s good for
: hikes that are far away from the
: Lower Mainland.

It’s always a good idea to

bring a buddy with you when

: youre hiking for safety, but

: what if all your friends are

: allergic to the outdoors? If

: youre in that predicament,

; there are resources online to

: help you find new friends to

: hike with. Wanderung (http://
? www.wanderung.ca/) is an

: email list for Vancouverites

: who want to hike but don’t

: know where, when, or who

: with. It’s completely free,

and once you sign up you

: can receive email “callouts”

: for hikes. You then respond

: directly to the organizer of the
: hike, and off you go. With over
: 1,600 members and 400 events
: yearly, Wanderung is a great

: way to go outside, explore, and
: maybe make some new friends.
: Check their website and FAQ

: for more information.

While the Internet has a

: tendency to keep us indoors

: and on our butts, it also has

: the capacity to bring people

: together with fun outdoor

: activities. So get clicking, and
: then get hiking!

Wyre)

  

 

By Thinkstock

 

Stop HIV & hep C now: know how to end stigma

» Sticks and stones may break my bones, but stigma always hurts me

Andrea Arscott
Columnist

‘mat the clinic. I havea
needle in my arm, and my
eyes are sealed shut. I imagine

life, if I test positive...

Two weeks later, I call the
doctor for the results. My test is
negative. I never think it'll come
out positive, but what if it does?
Concerns about stigma fill my
mind. Would HIV be the worst
thing that could happen to me?

homelessness would definitely
be worse. Cancer, dangerous
drivers, food poisoning, drugs,
cigarettes—any of them could
kill me before HIV did. Despite
common misconception that
HIV/AIDS are a death sentence,
HIV/AIDS-related illnesses
posted a global mortality rate
of roughly 4.5 per cent in 2012
worldwide.

I work with people living
with HIV and/or hep C. They
have feelings and they have

: hearts—we call them human

: beings. We're all equal, which

: Means everyone is susceptible

: to HIV. Labels and demeaning
: comments sting and encourage
: isolation, depression, and

: discrimination. You cannot get
: HIV from hugging, shaking

: hands, kissing, or sharing

: cutlery and drinks. Maybe you'll
: get the common cold, the flu,

: tuberculosis, herpes simplex

: type 1 (cold sores), and other

: illnesses from exchanging

: saliva, but not HIV.
No, struggling with addiction or :

Stigma around HIV still

: exists even though you can't

: get the virus from someone

: who is positive, unless you're

: swapping sexual fluids or blood
: with that person. Even then, the
: risk of transmission may be low
: depending on the amount of

: HIV in the body, as an ongoing
: study has found a nonexistent

: rate of HIV transmission,

: either by anal or vaginal sex, in
: cases where participants had

: aviral load under 200 copies/

: ml. So, if you refuse to work

: with someone who has HIV,

: youre discriminating against

: that person and contributing

: to further stigmatization.

: Unless you work in porn, your
: job probably doesn’t involve

: sharing semen, vaginal fluids,
: anal fluids, and blood with your :
: co-workers. And if you are ina

: position where youve exposed

: to these fluids, you'd likely use

: protection and follow universal
: precautions to decrease the

: chances of acquiring HIV.

Now that you're wiser on

: working relationships, let’s talk
: about personal ones: you may

: not realize it, but you might

: have a friend who contracted

: HIV from their mother during

: childbirth. Although your

: friend has been living a healthy
: life without symptoms, they’re

: too scared to tell you they’re

: HIV-positive for fear of being

: tossed aside like last week’s

: lettuce. Maybe they overheard

: you talking about people living

: with HIV ina negative way, and
: rather than speaking up, they

: bowed their head in silence and
: shame. An illness doesn’t make
: a person any less deserving of

: respect, kindness, friendship,

: and love. A true friend sticks by
: you and offers support.

Nowadays, as reported in

: the Vancouver Sun, there’s less
: than a one per cent chance of

: mother-to-child transmission,
: which means couples with at

: least one HIV-positive partner
: can consider having children

: like any other HIV-negative

: couple.

There is no need to fear

: or disassociate from people

: living with HIV. With advances
: in treatment, it’s possible for

: someone with HIV to livea long :
: and fulfilling life. Thanks to

: Dr. Julio Montaner and the BC

: Centre for Excellence in HIV/

: AIDS, advances in treatment

: have accounted for a 60 per cent
: decrease in new cases of HIV

: since 1996. Although this illness :

: is not something you want,
: it’s manageable with anti-HIV
: drugs.

Imagine what life would

: be like iffyou were diagnosed

: with such an illness. Spend

: some time in an uncomfortable
: pair of shoes that stop you

: from stepping forward because

: doors keep slamming in front of
: you. Only with understanding,

: compassion, and empathy

: can we conquer the stigma

: associated with HIV.

Get tested for hep C,

: HIV, and STIs at the New

: Westminster Health Unit at 218-
: 610 Sixth Street in Royal City

: Mall Wednesday or Friday, from
: 1:30-3 p.m. by calling to book

: an appointment. Ask for free

condoms or come down to the

: Purpose Society at 40 Begbie
: Street to get some!

As always, you can get

: your questions answered
: anonymously by emailing
: sexyquestions@purposesociety.

org