Michelle on the Heather Trail to Nicomen Lake:
“Day 1: 1 French, 1 Israeli, 1 Swiss, 2 Polish, 1 Chinese/Californian, 2 BC Girls, 199km 3hrs driving, 1hr to car shuttle, 36 quarters to park, 13.5km 5hrs Blackwall to Kicking Horse. Side shows: motorcycle dog in his own coach with hush puppy ears a-flapping behind his own windshield (missing sunglasses); Bruno’s purse; new forest fire across a valley from us with helicopters water bombing and planes surveying; startled skinny dippers caught by the bottom of the First Brother; watching 10 cloves of garlic being lovingly minced for a 3 course dinner. Day 2: 9-km 4-hour side trip to the Three Brothers, then 9 km / 5 hours from Kicking Horse to Nicomen Lake. Side shows: GQ modelling at the summit of the Brothers (working the pole); sleeping bag rolling down the hill; Polish Kisiel ectoplasm dessert. Day 3: 17- km 6-8hrs Nicomen Lake to Cayuse Flats. Side shows: morning opera and water football. Casualties: 1 elephantiasis knee, 1 twisted ankle. Summary: Super well maintained/marked trails, beautiful flowers/meadows, splendid views, awesome lakeside camp (with amaaazing swimming and fishing), lots of laughs, lots of food, lots of French, lots of amoré, fabulous people, fabulous trip.”
All posts by andy
Marriott Meadows 01/08/09
Su-Laine at Marriott Meadows:
“Definitely a place to go back to… when it’s less buggy. On the other hand, if you like to jump into pristine mountain lakes on hot summer days, it would be hard to beat this place. Some of us swam in five lakes over three days, and we passed by several more.
Forest fires were on everyone’s mind but we made a conscious decision to go anyway, as we felt that this area would not be very dry, conducive to spreading fire, or particularly remote. A thunderstorm arrived quite suddenly in the hot afternoon, and we spent some time hunkered down in the forest to wait for it to pass. We sat on our packs while Michal explained how to perform CPR in case someone got struck by lightning, and I shared the previous night’s reading about how to survive a forest fire (Google it). The bugs were an inferno at the start of the trail and became merely horrible by the time we arrived at the Wendy Thompson Memorial Hut. We’d brought tents, but there was only one other nice couple at the hut, and lots of room.
On Sunday morning we spent the better part of an hour trying to find a trail to the ridge and summit. Several trails leave the hut but seem to vanish, and I don’t know to what extent we should have been on-trail higher up. We eventually found our way to an upper lake using a route resembling what’s in Matt Gunn’s Scrambles book. That was just the start of a stunning array of small lakes in the Marriott Basin, set amongst meadows, boulder fields, and 360 degree views of surrounding peaks. Scrambling was not too difficult, but helmets would have been a good idea. We spent many happy hours exploring, and returned to the hut very tired.
The next day we packed up, cleaned the hut, and swam in yet another lake down the trail before returning to the Marriott-Rohr junction and climbing up the muddy and buggy-as-hell trail to beautiful Rohr Lake. In total we saw only 7 other people in 3 days, and when we returned to Pemberton we heard that access to Duffey Lake Road was being restricted because of the fire situation. I haven’t seen anything on the web to confirm this, but if you’re planning a trip up there soon, a few phone calls to check would be a good idea.”
Lake Ann 31/07/09
Pablo at Lake Ann:
“When I posted the call-out, I received a couple of messages that the road was blocked and the trails were covered with snow. We decided to go to Mount Baker anyway and we asked the park ranger station about the conditions. We decided to go for the Lake Ann Trail. The road was opened last Friday and we only found a couple of small snow patches. The trail starts at 1500m elevation so it was not too hot. We found lots of bugs including black flies.”
Mt Macfarlane 26/07/09
Peter on Mt Macfarlane:
“Lucy, Kevin, Luke, Pavel, Sebastian, Irina, Nikita, Katherine, Hurrian, Jeff and I had an outstanding trip summiting Mount Macfarlane on July 28. The morning drive to Chilliwack was not promising, as we went through fog and cloud. However, 5 km past Chilliwack, we emerged into sunny, clear skies that stayed with us the whole day. We set out on the trail shortly after 10am, and set a fast pace as we climbed steadily to Pierce Lake. The trail is well-marked, filled with switch backs, a boulder field, creek crossings and undulating forest. We emerged onto a steep clearing (created by avalanches), thick with bushes and wildflowers. 20 meters below was the large and enticing Pierce Lake, and cool views of the surrounding mountains and Mt Macfarlane. We pushed onwards, navigating some muddy sections through Pierce Meadows, and soon saw the spectacular falls running down the 100m headwall that creates the upper lake. The trail approaches the headwall by running up a cleft in a set of forested cliffs. Well-placed, sturdy ropes and strong roots help the hiker scale this section. We emerged from this cleft and faced a steep gully of loose small-medium sized boulders. Stay to the right of the boulder field and hike along the forested border. Flagging tape can be found intermittently on low-lying bushes. Near the top of the field, avoid the flagged trail that branches left and crosses the boulders (to Mount Pierce?). Stay on the flagged trail that veers right and climbs over a steep shoulder of the forest. We popped out onto a beautiful, slightly-inclined, heather-filled plateau just below the waterfall. The trail stays left of the waterfall, mounts the headwall and greets you with a beautiful alpine lake sitting high in the mountain cirque. The water is cobalt blue, aquamarine and crystal clear: like a tropical paradise. A few perfect camping spots to be had. After a short break, we pushed on up the well-marked, steep trail that follows a ridge to the top of Mt. Macfarlane (minimal exposure, but more difficult if conditions are wet). We reached the summit in 4.5 hours! Spectacular weather and views, and hard to leave. Retracing our steps, we spent more time at the upper lake, carefully descended the steep boulder field, and had an amazing swim in Pierce Lake led by Kevin and Lucy. The day was capped off with a celebratory ‘feeding and watering’ at a local pub. Fantastic hike and fantastic people!”
Dennett Lake 25/07/09
Stacey at Dennett Lake
“Brian, Erin, Justin, Maya, Michal, and Stacey hiked up to Dennett Lake on Saturday. The trail head starts about 5 minutes up an old logging road. The trail climbs fairly steadily upwards until Munro Lake, and was mostly under tree cover which provided protection from the hot sun. We got a bit confused in our directions once at Munro Lake – 103 Hikes shows the trail heading around the west side of the first lake – we took a wrong turn and started following an old creek bed that may have been part of the Village-Lake Trail, then after back tracking, we took what we thought was the correct trail around the lake but the markers were sparse, we had to do some bushwacking and the ground was quite wet. After persevering and following the lake around, we did eventually find a sign for Dennett Lake. There’s actually a junction a few minutes before this sign that takes you on a path between the first and second lakes, I recommend taking this as it was super fast, easy and dry and meets up with the spot where the trail initially comes out at the lake. The hike up to Dennett from here took about an hour and was muddy and wet in sections (no snow though) and a few of us got mud soaked up to our ankles. There’s a great viewpoint near Dennett Lake looking back down towards Munro Lake. Dennett Lake was AMAZING and GREAT for swimming in! Not too cold and very refreshing. We hung out there for almost an hour, and on the way down got caught in the huge thunder, lightning, and rain storm! Cool! Overall great hike, we were all smiles. Oh, and apparently there was a black bear on the trail according to another hiker we talked to at the end, but we didn’t come across it.”
Russet Lake / Musical Bumps 25/07/09
Michelle at Russet Lake / Musical Bumps:
“And then we made a run for it…. Our merry band of one Scotsman, one Frenchman, one German, one Japanese, one Newfoundlander and two BC girls learned why in the alpine our winter sleeping bags and tarps were not so stupid in 38-degree August weather after all. On trail we heard the storm coming and hustled. Not one minute after arriving and getting the tents up it arrived. In shock EVERYONE at Russet made a run for the hut as marble sized hail pounded down so thick it became white out conditions. Those too far away dove into already occupied/complete stranger’s tents. We waited in disbelief until it subsided. A fellow cabin mate opened the door only to slam it shut again and exclaim ‘It’s coming again!’. Before, we wondered if the tents blew away- now we wondered about the hut as the wind drove waves of hail so hard that the roof surely dented and we began to take on water. Then, it stopped just like that. The aftermath – bivys drowning in small lakes, some flooded-out tents. The lightning show continued and the bizzare red sky turned the landscape into Mars. Made for an evening of great entertainment! Complete with a lady in red (dress) included! Absolutely spectacular scenery, spectacular fields of flowers, spectacular company and not one but two free gondola rides made this a spectacular overnight trip. The laughter, roaring storm and the music of the Musical Bumps (who’s winds did indeed play for us) made this truly a feast for the eyes AND ears.”
Cheam Peak 25/07/09
Su-Laine on Cheam Peak:
“With alpine flowers in full bloom and a winding trail through the meadows that gives ever-changing views of nearby mountains and valleys, Cheam was one of the most rewarding day hikes I’ve done yet.
The consensus was that it wasn’t all without adversity though: the infamous 4×4 road access, swarms of flies of various shapes and sizes that morphed into citronella-immune mosquitoes at higher elevations, and an approaching thunderstorm all made the day more exciting.
For Cheam, people don’t ask about trail conditions as much as road conditions. We were in an SUV and had no particular difficulty, but it was a challenging drive with some ‘don’t look down’ sections, and the last 11 km of logging road took us nearly an hour each way. Total driving time from Brentwood Mall in Burnaby was 3 hours each way. The parking lot was full of SUVs and 4×4 trucks; we’d heard that it’s possible to drive up in a 2WD car if you’re willing to wreck it, and to our amazement we did see one midsized car there. I still can’t understand how it got up there. The Chilliwack forecast was for a possible thundershower in the late afternoon, but we started to hear thunder at around 1:30 pm and the electricity in the air was making people’s hair stand up. I literally ran the last few minutes to the summit, snapped a few pictures, and got off it as quickly as possible. The descent was very pleasant though, with alternating sunshine and cooling clouds and drizzle. We were happy to be on Highway 1 on the way home when the full storm hit.”
Crown Mountain 25/07/09
Peter on Crown Mountain:
“Seven hikers made their way through Lynn Headwaters and Hanes Valley up to Crown Mountain and then to the Grouse Chalet. Very diverse terrain: forest trails, a creek crossing, boulder fields, steep to very steep parts and a bit of scrambling. High temperatures and humidity made us sweat and many flies and mosquitos kept us from stopping for too long. Great views from the top, no snow, and a bear with a cub from a safe distance. Ten hours of hiking and the rain started only after we arrived at the Chalet.”
Big Creek-Powell Divide 25/07/09
Chris on the Big Creek-Powell Divide:
“Early interest in this trip fizzled so it was down to just Cara and me again. We covered a lot of ground so the salient points only are:
– the Hurley was rough – lots of washboarding, potholes and rocks – but still 2wd.
– June’s Tyaughton Lake fire didn’t affect the drivability of the Tyaughton road but you do drive thru a bit of burnt forest.
– The first km after the Tyaughton Creek FS campsite will give 2wd drivers a taste of the worst of the coming 20km or so – minor rutting and a waterbar going uphill.
– 2wd drivers should stop in an old logged area just after an overgrown road to the east and then one doubling back to the west (sorry, no odometer reading). Immediately after this, the forest gets close and the rutting gets worse. You will be facing a 2hr road walk before the trail start.
– We made it to road end in my Suzuki Jimny.
– Mosquitoes were not too bad (i.e. not horrible) but horseflies came by the bushel-load (killed 5 with one slap) in the alpine areas to the west of Big Creek and stayed with us from about 9am – 7pm each day.
– The Big Creek crossing was around mid-thigh (shorts will get wet); Tosh was about knee-height near Big Creek; an un-named creek about 2/3 up Tosh was mid-thigh and almost dangerously fast. Other creek crossings were lower but plentiful.
– Saw little evidence of bears and with most big mammals sheltering from the sun during the day, only a handful of deer, some bighorn sheep and one moose. Wolf prints were plentiful but didn’t see or hear any.
– Snow was at late-August levels.
– Encountered only one guide-led horse trip and then a couple of the same wranglers a couple days later. No bikers or hikers.
– When going up Little Paradise, the fork for Little Graveyard Pass is difficult to find – look for a couple new flags to your right when you encounter an old moose antler on the ground.”
Galiano Island cycling 24/07/09
Dana on Galiano Island:
“Five of us caught the morning ferry on a Friday to Galiano. The weather was overcast but the sun came out once we arrived and it quickly became very warm. Though the ride to the campground is only 10 km, the roads are windy and hilly, and with weighed-down bikes and the hot sun it felt much longer. On Saturday, two of us rented kayaks and explored Montague Harbour and the other three biked about 10 km up-island to hike Bodega Ridge. Highlights of this easy hike with desert-like terrain were watching eagles soar beneath (and above) us, and the views of Salt Spring Island and beyond. We also enjoyed the thunder and lightning storm that night (after a quick swim), though instead of huddling in tents we took advantage of the free Hummingbird Pub shuttle bus to indulge in drinks and some incredible pie. Sunday’s ride back to the ferry took in a different route, encompassing the cemetary (which has a nice view of Active Pass and sunning sea lions). To sum: Biking Galiano is not for the faint of heart. There are many hills (both short and steep and long and gradual) and the pavement is cracked and broken in many spots. Still, it is rewarding and a beautiful place to explore over a weekend.”