A Walk to Sumas Peak

I t has been a few years since my last visit to the summit, though some drive the road in their cars, I think it best to use a higher clearance truck and so I had no vehicle to take me to the trailhead until this year. It was good to be back. On today’s trip joining me were my son Nick and grandson Elijah. They were both looking forward to the adventure like I was. After loading the truck, we set out for our day around 10am. The first stop was Subway for a foot-long but as we approached the entrance we were blocked by road paving, rather than try to find a way around the work we continued onto our next stop believing there would be another Subway in that mall – there was. After customizing our subs, we crossed the street to pick up a drink and then set out to quench the insatiable thirst of the truck.

Today the navcom was directing us along alternate routes then I have normally taken to the park. I assumed it knew the traffic so we followed its directions. Arriving at the park and the start of the service road we switched to 4by4 mode and started up the gravel. The road wasn’t too rough but more than I would like for my car. We made good time to the locked a gate at the end. The rain we had in the morning had stopped but the road was still damp and there were puddles scattered along the roadway. Fortunately, the clouds were clearing and the day looked to be ideal for a walk to the summit. After donning our gear, we set out for the summit.

A couple hundred meters along my watch started complaining that it could no longer feel the presence of its big brother. I had left my cell phone in the truck. I don’t like leaving it behind because it is a target of theft and I really don’t want to deal with a broken window. Besides, I need it to announce my arrival at the summit. So, I dropped my pack and ran back to the truck to get it. Once back we resumed our way up the road. The walk went well; there were lots of salmon berries, blueberries and huckleberries to provide nourishment along the way. At first Elijah was hesitant to eat any but soon he was annoying the wildlife as they watched their food supply being rapidly devoured.

Near the end of the road a marked trail leads the way to the final section of the hike and the summit area. The trail was a bit damp but not muddy so it was a pleasant walk. Once at the eastern viewpoint and the summit we stopped for a rest and I set up my radio equipment. Almost immediately after my first call, club member Bob came back to me and I had my first contact in the log. Soon after I had a chap for the states respond. Then after a long gap two more but it was going very slowly. I texted Carolyn to give me a call from home which she did. I had six of the needed ten contacts. It took fifteen minutes of calling to get the next. I put out a request on the Mount Seymour repeater for help from any hams listening to the repeater. That brought in the three more I needed. It was much slower than normal but I got the numbers and we could continue on.

The eastern viewpoint is no longer a great viewpoint. One can still see a section of the Fraser Valley but trees are growing and blocking the views. Fortunately, about 150m away is a cliff face that one can easily reach the top of. So once packed, we set out for the now real viewpoint. The scenery truly is remarkable from this location and several people were there enjoying the sights.  I gathered a few photos and chatted with the other group. We then started back along the trail. Between the two viewpoints the trail takes a steep drop and we now had to climb back up it only to descend to the road on the other side! Not fun but at least it is a short section. We made fast time along the trail to the road. It being a bit nicer day now we found more people who had come out and were now heading up. On the road we encountered a few cyclists who were making their way up the road, they weren’t coming for the view but would be taking the bike route down which is a steeper route through the trees.

The funny thing about this hike is that the walk along the road on the way down always seems to go on forever. Even though one hikes it at a faster pace than on the way up, it still seems longer. Soon we reached the truck and could relax. The drive down went OK but we soon caught up to a car that was taking the road very slowly. They lacked the courtesy to stop and let us pass so we had to inch our way down the final 4km. Once on pavement they sped away. Our next destination was for Davis Meats which we try to include when out this way. I picked up a couple of hams for the freezer and some beef jerky the price of which has climbed to the sky.

Done with the butcher shop, Nick let me know that he was getting drowsy and that I should drive the rest of the way home. I took over the con and soon we were making our way along Fraser Highway. The navcom selected a route along 40th avenue for today’s drive citing it as having less traffic than 16th. It also had us on a new road bypassing down-town Aldergrove which was new to me and sounded interesting. So, I followed its advice and we found it to be a fairly quick drive home and not the same old familiar route. All was well and we all felt it had been a good day in nature.