Chris M. on Mt Mulligan:
“Danielle joined me for a last-minute walk up both peaks of Mount Mulligan. We left Vancouver just after noon. The snow continues to melt and the logging road is now driveable to around 700 m elevation. Snowshoes went on right away and we were atop the North Summit in about 2 hours. It was a bit steep between the two peaks but we arrived there one hour later. So many mountains in all directions were visible from the South summit. My snowshoe snapped near the summit but just boots actually made the descent back to the col easier. Along with some fun bum-sliding. On the flatter terrain Danielle was a hero for trading snowshoes with me as I was sinking deeper. Even after lingering on the summit we still made it back to the car without the need for headlamps. Dinner at the Watershed was a nice way to end the day.”
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Sigurd Peak, 20 Apr 2013
Pardeep on Sigurd Peak:
“For a tougher trip I was quite surprised that I was able to get five of my buddies to wake up at 5:00am for a hike. Bala ‘The Baritone Baller’ Kumar, Oudi ‘Owly’ Cherfi, Mark ‘MC Pirogi’ Bondyra, Mark ‘Dragonfly’ Jenkins, Ross ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ Polutnik, and myself P. Diddy Montaigne’ made good on our collective word to reach the summit of Sigurd Peak or Station Rose as others may know it as.
The trailhead can easily be reached with 2WD vehicle; for driving directions visit the Club Tread page for Sigurd Peak, https://www.clubtread.com/routes/Route.aspx?Route=1121. The trail initially starts out along an old road bed, but quickly it veers right off into the forest. The trees that I saw during this were awesomely huge and beautiful! If the late great Randy Stoltmann’s name is associated with an area, you can expect to view some majestic cedars.
The trail is for the most part quite steep; think of doing the Grouse Grind for about nine hours; there is no gondola! I love steep slopes, they’re something so cathartic of pushing yourself physically through an old growth forest and seeing views of the Squamish River Valley and Ossa/Pelion Mountains.
At about 1170 m elevation, the route pushes North around a bluff section, before curling back East, and then heading up the main East running ridge system. Three of the group followed that route, while three went South and then East. I was with the group that went South; it was an interesting choice. We quickly had to start veggie belaying, and eventually were cliffed out. I would recommend not going this way, haha.
The East Ridge itself is quite broad and has great views in all directions; that’s if you’re not socked in. Though the clouds pushed in and out sporadically, that which I did see was superb! The final section of the summit ridge was heavily corniced. I would suggest just sticking to the middle and avoid any complications may arise from travelling too far to the edge of the ridge.
For a group of six young opinionated males, we worked well as a collective. I really enjoyed this trip with my friends, and would like to thank them all for coming along! The next trip? Tzsil Mountain near Joffre Lakes, or something in central Cheam Range.”
Hat Mountain, 14 Apr 2013
Pardeep on Hat Mountain:
“Hat Mountain, what a beauty of a summit! Roberto M., Mark J, and I chose the Tunnel Point trail which starts opposite of viewpoint pullout along Highway 99; the viewpoint is North of Lions Bay. The trail was in great condition and offers many views of the ocean and islands. The trail connects up to the FSR that runs North-South. We headed generally North, until the trail starts ramping up to the East towards Hat. We chose the South Ridge approach, but based on my compass bearing, we were more so on the West ridge; the South and West ridge system is pretty broad.
The snow was quite steep in many sections, and it would be helpful to have an ice axe. Just below the summit, there was a short section of technically steep snow, at least in my opinion. The views though… Holy Moly! Windsor, Gotha (Peak 5400), Coburg, Hanover, and the beautiful North Face of Brunswick; any which way, it was fantastic. I would highly recommend this as a destination; it’s an obscure mountain that doesn’t seem to get much attention. I would also like to give a huge thank you to Weedwhacker over at Club Tread. This guy volitionally maintains the Hat Mountain trail. I can say without hesitation, the trail markings and small maps provided are the best I’ve encountered. His efforts make reaching the summit a breeze. Thank you!”
Upper Shannon Falls, 29 Mar 2013
Stephen H. at Upper Shannon Falls:
“Ivy, John, and Rasham joined me for a pleasant hike of the Upper Shannon Falls Trail on Good Friday. We started early to beat the crowds, which we ran into on the way down the Chief trail. There was no snow on the route. We enjoyed a long lunch and great views from the final bluff.”
Killarney Lake, 3 Mar 2013
Paula L. circumnavigating Killarney Lake:
“After a week of rain it was great to escape the snowshoeing crowds on the local mountains and opt for a low level hike. Picturesque views, a little muddy but overall a well drained trail that was not over populated and allowed us to enjoy the bird calls and fresh forest fragrance of cedar, cypress, hemlock and ferns. Great interaction along the trail with our group of 4 hikers sharing legends and knowledge of the local area and flora. Thanks to Chris, Leane and Renate for contributing to a great day out and it was nice to be able to have a civilized departure time of 11 am on a Sunday, returning on the 3 pm ferry.”
Hollyburn, 10 Feb 2013
Stephen H. on Hollyburn:
“Mary, Dave, Ida, Ivy, and I headed up to Hollyburn Mountain on Sunday. The 8 a.m. meet time proved to be a good idea, as the parking lot and trail were to get crowded later. Anyhow, we enjoyed some great snow and mountain views. On the way down, we bashed through some powder and did a few butt slides. Perfect day.”
Burke Ridge, 9 Feb 2013
Chris M. on Burke Ridge:
“Sean was willing to check this area out with me. The weather was not great on Saturday so instead of enjoying a beautiful sunset we decided to build snow shelters. I started to build an igloo. We had brought a shovel and snow saw. Sean came over and helped. The aid was most appreciated! We then built a more blocky house for him. The morning weather was much nicer but we were both tired and headed back down in the morning. About 3 hours up and 2 hours down. We camped around 1100 m elevation. We took the logging road up and the snow started just after crossing the powerline construction. Only a handful of snowmobiles on Saturday but many more heading up Sunday morning.”
Ballantree Loop 3 Feb 2013
Chris M. on a loop around Ballantree-Lost Lake-Brother’s Creek:
“Eugene, Chris & Doug joined me for a fun little outing above the British Properties on Sunday. There was discussion beforehand about what footwear aid would be best. Two of us brought snowshoes, one microspikes and one just boots. We started on Ballantree with no snow whatsoever. After we left the trail and passed old mountain bike jump constructions the snow became a nuisance. Thin bridges and layers were broken through very easily. The snowshoers were happier than the other two. Just before joining in with the Brother’s Creek fire road trail we came across a nice grove of old growth trees. Soon after we reached Lost Lake, which was completely fogged in. For the way down we stayed on the west side of Brother’s Creek until we reached the Baden Powell. Then turned east and enjoyed a snow-free walk back to the car. Along the way passing some nice forest sections. Total walking time of around 4 hours.”
Zupjok Ridge, 13 Jan 2013
Chris M. on Zupjok Ridge:
“Due to North Shore snow conditions we switched destinations. Left Burnaby at 5:30 and drove up the Coquihalla so we could snowshoe to Zupjok Ridge. The powder was insane. We would sink around 2 feet on most steps. Thankfully there was a well-defined channel down the middle of the road. The pace was good and the company fun. Through discussions we all ended up with Three Musketeers names – Daniel became Aramis, Danielle was Milady de Winter, and I was D’Artagnan. There was one section where we had to break trail uphill. Super tough but we all strangely enjoyed it. The summit was a little chilly but a lot warmer than we had feared. Despite the thin clouds overhead we stayed up there for an hour. Our return down was pure pleasure. Deep soft thick fresh POWDER! Smiles all over the place. Having been on Seymour the day before, Milady had the best line, “no crust, no crowds”. Obviously the happy pendulum swung too far in our favour so we ended losing the car keys in Hope to equal things out. Luckily someone was willing to rescue us – THANK YOU LORA!!!”
Mt Harvey 30/12/12
Chris M. on Mt Harvey:
“A year-end hike up Harvey with the promise of blue skies dancing in our heads. Parking at the Lions Bay TH is down to 5 spots! – silly locals. The logging road was a mix of ice & hard-packed snow. The first 20 minutes of the trail were the trickiest. Crusty, icy and post-holing. Once past that it was much better, but hard work! Luckily we had a strong group. Four of us shared trail-breaking duties. It was treat to turn around at one point and see the four ladies (Desiree, Katie, Dorothy & Quirine) right behind me. Pierre-Andre & Simon finished out our group of seven. Still it took us a while to crest the ridge as there was so much soft snow to plough up through. We decided to enjoy the stunning view of the West Lion, have a bite and come back down. We then had a great time at Pastameli’s in West Van for some half-price pizza! (Sunday dine-in special.)”
