Tag Archives: Mission

Mt St Benedict, 22 Mar 2015

Day hike, ,

Colleen C. on Mt St Benedict:
“While the weather wasn’t as clear as I’d hoped, we still had glimpses of the surrounding mountains, including Judge Howay and Robbie Reid which alone would be worth the hike in my book.

After just a couple of minutes driving on gravel we parked the cars by the locked gate. The first hour is uphill on logging roads, but there are nice views and a lovely waterfall to enjoy. After reaching the trail proper (eccentrically marked with an old pan atop of some lashed together branches – can’t miss it) there is pleasant forest, a couple of small but beautiful lakes, a steep section, and then a gentle climb to the summit itself. We had a lazy lunch with plenty of tea and cookies and then made our way back the way we came.

The hike seemed easier than the stats implied (1000 m elevation gain, 15 km), but that could have been due to the pleasant terrain and great company. Special thanks to our two drivers and Katherine who gallantly took the cramped middle seat.”

Mt St Benedict 05/02/11

Snowshoe, ,

Ben on Mt St Benedict:
“We stayed dry but we have no views to report from this trip. The clouds that hung on the ridge in the morning did not break for us. This hike has potential as a nice winter alternative to the popular North Shore standards. It is accessible in any vehicle and the trail is easy to follow. If you go anytime soon, be prepared to lug your snowshoes up a few hundred metres before finding any snow however. There is also a section of logging road/stream bed to expect. The turn-off of the trail from the road is marked by an old pan, and is pretty easy to spot. We put on our showshoes around McKay Lake and picked our own trail up the ridge. The snow beyond the lake was crusty. Atop the ridge we headed south towards the summit, seeing occasional markers along the way.”

Mt St Benedict 05/04/09

Day hike, Snowshoe,

Ahmad on Mt St Benedict:
“We were lucky to follow a well packed track for about 4/5 of the trail. It saved us a lot of time especially as we started late at noon because of an unexpected car problem. We broke trail the last 1/5 of the way. Avalanche risk was my constant concern because of high temperatures. There was debris from one big avalanche just on the shore of Mckay Lake and two smaller ones along the way. It tooks us 3:30h to summit it. The views on the top exceeded my expectations.”