Category Archives: Overnighter

Elfin Lakes 29/12/12

Backpacking, Overnighter, Snowshoe,

Rob M. at Elfin Lakes:
“A 9am lift off out of Vancouver to get a berth in the Elfin Lakes Hut on a fair-weather long weekend might seem a bit cocky but it turned out well, even at a very relaxed pace. We dawdled long and hard at Galileo’s and putzed about the tire chains with equanimity. A brief stoke and poke into the stove at Red Heather, and we were again off. Two glorious Michaelangelic days chanting wow, wow, wow (like a bark impediment) – a simian with a camera couldn’t have taken a bad shot. Unfortunately there was someone in the cabin whose snore could have forced a bull elephant seal to stand down. Arguably, since we didn’t sleep, we also didn’t wake up. So, sleepless at Elfin Lakes and two in blister denial, we went in different rec directions – tele-skiing, snow caving and snow bunny-ing. Returning to the parking lot, the chant continued – as if it ever stopped. Great food, fab company – a Pothole Filler Imperial at the Brew Pub was the stout on the cake. The crew – Ran (host), Laura (driver), Laura (token vegetarian), Rob (lensman).”

On Paul Ridge facing Garibaldi

Elfin Lakes 09/11/12

Backpacking, Overnighter

Chris M. at Elfin Lakes:
“Glenn & Ellie joined me for one night at Elfin Lakes. Very little snow but quite cold. We had the entire shelter to ourselves. (It looked like Saturday night was going to be a LOT busier, 25+ !!) Glenn wanted to try out his winter gear and slept outside on one of the new tent pads: -12 overnight. We played crib and a great game of Jenga. It had been overcast on the way in but the hike out was crisp with clear blue skies. Around 2.5 hours each way.”

Elfin Lakes

Nicomen Lake 15/09/12

Backpacking, Overnighter,

Steve at Nicomen Lake:
“The Nicomen Lake trail has 2 potential purposes, and a nice hike is not one of them. At 17+ km each way on a featureless trail I can only recommend walking this trail if you are a) really into fishing and want a guaranteed catch of many fish or b) as the exit point for the Heather Trail so that you don’t have to backtrack (instead of hiking 23 km back the way you came you could have left a car at Cayuse Flats).

Were it not for the excellent conversationalists that joined my callout (Jangwon and Darren), this trail would have been even more tedious. The lake itself is nice, and the camping area on its edge – brilliant – but this is no Wedgemount, or even Garibaldi. We did hike to the ridge in the morning which was worth it, but if you were hiking the Heather Trail this is how you would approach your final campsite anyways.

This was a slog as evidenced by 6 sore feet and matching legs. The trail is groomed, Garibaldi style, so at no point is it “steep”, just really really long and uphill the whole way there (leaving was far more enjoyable but still long!).”

Haylmore-Melvin Divide 25/08/12

Backpacking, Overnighter, ,

Steve at Haylmore Melvin Divide:
“Never again will I leave my SLR camera at home. After much debate over my car being worthy of the access road, we made it easily to the trailhead and on to one of the most spectacular destinations I’ve hiked in BC. Carollyne, Paul and Laura and I camped at the higher of the twin lakes and the journey there was nothing short of an onslaught of scenic vistas one after the other. The negatives I had heard about were so overblown, it wasn’t funny. No biting bugs and the dreaded “ATV” track hardly looked different than a trail in Manning Park (though we did see one group of ATVers). In fact this was one of those trails where the ATV access is probably what made it so doable (besides at 1800 m their track ends and the awesomeness factor increases tenfold). Add this trip to your list – it easily makes my top 5 of BC (so far). A big thanks to Cara, Chris and John for their road advice and GPS tracks.”

Haylmore-Melvin, Aug 2012

Needle Peak 06/07/12

Backpacking, Overnighter, Scramble,

Chris M. on Needle Peak:
“A very enjoyable night on a mountain. Susanna, Glen, Jenn joined me to sleep at 1,947 m, along the summit ridge of Needle. Though a bit hazy, the views were good and the weather warm. Snow starts after about 20 minutes along the trail. There are some rocky outcroppings along the first ridge but mostly snow covered. The summit ridge and both scrambles are completely bare. With overnight bags on, there was one awkward spot on the first scramble, but we worked together as a group and sailed through. Animals stole my liner socks during the night – we couldn’t decide whether the thieves were birds or marmots.”

Tetrahedron 03/02/12

Backcountry ski, Overnighter, ,

John K-S in Tetrahedron Park:
“Only two Wanderungers on this trip. We caught the 5:30 ferry to Langdale and quickly proceeded to the trailhead. We needed chains and 4×4 and GPS to find our way up. Skied in and arrived at Bachelor Hut around 10 pm or so with a large group of 9 showing up after us. Saturday went to Edwards Cabin and again another group of 11 came after us. Sunday skied to Steele Cabin and climbed Mount Steele and returned to Edwards Cabin in the afternoon and played Settlers of Catan in the evening. Skied out on Monday. Beautiful weather all weekend. Highly recommended trip. Check Tetrahedron website to see if large groups are planning to go up for the weekend. We had around 15 people per cabin for the Friday and Saturday night and it was quite comfortable.”

Keith's Hut 21/01/12

Backpacking, Overnighter, Snowshoe

Dennis at Keith’s Hut:
“From the beginning, this was a hike full of warnings and red flags. The Duffey Lake area is known for avalanches. Going into the weekend the Canadian Avalanche Centre had a high avalanche warning for the region. On this note, I received more than one stern warning from concerned Wanderungers. Nevertheless, four brave souls (Ian, Liz, Calum and Rita) joined me on this ominous trip.

Recent heavy snowfall and cold weather have made the Sea-to-Sky north of Squamish a nightmare for anyone not equipped with a 4wd or chains. As we drove towards Squamish, the warnings continued with Mountain Radio describing the road past Squamish as a sheet of ice and to avoid driving in that direction if possible. The drive up was a slog in stop and go traffic through a couple different sections on the highway due to accidents. If you plan on heading to this region in winter weather, be prepared for these kinds of delays, especially on weekends when many inexperienced drivers head up to Whistler. In total, the delays added 2 hours to our travel time which I had not anticipated.

The parking lot is a pullout just off the highway and was easy to spot with 3 other cars already parked there. The hike up to the hut was straightforward on a well-marked and frequently used trail. The new snow however made for a bit of a workout breaking trail. The evening was spent pleasantly socializing and drinking wine with seven other backcountry skiers also staying overnight. Great location and lots of firewood. Despite all of these amenities, Calum feeling more adventurous and much more energetic than the rest of us, dug a snow cave and slept in it overnight.

The next morning we quickly ate breakfast and left the hut with plans to do some light exploring before returning to the car. I had all but abandoned my original plans to summit Vantage. But, after judging the snow conditions of the route leading to the Matier-Vantage col, we decided it was safe to make our way up to the col. The trail and cairns marking it are hidden under snow at this time of year, but a route is fairly obvious nonetheless. It took us an hour to the col and back. At the top we were rewarded with spectacular views of what I assume was Joffre Peak.

The drive back was again sluggish due to winter road conditions and accidents. So, I repeat, do not attempt to drive here without a 4wd or chains. Finally, I cannot say enough good things about everyone who joined me on this hike. All strong hikers who radiate positivity. I would recommend them to any organizer. Thanks again guys for making this a great trip.”

Helm Creek 15/10/11

Backpacking, Overnighter, , , ,

Steve on the Helm Creek cross-over:
“This was a manly trip. Five rugged men (Ben, Greg, John, Steve and Cam) with full packs dumped a car at Rubble Creek and then entered Garibaldi Park from the Cheakamus River end. We took snowshoes not being sure exactly what kind of conditions we’d be facing. We did really well on the ascent and as we lunched at the Helm Creek campsite we realized we were ahead of schedule and could afford to hike further before camping. There, as the sun beat down on us, I was convinced we wouldn’t need the snowshoes… but I was wrong. Another 200 m of gain and we hit the Cinder Flats completely covered by powdery snow. It was beautiful, and warm, ideal snowshoe conditions. We decided to go up Cinder Cone and take a look, the views of Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge etc. were great from there. Though we had prepared for “chilly” camping, some of us may have been a little under-prepared for a -15 C night on snow (at least I was). My feet have only just thawed as I type this. The exit via Garibaldi Lake (still snow free) was quite scenic as many of the leaves had turned. The Whisky Jacks were in full force and the photo weather of the lake itself as nice as I’ve ever seen it. A big thanks to Cam who shared his Winter camping tips with us!

For anyone planing a trip next weekend into Garibaldi, I’d say your window is closing. Any crossing like we did will be a winter trip for sure. Skis or snowshoes mandatory. And if you are planning going to the lake, I suspect ice and snow are coming soon.”

Helm Lake cross-over

Mt MacFarlane 03/09/11

Day hike, Overnighter, Scramble, ,

Jeremy on Mt MacFarlane:
“Four brave souls ventured out towards Chilliwack Saturday September 3rd to climb Mount MacFarlane. The drive took to the trail head took less than two hours, and was completely paved, except for the last 200 metres. Easy with 2WD. The parking lot was pretty full upon arrival, with both day hikers and overnighters parked there. 1770 metres is a lot to ascend, and the trail gets to the point and starts ascending within the first 150 metres or so of the hike. It took us three hours to get to the first lake, with few stops to rest. About one hour in, there is a sharp right turn in the trail – if you are looking down, it is easy to miss! It’s up and up and up, through lush forest, across one boulder field and crossing one creek. It’s definitely a slog. The trail was mostly dry, with a little bit of muddy sections near the lake.

The first lake is beautiful, with Mount MacFarlane staring at you from the south end of the lake, and a waterfall cascading from the upper lake, down the face of the ridge visible from the lake’s edge. There are a few flat spots for camping at the north end of the lake, which is where we camped, but there were better spots at the south end of the lake, a further 10 minutes down the trail, and then a steep descent to the lake edge.

After passing flasks around the fire for a while, we all slept well, tired from hiking, even though we had only hiked 3 hours. Sunday morning, it was just a one hour hike up to the second lake. The trail is steep in sections, but not difficult technically. It was great to hike without all our camping gear! The upper lake was still 70% frozen. It was another 45 minutes up the snow free ridge to the top of the mountain – this portion involved a tiny bit of scrambling but it was mostly hiking. At the top, the views were incredible. We could even see Mt. Rainier to the south. We hiked back down to the first lake quickly, ate lunch, packed up, swam, and headed back to the car. It’s even more of a slog down – it’s relentless down and down and down. Hiking poles definitely helped! On our way down, we passed some hikers coming up who warned us that 4 out of the 6 cars parked overnight had been broken into. Fortunately, we were one of the two cars that remained intact. The drive back was quick with no traffic. Epsom salts baths were in order to soothe sore legs from the descent.”

Refelction

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