the horne

Photography/Stories

Borealopelta

in Horne Lake

Words x Warren Gendall

Photos x Saul Brennan, Noah White, and Warren Gendall

This past February, Saul Brennan, Noah White, and myself set off to explore this hidden gem located just an hour north of Nanaimo B.C on Vancouver Island. With the goal in mind of shooting the full line up of Borealopelta products, we set out for some early season climbing, caving, and kayaking to make the most of a four day adventure. We knew we had our work cut out for us but as expected, Horne Lake did not disappoint. Kicking things off with Horne Lake’s finests and only accommodations, a beautiful forest campground is where we established a home base. We opted to leave the tents at home in exchange for hammocks, thankful that a mild winter and manageable temperatures made it possible. And because you know… Hammocks are obviously more fun

boss wall

first stop on our journey and a perfect way to get the winter rust off our joints was a scenic climbing route on the boss wall. after our poor route finding led to an impromptu scramble, a thoughtful traverse along a thin ledge brought us in full view of a climb you cannot miss. picturesque to say the least. here we also tested out an improvised ascender system (as pictured above) with a grigri and a few slings that we had plans for, later on in our trip.

down in the depths

A must see when visiting Horne Lake is the endless systems of caves that lie beneath the forest floor. Stepping out of our comfort zone and into the unknown, we ventured down into a cave called Andre’s Annex.

We slipped between rocks, down ladders,
and through various tunnels marveling at the wild rock formations along the way. A single speedlight and a camcorder with a ‘night vision’ setting made capturing an otherwise pitch black cave possible.

Pictured below is the EvaLNG shirt. It’s a super solid synthetic base-layer I've come to rely on in the colder months.

“It’s an eerie feeling entering the cave. You kinda have no idea what you’re gonna find
down there.”

out for paddle

Arguably the highlight of our Horne Lake Trip and definitely my favorite shots from it.

We were hosted by Park Ranger Emily and her husband who live full time at the lake and like most Canadians, are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. We rented a kayak and a canoe from them and set off on a serene morning paddle along the lake, to soak in the sun and take in the stunning landscape. From the lake you can look up to see the Boss Wall poking up through the trees and just the upper lip of the incredible Amphitheater cave.

After returning from our paddle, the Rangers filled us in on the lore of the Horne.Lake Sasquatch that lurks in the forest. Naturally, we figured he needed to be roaming the woods in style, in none other than the BO-OP AdVent Cap.

the main event

saving the best for last, the amphitheater cave was everything you expected it to be. the limestone walls trail up and behind your head, into a roof that ends high abtove the trees, overlooking all of horne lake. incredible. this is the standout crag at horne lake, rightfully so i might add. the climbing is crazy steep and apparently on par with the limestone in europe. after a quick pull on the crag’s hangboard, and with saul stationed mid-air with a camera in tow, we secured our final shots for the trip.

for those curious the climbing here starts around 5.11 and goes up to 5.14.

With summer just around the corner, the opportunities to get out and explore become endless. The motto “everyday transcend” captures the essence of what adventure is all about.

Exploring someplace new, setting goals for what you want to achieve, then getting out of your comfort zone and pushing those limits is in my opinion the backbone to a quality adventure.