All posts by andy

Hope Mtn 07/08/11

Day hike,

Steve on Hope Mountain:
“Thanks to a great response from 4×4 drivers, 8 of us tackled the trail known mostly for views of the town of Hope (from straight above). Rob and Rob managed the road and got us there safely. The trail was very “Indiana Jones” (overgrown) for much of the way and there were 2 very minor scrambles, and only patches of snow were left. The bushwhacking aspect of this really slowed us down and hike time exceed even my padded estimates. It took us close to 7 hours on trail (some books estimate 5, Club Tread says 6). It was a long day ending at the Wildcat Grill near Harrison, but the weather was great, and surrounding views impressive (though hazy). Word to the wise – never sit ON the cairns at the peak or anywhere else, you never know what the engineering skills are of the person that built it…”

Hope Mountain, Aug 2011

Lynn Peak 06/08/11

Day hike,

Cindy on Lynn Peak:
“Three of us hiked to Lynn Peak, leaving the trailhead at 11am. The parking lot was quite crowded by that time, but the trail itself wasn’t too busy. The trail was dry with only a few slightly muddy patches. If you keep moving the flies aren’t that bad, and the breeze at the viewpoints is enough to keep the worst of the mosquitoes away. As we reached the top, the sun broke through the clouds giving us a great view back towards Vancouver.”

Williams Ridge 06/08/11

Day hike,

Hurrian on Williams Ridge:
“Three of us made it to Williams Ridge. 103 Hikes is a little incorrect about the trailhead. It caused us to look for the trailhead for two hours before the start of the hike. The start is around 30 km down Chilliwack Lake Road rather than the 34.5 it claims. Look for a sign that says “Wms Ridge Trail” that is visible from the road. It gets steep very quickly, ascending 1000 metres in about 3 km or so. After that you hit a ridge that has some stunning views of local mountains. Surprisingly there was very little snow on the trail. Only a bit in the final sections. Definitely recommended hike as long as it’s clear enough for a view. The descent is not as rough on the knees as it could be since much of the top section of the trail is padded with tree mulch.”

Bowron Lakes 23/07/11

Kayak and Canoe, Multi-day, ,

John K. paddling the Bowron Lakes:
“July 23 to 29 a group of 6 canoeists completed the Bowron Lakes. Moose and mosquitos were the main wildlife. Though there were stories of many Germans on the circuit, these were unfounded. Three fishing rods and 100 hours of fishing produced a 1-pound trout. We almost caught two very large fish (they were this big…) but they both got away. We met a pair of Americans that had pictures of 60-cm trout. The trip was very quiet and we only encountered a handful of other canoes. Two nights we shared a site with another couple otherwise we were alone the entire time. The weather was weird and changed every 10 minutes. Only once was there a real rain storm (and it was nasty – complete with hail) but we were lucky enough to have checked into a cabin an hour before the storm. To watch a storm roll in through the mountains was one of the many highlights of the trip. Average day was leaving camp around 9:00 am and checking into our nightly tent pad at around 5 pm. Fun ensued nightly.”

Mt Mulligan 09/07/11

Day hike, , , ,

Irina on Mt Mulligan and Anif Peak:
“Following changes to the destination and the participants list, Brad, Melissa and Evgeny joined me for this hike. Brad’s Pathfinder taking us further than expected along the Mamquam FSR shortened the anticipated hike along the logging road by ~4 km each way. After hiking up clear cuts and rarely spaced trees, we found ourselves on the tree-studded Mount Mulligan. Dropped down to the saddle and continued up Anif Peak. The ascent was certainly steeper than I expected, but the snow was perfect for kick-stepping up, and while I was happy to be wearing my crampons, the others managed well without them. A walk along the narrow ridge, and we’re on the summit of Anif Peak. Now that felt like a worthwhile destination, with a close view of the Sky Pilot group and Mount Habrich under blue skies! We settled in on the snow-free south end of the peak and basked under the summer sun for 1.5 hours, enjoying the view and relaxing. It was a breeze getting down to the vehicle through the gully between Mulligan and Anif, leaving us with plenty of time for an enjoyable conversation and an early dinner at the Brew Pub. See full trip report with geotagged pictures on Live Trails.”

Mnt. Mulligan & Mnt. Anif 9.07.2011 136

Needle Peak 09/07/11

Overnighter, Scramble,

Chris M. on Needle Peak:
“No one was able to join my Gamuza idea. So it was easy for me to change my mind and go up Needle Peak instead. The westbound side of the Zupkios pullout is closed anyway. Snow starts on the trail within the first 15 minutes. But footing was easy, I wore trail runners for the entire trip. Once you start the first scramble it is only on rock the rest of the way. I camped on the final ridge, only minutes from the summit, beside a pretty little tarn. The scrambling is fairly simple, when staying on route! The weather was good with just enough wind so there was NO bugs.”

Needle Tarn

Donut Rock 03/07/11

Day hike

Paul T. on Donut Rock:
“The nine hikers set out in search of the ring. Despite some perils, all nine of us arrived safely at Do-Nut (‘doughnut’? ‘doe nut’? — map says ‘Do-Nut’) Rock before looping back over Eagle Bluffs via the Baden Powell Trail. Paul G suggested an additional loop at the beginning which made the trip more interesting. Instead of starting out on the Trans Canada and crossing to the Baden Powell via the Nelson Canyon/Whyte lake trail (which we took on the way back), we picked up a trail that begins close to the parking lot, right at the north side of the old Highway 1 bridge over Nelson Creek. This trail passes through pretty open hillside with lots of arbutus trees before descending to the Whyte Lake trail very near the BP. There’s a fork about 10 minutes along, you need to go right. The pretty and dramatic Do-Nut Rock trail is not that well marked and if you’re doing it for the first time it is easy to lose your way. Also, it is not well travelled and as a result there are some hazards. The steepest section of the trail is up a dirt hillside where there are loose rocks easily unearthed (as we discovered when the organizer sprung one which Maurice in turn swatted away from the path to his head). Best to keep the group as close together as possible through this stretch to reduce this hazard. The trail from Do-Nut Rock to the Baden Powell is also not well marked and there is still patchy snow though it’s easy to walk on, or, around. Whyte lake is warm enough for a swim.”

At Donut Bluff

Flora Lake 02/07/11

Day hike, ,

Dennis on the Flora Lake trail:
“In my callout, I made a remark about “103 Hikes” time estimates being overly generous. Ironically, it took us the prescribed 10 hours to complete this loop. For some of our party, I’m guessing this hike turned out to be a lot tougher than they had anticipated. Our group of four hit the trail at approximately 11 am. The beginning is pretty straightforward as you follow the book’s (103 Hikes) description and the obvious trail markers. The trail is steep for a good 3 – 4 hours as it meanders along numerous switchbacks. But the payoff is worth it. As you climb, the views of the surrounding mountain ranges are immediate and abundant. The view of the Chilliwack lake below in particular is unsurpassed and truly picturesque. As we slowly approached the col, the trail brought us very near a small but pretty waterfall.

At this point, the steepness of the trail begins to relent and the snow makes its first appearance. By my estimate, our first sighting of snow was roughly at 1250 m. Although the grade of the trail eases, do not let this deceive you – our remaining hike in snow proved to be very cumbersome as we post holed many times. Snow levels were still high due to last winter’s heavy snowfall. This combined with the recent warming of the climate made for very soft, wet and unstable snow. In addition, there were no visible trail markers beyond this point. Following the book’s vague description, Dan, our most experience hiker, and I decided to ascend up the hill to where it meets the lowest point of the ridge. At the top, another dilemma – a fork in our “path”. The obvious choice was to head West towards Flora lake and the general direction of the loop. However, as some of you may know, the obvious route is not always the correct one. We decided to choose by process of elimination. I scurried up the “path” (more of a clearing really) heading East. Since this direction led nowhere, we headed West. Remember, there were no visible trail markers after the first appearance of snow. A GPS, compass and strong route finding abilities are recommended in these conditions.

Over the ridge and past the col the only direction is down. As the others cautiously trudged down the steep snow covered hillside, I quickly changed into my rain gear. My descent down the hill as a human crazy carpet began. No matter how old you get, sliding is always fun isn’t it? Naturally, the others wanted to give it a try. So there we were, the four of us Dan, Ulrike, Grace and myself sliding down the hill. At the lake we had snacks and took pictures. The lake was still mostly frozen and surrounded by snow. Beyond the lake, the trail really got tricky. The snow was so high, there was no obvious path or trail to follow. If you go and this is the case, stick to the book’s description. We did and we stayed west of the lake. Boulder fields anyone? Boulder field after boulder field we slowly began our descent down to Lindeman Lake post holing all the way. With no obvious path and trail markers and cairns hard to spot or completely covered in snow, the natural instinct is to head to lower ground and follow the river. Do not do this. Stick to the boulder fields, this is where the path is and what is described in the book. If you get lost at this point, there are five boulder fields immediately after the lake you must cross before the path becomes visible and clear of snow. We found this out the hard way and briefly got “lost” (though we were always headed in the right direction) for 20 minutes or so before returning to the boulder fields.

After this point, the trail is very straightforward and trail markers are abundant. You know what else is abundant? That’s right, more boulder fields. I counted over 12 boulder fields you must traverse through the course of this loop after Flora lake. The trail down the Lindeman side is beautiful and one that I have done many times. Many lakes, waterfalls and small river and creek crossings abound. We made it to the car utterly exhausted. Well, I wasn’t exhausted, just hungry really :). One last tip before I end this lengthy report. This is a long hike. Book time is 10 hours. Absolutely, positively bring a head lamp and always have at least crampons and sunglasses when travelling on snow. Food helps too. Thanks for the snacks Ulrike and Dan! Now all of you reading, go take a hike!”

Blue Gentian Lake 02/07/11

Day hike

Paul T. at Blue Gentian Lake:
“Nice half day trip which involved less than 4 hours of hiking (Brothers Creek trail loop counter clockwise with Crossover Trail as short cut on the way back) and good hour of lounging by the sunny lake with few bugs to aggravate us. One slightly tricky creek crossing involved sidling along a bank and climbing up over a large fallen tree. A couple of group members opted to remove boots and wade through lidocaine. The burgers at the Village Taphouse have declined from their former glory, still a decent choan though.”

Juan de Fuca Trail 29/06/11

Backpacking, Multi-day, , ,

Steve C. on the Juan de Fuca trail:
“The Juan de Fuca trail stretches 47 km from Jordan River to Port Renfrew on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island. Shorter and easier than the famous West Coast Trail which neighbours to the northwest, the Juan de Fuca trail still provides a challenging backpacking route, and is a great introduction to the rigors of coastal hiking.

Our JDF team of semi tent-less strangers (four with tents and two with a “tarp”) (Bala, Susanne, Sherron, Pieter, Angela and Steve) assembled at the China Beach campground on Wednesday evening, after a semi-frantic dash to catch the 7 pm ferry and a precarious convoy across Greater Victoria to the campground. That evening had us all falling asleep to the gentle sound of rain and much “tarp talk” emanating from the two brave tarpers. We all learned of the origins of tarp camping and how it was invented by a rocket scientist who no longer wanted to be a rocket scientist but took on a new passion for the outdoors. Out of this was invented the tarp as a way to minimise weight. Rain that night seemed to confirm the discouraging weather forecast, but after it cleared the next morning we wouldn’t see the wet stuff again until our last night of camping. Before we could start the trail we needed to place our two vehicles at either end of the trail. Two hours of car faffing later, our international team (Canadian, Swiss, German, Indian, Dutch and English) was ready to hit the trail.

The first day’s hike to Bear Beach is rated as “Moderate”, and this turned out to be a fair description, with easy terrain but quite a few ups and downs. Much of the trail was in the forest with the exception of a short section around Mystic Beach. The campsite at Bear Beach was quite busy, but we were able to find a quiet spot to ourselves at the far western end of the beach near to the picturesque “Mushroom Rock”. After supper we were all treated to an “Indian style” campfire, differentiated from its Canadian counterpart by the use of accelerant, an interesting grid structure and a higher success rate. The “Canadian fire” the following night (courtesy of Sherron) was however more aesthetically pleasing, hotter and much cosier.

We were all nice and stiff for the next day’s hike to Chin Beach… rather unfortunate as this was the hardest section of the trail. The trail progressed up and over a series of hills and deep ravines for over 10 km, and had a quite a few sections of slippery and steep terrain with plenty of mud. Physical effort was rewarded with a variety of spectacular viewpoints over the coastline, with plenty of photo opportunities. One of these photo ops provided us with the most dramatic moment of the trip. A branch overhanging the cliff edge proved to be an irresistible lure for most members of the team, including Sherron. Sherron’s tree climbing efforts were cut short by an ill-timed loss of footing, and she plummeted like a tranquilized bear down and out of sight over the cliff edge. Thoughts of splattered bodies at the bottom of the cliffs were however soon dispelled as Sherron’s bruised and scraped form emerged from the bushes that line the precipice. The only complaint was from the photographer of the group, Susanne, who said that while she was waiting to take the picture of Sherron, Sherron disappeared!

Chin Beach was busy, more like a refugee camp than a wilderness campsite. Our “go west” mentality was however rewarded with a quieter spot, separated from the main beach by a small headland. Making our food reserves out of reach of the bears provided much evening entertainment. The first food hanging spot was deemed too close to the tents, which was probably a good call as the bags would have been hanging between two tents. The second option (the metal food cache) was no better as it was completely crammed. The third option involved climbing the rocks of the headland in the dark and some nocturnal rope-work. That worked well and both ourselves and the food were still intact come the morning. The night was noisy with a lot of breaking wave action, and it wasn’t until the morning that we realised the water had come up to within a few feet of the tents. Other campers on the main area had to move in the middle of the night to avoid being swamped… and that would have been our fate if we hadn’t of gone west.

Day 3 was meant to be an easier day, but longer in length than the previous two days. The first couple of kilometres proved to be the trickiest of the whole trip, but soon an interlude of easier terrain presented the first opportunity to partake in one of Bala’s famous “side trips”, down to some spectacular Sea Lion caves. There were three takers and three passers. We’re not really sure what happened on that “side trip” but when we rendezvoused again at Sombrio Beach the three side trippers looked well knackered! The section of trail leading up to Sombrio beach was probably the most spectacular of the whole route. The beach itself was however crammed with the leftovers of the Canada Day festivities the night before… making Chin Beach seem comparatively quiet. Leaving Sombrio Beach behind, we headed up into the gloomy forest for an evening walk to the last of our campsites at Little Kuitsche Creek. Along the way, to our great surprise, it was discovered that Steve had remaining six bars of chocolate. As this was the second last day of the trip, speculation was made as to what these bars of chocolate were saved for – perhaps the bears? We were told that a bear had been seen that morning at the Little Kuitsche Campsite. The campsite was in the forest, gloomy and almost entirely full. In the one spot we found we cooked first before putting up the tents, as room did not allow the tents to be put up first. Evening entertainment took the form of force feeding one another leftover food slop, and binging on uneaten chocolate reserves. The tents were up just in time for the overnight deluge of rain.

The next morning brought the end of the rain and a return to the bright sunny weather we had become accustomed to. The last day’s hike to the trailhead at Botanical Beach was a 14-km yomp over mostly easier terrain. There was one more of Bala’s famous side trips along the way, this time to another dubious Sea Lion Cave, through the back garden of the local “problem bear”. This time there were four takers, with the other two opting for the alternative chocolate and nut binge in the sun. We arrived at the trailhead in good time, and after a bit of creative car packing were able to get us all back to the first car in one trip. We were pleased to get onto an earlier ferry than planned, and were treated on the way back to a magnificent sunset and the sight of orcas in the water…. a fine end to a fine trip… A great trail, great weather and (most importantly) great company. Thanks to Bala for organizing this!”