Tag Archives: Coquihalla

Zoa Peak 24/10/09

Day hike,

Christian on Zoa Peak:
“Crunch, crunch, crunch – a great Coquihalla social.

Five of us started out from Surrey, and arrived at the trail head above the Coquihalla Summit in good order. Everyone was well prepared. As soon as we started hiking from the “Falls Lake” right of way, we encountered a fresh dusting of snow. Mount Thar, beside Falls Lake, all covered in snow, looked awesome! Crunch, crunch, crunch – we could hear almost every step in the inch of snow all the way to the top. It was so quiet, nothing could be heard when we stopped moving. A true winter wonderland! Along the trail, we saw fresh footprints of squirrel, rabbit, grouse, fox and wolf. However, there was no sign of the elusive “snow snug”. 🙂 Shucks! Clouds rolled though as we reached the summit. Views kept coming and going. We were envious of the sun drenched hills right across the valley to the North. The summit wasn’t a true peak. Our views to the West were obscured. We settled in at the summit, and started cooking. Ah, lunch! We began with a sweet egg pasta curry with fresh tomato and carrot, cooked up a spiced brown rice with honey glazed beef, and had a light cous-cous dabbled with mango and pineapple. We finished off the meal with green tea and yogurt covered raisins. Fantastic! We had conversations about careers, travel, and cultural comparisons. The two architects on the trip, had lots to say! Allan cracked jokes all day. Mighty Zoltan took many pictures – a true Flickr aficionado! Our return down was quick, and full of conversation. We drove down the highway to Hope and arrived at the Home Restaurant before dark. We all ate from massive plates of great food. On the plates, the piles were so big, yam fries were falling off onto the table. We learned the new term: “Mountain money.” And we discovered the value of Gore-Tex socks. This product keeps feet dry regardless of how wet footwear becomes. An awesome product for West Coast hiking.”

Zoa Peak, October 24 2009

Yak Peak 05/07/09

Scramble,

Ahmad on Yak Peak (instead of Mt Cheam & Lady Peak):
“There wasn’t much snow on Yak’s basin and there was no need of using ice axe. However, poles will be helpful. The snow was packed in good conditions in most sections. I scrambled up on the rocks rather than going up on the snow. The rocks allured me to be a good way. A mistake that I quickly realized. The rocks were too loose and they lack hand holds. I scouted several directions but each led to a close end or requires a difficult and lucky move. I managed to finish it at the end after more than 30 minutes. It wasn’t a good way. It was difficult and I ended up alone on the summit. On the way back, I found the proper route which was about 5-10 m away. It was fairly easy. It goes on the snow that cover the ridge. The snow seems to be steep but it is not exposed and it is actually fun. The false summit also represents a nice alternative. The other three people that I was with, chose it and they were satisfied with the views. There were also many mosquitoes and they got even more the higher we got and didn’t get rid of them even on the summit.”

Alpaca Peak 14/06/09

Day hike,

Ahmad on Alpaca Peak:
“The trail has three parts: walking on a road, semi bushwhacking following ribbons but no trail, and hiking a ridge which is the most rewarding section. Although there are many ribbons, there are a few sections on which there are none. You need know how to orient yourself. There are a few steep sections on the ridge but not too steep. You don’t need snowshoes at this time but there is still snow on the ridge. We were also lucky with the weather. It was cloudy on the way up and cleared up on the way back which helped to keep the snow not too slushy. The entire hike took us about 10 hours. A long day but worth it.”