Monthly Archives: July 2008

Radium Lake 12/07/08

Tyler at Radium Lake:
“We got to Chilliwack Provincial Park at 10 am. We were going to park in the maintenance yard but it was full so we parked our cars in the day parking. We set off down the trail and over the bridge to Radium Lake trailhead with Kate, Heather, Bob, Gerard, Joey, Ribeka, and myself. The trail more or less follows the Radium Creek drainage, crossing the creek a few times, but there is a nice network of bridges and a suspension bridge made up of duct tape and old rope, so fording is not necessary. The trail is well marked to Radium Lake. We arrived at the lake and noticed there were tents all over so we set up our tents on the other side of the lake. We were able to find a dry spot by the creek.

Awesome campsite as it was lake property. Radium Lake is a shallow lake with an emerald green color. There used to be a shelter there, but the roof has long since caved in, so it’s no longer useable but exciting to see. On Sunday morning we decided to leave our gear and go on a day hike up the mountain to Mt Webb. I really recommend this hike to the peak as the views are to die for and you can see Mt Baker and other peaks in the USA. When leaving that day I found out the wind took three of our tents and blew them into the creek. I got it the worst as all my gear was soaked. I was able to dry everything out but my sleeping bag was a bit damp. We didn’t leave camp till 4 pm and weren’t down the mountain till 7 pm. Everyone got down safe.

The weather up there was amazing with no snow, but some still around the peak of Mt Webb.”

Mt Frosty 12/07/08

Ahmad on Mt Frosty:
“Five of us did Frosty’s east peak in 9.25 hours. The trail is well-graded, scenic, and has all types of terrains. It goes through old trees, many flowers, a wide and open alpine area, rock slide, and a peak. At the campground, there are many mosquito campers who were eager to meet us. The shelter is primitive and the creek beside it seems that it will dry up soon. The peak is quite wide. It fits 20 people easily and it has superb views. We spent 1 1/2 hours hanging out there. At the end, some of us took a quick swim in lightning cold water in Lightning Lake. Thanks for Keith and Ryan for their snow report of the trail. No much snow left now. We encountered few patches on the way.”

High Falls Creek 12/07/08

Melanie at High Falls Creek:
“Several photographers with a hiking problem and a few hikers went to High Falls Creek. Dawn Hanna’s description was not exaggerated at all; there were superb views of the Squamish Valley and Tantalus Range. Encountered the other Wanderung group at several of the viewpoints. Bit of scrambling with ropes and chains to assist, walk through the forest, boulder field and then logging road. There is one beautiful view of the Squamish River Valley that you can see from the logging road that makes it worth walking back this route. Stopped at the pub at the way back. Great company and special thanks to Laura for pointing out the best viewpoints!”

Sumas Mountain 12/07/08

Michelle on Sumas Mountain:
“A MUCH nicer trail than anticipated. Very nice forest hike under canopy the entire way to the slice of summit views at the Eastern Lookout. The trailhead is marked as the Centennial Trail and the trail well marked – although one blow down snag (marked with several ribbons) obscures a trail fork shortly before the lake (just after the creek with the rope guide). Half our crew took a leisurely swim in Chadsey Lake, a satisfying lunch spot before pressing on to the summit (about an hour away). A patch of blooming wild strawberries was discovered at the Eastern Lookout and lots of monarch butterflies. On return instead of another swim in the lake we kept going, to the beautiful little creek that is shortly before the lake on ascend and refreshed ourselves (Beth showered in the waterfall and I plain laid down in the shallow rock chute of the creek). An incredible variety of flowers (carpet like in places), and an equally incredible amount of bugs (it was a blood bath). A perfect hike for the day with good company.”

Widgeon Falls 12/07/08

Nancy at Widgeon Falls:
“Nine of us enjoyed a fabulously wonderful day canoeing and hiking to Widgeon Falls. A huge lineup for the rentals resulted in all of the kayaks being taken, so everyone climbed into canoes. First-time paddler Neil was a trooper, trying out 3 different positions in the canoe. Brave Stephani went for a dip in the cold Widgeon Creek, exclaiming that she felt like a million dollars afterwards. On the way home, we stopped at a blueberry farm, buying some of the very first harvested crop, and we ended the day with a nice sushi dinner. A great outing with an excellent group of people!”

HeadingOut

Brothers Creek 07/07/08

Diana at Brothers Creek:
“Eight of us found our way to this trailhead hidden within the British properties on the north shore. We never found the yellow gate as described in the Dawn Hanna book, but did find an access to the Baden-Powell, and knew the trail intersected with the Brothers Creek trail, so we were able to get on the right path without difficulty. It was a lovely and tranquil hike, well shaded in an old growth forest and a few rewarding views and rest stops along the way including the tranquil Lost Lake, where we met the only other two hikers all day, who had just indulged in a nice swim. The creek was flowing relatively quickly with some scenic rapids and a couple small waterfalls. The trail was generally very well marked, in great condition, although there were a few slippery parts on the way down and a few of us had some minor spills. There was also a view overlooking Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver where someone had left a single lawn chair to soak in the view. We recommend that the next group of hikers on this trail carry up a second lawn chair so that two may sit and enjoy that view in style! Thanks to Andras and his new fancy Garmin GPS to introduce some of us to geocaching (although we never did find the supposed hidden item).”

Alice Lake 06/07/08

Carollyne at Alice Lake:
“Dorothy, Dana, Maia and I chatted our way to Debeck’s Hill and along the Four Lakes trail at Alice Lake. On a cool, sunny with clouds day, most of the time we had the trails to ourselves. Great views of the Tantalus Range through the clouds, and of lakes with water lilies coming into bloom. Especially refreshing was taking a break at the Cheekye River. Maia went for a good swim in Alice Lake. Fawn Lake was also tempting with its bathwater temperature. A good hike for those recovering from injuries or new to hiking with 200 m elevation gain on Debeck’s Hill. A more attractive destination than expected and great company made for a perfect Sunday.”

Hanging Valley 05/07/08

Chris at Hanging Valley & Hidden Lake:
“Cara, Dean, Gloria, Rob and Tim joined me on an overnighter to Hanging Valley and Hidden Lake. The Van Horlick road is still 2wd (though a bit pot-holey) up to where we parked at the start of Hanging Spur. This is 2wd-able to the first turn (about 200 m) but quickly degrades to an ATV track then a trail taking you through some beautiful avalanche track meadows. On the way up, we crossed a creek on a tricky log bridge but opted to wade it on the way back. The mosquitos were, as promised, insanely bad. Particularly after emerging into the meadows above the lake after a rough flagged route through the last trees. With the rain setting in, we set up camp near the head of the valley and did some meadow exploring before supper. On Sunday we awoke to some drizzle and low cloud but it lifted as we hiked up to a sub-peak of Silent Hub and we got some good views into Blowdown and beyond. Unfortunately, Dean failed in his attempt to take a marmot home and a vicious pika tried to violently de-pants Cara. We glissaded back to camp, packed up and headed home in the early afternoon.”

Very small flag of our father

Rainbow Lake 05/07/08

Sandra at Rainbow Lake:
“You would have never guessed it was a rainy day on Saturday with the enthusiastic group of 13 that headed up to Rainbow Lake. This was a planning / get-to-know-each-other hike for the August Cape Scott / North Coast Trail adventure… so perhaps it was suitable to see how we all faired with soggy conditions! Despite some mud and slippery & tilted walkways, the trail was almost entirely clear of snow. However, the ice on Rainbow Lake was still breaking up, with more snow on the ridges surrounding it. The trees around the first section up the gravel road were nicely overgrown, making the road more “trail-like”. The mosquitoes were definitely starting to come out at the lower elevations.”

Brothers Creek 05/07/08

Michelle on the Brothers Creek trail:
“Impressive old growth stands and lovely waterfalls tucked away right in residential West Vancouver’s British Properties (who would have thought?). There is still a significant amount of compact snow on the portion of the trail leading to Lost Lake, despite the heatwave of last week (and the fact that it is now July and this is a low elevation hike). We continued the trail from Lost Lake towards the outermost set of falls in an attempt to make a loop down to Blue Gentian Lake and then return via the main trail. The trail continued under snow in sections and there are some blow downs. However it should be noted that we likely traveled 1/2 to 2/3 of this arm, until we reached a Trail Closed sign – presumably the blow downs get worse and have not been cleared.”