Capturing the Art of Nature
Return to Farrer Peak
Normally quite crowded, mid-week it was quite empty, so nice
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2020
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I had hoped to hike to the summit the prior Saturday as the weather was nice and I wanted to enjoy a pleasant walk through a forest. Unfortunately, so many people also had the idea of enjoying Buntzen that by 9:30 when I arrived the lot was already full, and cars were being turned away. I decided then that the only way to hike it this year when we were facing Covid restrictions was to try on a weekday. So, the following week I had one day available and the weather looked good for hiking, so plans were made and off we went.
As it was not the weekend, I left a bit later than before and though still a bit uncertain, we made our way to the park. Well, the lot at 10am was only lightly filled, and a few early birds were already leaving! I was hopeful for a nice quiet stroll. Nick and I got our boots on and packs strapped to our backs and off we set for the bridge over the south end of the lake. I noticed that the initial trail was like walking through a hedge maze, the bushes were so tall along both sides of the trail. We encountered one other group between the parking lot and the bridge. So, I was even more hopeful we would have a very quiet hike. I gathered a few photos on the bridge and then we started up the Diez Vista trail.
We made decent time to the saddle between the two summits where the powerline crosses the ridge. It was much easier a hike with the ice and snow gone that I encountered last time. We took a nice rest next to the old pipeline and once rested we started up the steeper section of the hike. We had encountered two pairs on the trail coming down, so we really did have a nice bit of solitude. The steep section took its toll and we moved somewhat more slowly but eventually we arrived at the pre-viewpoint of the trail. This small view is not one of the official 10 views but then 8 of them are over-grown and have no views so this one may as well as take one of the spots!
Once I had gathered a few photos of Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, Burnaby and all, I continued up the trail the final bit to the summit area and the activation zone for Summits-on-the-air. This summit area is really a broad expanse with several small bumps rising a meter or two above the general elevation. The trail meanders past a few of them and really any would do for SOTA. I plopped down next to the first and after a short moment to catch my breath, I started to set up my radio.
Once assembled I started calling and immediately worked Mike (VE7KPM) in Victoria. Next came Ken (VE7HI) from White Rock, but for Ken I had to turn the beam 90 degrees to get a readable signal from him. Over the next half hour, I worked 6 more stations, one in Victoria and two in Nanaimo. So, it was a good session, and now I had time to finish my lunch and just enjoy the trees that surrounded me. A few more groups came by and chatted for a few minutes as they continued their trek. Only two dogs were on the trail today, which itself is quite amazing. I gathered a few photos of the summit area and noticed that the Salal was in full fruit and the berries were at about their best, so I enjoyed a few before packing up and heading back to the viewpoint. Nick meanwhile was resting from the climb and just barely ready to start down.
Going down is generally much faster for me than up and we both were soon at the viewpoint where I found a few more photos of interest. We then continued down to the saddle point and the powerline. Now we had two choices for the way forward, the trail we came up on or a bit longer but smoother cyclist trail. As Nick had managed to sprain his knee just a bit earlier, we decided for the easier trail and so down we went making much faster time on the gentler trail. Not quite as interesting, it was still an enjoyable walk, and on this section wee encountered no other hikers. Eventually we arrived at the bridge where I watched a pair our on the lake paddling their stand-up boards. We continued the trail to the car and soon we were there. The lot was even more empty at this time. I chatted with one person who was telling me that they never come on weekends any more as the crowds are just too big. I sure agree, this weekday hike was very nice and peaceful.
Well the hike done, we got out of our boots and sweaty shirts and after a good drink of water we set off for home. Now what may be nice for hiking, is less so for driving. Weekday going home traffic slowed us down as did construction on the road. So now we would pay a bit for the solitude with a slower drive home. But we did get past the construction and then the traffic moved much better for the rest of the trip home.