Capturing the Art of Nature
Hiking Vedder Peak
A perfect day for a lovely hike through a forest to a summit to talk with distant people via our ham radios
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2017
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I had planned to hike this summit with my wife Carolyn earlier this year but things didn’t work out and I finally had an opportunity to go but with my good friend Ralph. The day was perfect for an autumn hike, clear skies and a warm day. Ralph arrived at my place around 8:30am and we loaded up my truck and set off for our adventure. Of course our first stop is for coffee but as we drove up to the Starbucks we noticed a lack of cars. It was closed for renovations! Such an unfortunate start for our day. We continued on to Aldergrove where we pass by another Starbucks and there we were able to fulfill our desperate need for caffeine. Shortly after, we provided a needed drink for the truck and then set off for the mountain.
The drive went by quickly and soon we were approaching the Chilliwack River, this time going over it instead of along it. The intersection and bridge have been replaced with a new round-a-bout and bridge it is nice looking construction and this trip marked my first crossing of the new bridge, the old one was in the process of being removed. A little further and we were on to the Vedder Mountain FSR making our way to the trailhead. Last time here the road was undergoing some improvements and there were construction vehicles scattered along it, today the road was smoother and clear so we made good time to the spot we planned to park at. Arriving at the end of the road we noticed one other vehicle parked and just before we started off another came in and parked behind us. The couple in the second truck actually jumped out of their truck and immediately started up the trail ahead of us. We didn’t see them again until we reached the summit.
Once we had gotten our gear donned and checked over we started out on the hike. The initial section is along the continuation of the logging road. The road had been seriously dug up with two deep ditches and rises which would keep even ATVs and motor bikes off the road, you know they are serious about it being a non-motorized trail. The walk along the old road continued for around 300m to where the marked trail begins. Here again there are logs and fencing across the trail allowing only foot traffic. So we made our way across this gate and now the way was clear for us to the summit.
The walk is mostly through a mature forest and is very open without too much elevation gain. There are a number of small rises and dips but it is all very minor until the last bit as one descends to a pond near the summit and then a steep climb up to the peak. This last section has three features to work past. The first is a rock face that one must cross, for this there is a small bridge placed across the rock and makes crossing it easy. Second one must clamber up a rocky section along the edge of the cliff. For this next item a rope has been affixed to help with balance in getting up the rock. Finally another rock climb has been simplified with a notched log and rope. It really is easy to get to the summit. Finally on the top ridge one enjoys some great views and an easy walk to the top.
At the summit I set up my two meter yagi antenna and pointed it towards Vancouver. Meanwhile, Ralph got out his KX1 radio, I tossed his line high into a pine and he then pulled his antenna up on to the tree. We were soon both making contacts. After an hour we both seemed to exhaust our bands and so we decided we were finished, Ralph with 13 20m and me with 10 2m contacts. I worked a chap in Nanaimo over 140km, not bad for 2m fm. While we were on the summit another couple came up with three large dogs, I was really surprised to see those dogs up here considering the rock face below. Well we both had more than enough to activate the summit for this year and so we packed up the radios and started back to the truck. Our time on the trail was two hours up and we made it back in one and a half. So we were doing quite well with our feet. Even though it wasn’t overly hot the 10.5km of walking left us hot and tired. It sure felt good getting my boots off and having a nice seat in the truck. When we arrived at the truck a car was stuck trying to cross a major cross ditch. We offered to pull it out but they had another already there to help. The waiting jeep pulled them out quite easily but they thought it fun so they drove the car back in and had to be pulled out a second time. Well that was more than we wanted to watch so we turned the truck around and set off for home. The drive back was slow through Sardis but we made good time the rest of the drive. A perfect weather day for hiking and a lovely hike to enjoy it with.