Capturing the Art of Nature
Mt. Cheam Re-activated
My most often climbed Summit, still an amazing view and experience.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2016
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My first ascent of Cheam was way back in 2002 with two of my sons, today I hiked with two of my amateur radio buddies. The trail and views haven’t really changed across those years but the approach road is now much worse and the top section of the trail has been shifted away from a steep drop to a more gradual climb. Our adventure today was to activate the summit again in the Summits-on-the-air (SOTA) program as was our previous hike back in 2012. So Ralph, John and I set out from my place at the unhealthy time of 6:30AM so we could reach the summit before noon.
Our drive to the start of the Chipmunk FSR went smoothly and we made good time in the light traffic though I did comment that it seemed heavier than I thought it would be at this hour. Once on the FSR we made good speed along the section of road that parallels the Chilliwack River but when we turned off it to the longer section running up Chipmunk Creek the road was in a very rough state. The potholes were numerous and deep and the cross-ditches were deep, wide and rough! It was slow driving and extremely jarring. I really was amazed that so many drive this road and even some cars! They must leave a few pieces behind as they make their way along.
We arrived at the parking area a bit before 9am only to find it almost full! That was our first surprise of the day. But we did squeeze into a decent spot and then we started getting geared up for the hike. It was a cool morning and the sun was coming and going between clouds. So, a perfect day to be setting out for the summit 4.5km away. We made excellent time along the remains of the road and were soon descending into the bowl between Cheam and Lady Peaks. It was lush and brilliant green, no remains of mud slides and debris like I encountered on previous trips. We made our way to the first bridge across a small stream, it was recently rebuilt and this time based on a pair of steel girders! It should last for a while. Passing Spoon Lake showed no snow piles this year, the snow levels were down everywhere though I could see a few patches high up the slopes.
The trail then starts a steep climb to gain some elevation before turning right into a small treed section before emerging on a wide slope which had a narrow trail cut through an immense field of wild flowers. Today we mostly enjoyed white with a sprinkling of blue. We took a short rest before starting up the slope to the next level area at its top. A couple of hikers passed us but soon we had made it past some others that were taking it easy. We were actually making very good time and I was finding my energy level staying decent. The cooler temperature I’m sure had a lot to do with it. We reached the main col between Cheam and Lady to find a number of tents set up with the occupants stirring between them. The small pond that is normally here was dried up so the area was a nice spot for the tents.
After a short rest we continued up the steep set of switchbacks as the trail made the final push for the summit. We found one spot about three quarters of the way up which was a lovely resting area and so we took some time to regain our strength before pushing the final stretch for the summit. As we got close to the top ridge I noticed that the trail had shifted away from a scramble over loose shale next to a steep drop to a more leisurely incline far back from the edge and which led to a lower section of the top ridge line of Cheam. We took the new route and soon reached the ridge and a lovely view of the Fraser Valley below – at least that which we could see through the clouds which were far below us. A brief rest and then we made a push for the summit not that much farther along. It was just before noon so our hike took a bit more than 2.5 hours, good time for us. Once John and I reached the summit we stopped to eat a few bites and wait for Ralph to finish the final section. Ralph immediately put out a call on the repeater and had club member Ken respond then he switched to simplex and Ralph had the first contact in the log. John started setting up his 20m inverted V antenna and I my 2m yagi. Ralph decided to setup a bit down the ridge to where there was some rocks he could use to support his mast. John quite successfully lashed his short pole to a boulder and had his antenna on the air in no time. He made three more contacts before the stations ran out. I was able to rustle up 10 on 2m, one on Bowen Island another on Camano Island down in the states. We had a lot of interest from the other hikers as they watched us make some contacts and chat with stations some distance away. John’s Kansas contact was particularly intriguing to them.
Having completed a good number of contacts we stopped to finish our lunch and then took down the antennas and started the climb down from the summit to where Ralph was and after a nice time talking about the adventure so far we started down the slope in earnest. We took a longer rest back at the nice location we rested at on the way up and then we made for the switchbacks to the col below. As we got down John and I left on a side trail for a view to the north through a gap on the ridge. Once there I went to snap a photo only to realize I had left my camera back at the resting spot! John quickly dropped his pack and made a fast dash back up the trail. I took his pack along to meet Ralph at the col where we waited for John to return. Meanwhile in chatting with another hiker we learned that the very next couple coming down had the camera with them and I soon had it back. Now to contact John so he didn’t keep going. I was able to call out to him and get him to stop. He got back down to us so quickly I was quite amazed! After some deserved ribbing we started down the next section of the trail and made good time needing only a few short breaks along the way. Soon we were passing Spoon Lake and then up and out of the bowl. The walk along the old road always seems to take longer than it should but we were soon back to the truck and getting our feet out of hot boots.
The drive back down the road was as rough as on the way up but being tired it felt much more jarring. We still made decent time, we passed one truck stopped on the side. They were heading up but the truck had over heated and they were letting it cool before continuing up. That sure beats burning it up like the car we saw on the highway last Monday. Once off the forestry road, the drive along the paved road felt so nice. The traffic was moving well which got us home in reasonable time. A great hike, lots of fun and scenery. Perhaps I’ll do Lady next year.