I have hiked Hollyburn twice before, once hidden in fog and the other time buried beneath snow on the upper slopes. So today’s destination was not new but even so there are so many sights to see that one is always finding exciting new scenes to enjoy. My friend from the White Rock Radio Club, Ralph, wanted to climb another peak for the summits on the air program and he looked to me to select a summit that we could do without a lot of difficulty. I really quite enjoyed the Hollyburn location before and it is an easy trail with not too much elevation gain or steepness. And since I hadn’t been there for a few years I felt it would be worth a return visit.

Ralph and I met the Thursday before our hike and planned out the last details. He arranged to borrow a KX3 transceiver from fellow club member Deme and planned to try a new simple antenna he recently purchased. So with the weather forecast looking good – warm but not overly hot – we felt that we were good to go. Early on Saturday I picked Ralph up in my back-country truck and we made for the parking area well up the slope of Hollyburn. It is convenient that this is a popular ski hill with road access well up the slope. The area was in fact part of the 2010 Winter Olympics. We made great time on the roads getting to the hill and the only challenge driving up the mountain road was avoiding all the cyclists that were heading up and then down the roadway. It really is quite surprising at how many there were. We arrived at the area near the access to the power line road where we could park and soon were finalizing our gear for the hike.

We set out at 9:20 and made good time up the first segment of the slope, looking back down at the truck I am always amazed at how quickly it shrinks to a toy size truck. Soon we rounded the first corner and came by a lovely lake where we took a few moments to enjoy the lily pads and the scene. I gathered a few photos as the place truly is quite beautiful. I could be content with just spending the day here and gathering photos from all sides of the pond but the summit was calling. Not much past the lake we left the power line clearing and started up the ski slope. Here the trail was well worn and very easy to follow. We were soon walking through a vast field of wild blueberries and they were ripe which added to our walking pleasure as they can be very sweet and refreshing. The early section of the trail doubles with a segment of the Baden Powell and as such is well maintained. Though the ground was dry there were numerous plank walkways placed to help hikers get over some muddy sections which even today made the trail easier. Once the trails parted, the Hollyburn was a bit less maintained but still in excellent shape and very easy to travel over.

It had been two years since we last visited the Anderson and Uztilius region and being such an extensive road system we had seen very little of it back then. So it didn’t take too much convincing to head up there and see what we could find. The drive to the start is the biggest deterrent to exploring this road system as one needs to drive up to Boston Bar just to get started. In all we drove 500kms today most of which was on the highway coming and going. The drive to Boston Bar went quite quickly, the canyon segment of the drive had very little traffic and we made great time all the way from Hope to Boston Bar. After a quick top-up in town we back tracked a couple Km’s to the entrance to the FSR.

It was already hot by the time we started in but the air handling on the truck was working and we were able to enjoy a comfortable ride. The new tires gave us good traction on the gravel and we soared up the steep sections without any tire spinning or loss of grip. Previously we explored a few side spurs along the first section of road as it made its way south along the Anderson River but today we wanted to head straight for the narrow Uztilius Valley and start some serious looking once in it. That made for a quick drive south and then we started into the valley heading in a general north-easterly direction.

The lower section of this valley is much like those closer to the coast with firs and hemlocks though a bit drier. So far on the FSR, we came upon only a single truck on the road and we noticed one campsite along the Uztilius otherwise it was very empty and pleasant. In reviewing the map for the area we decided to try a major spur to the south but when we came to the fork it was washed out a few meters in where it crossed the creek that was quite disappointing. Continuing a bit further, Geoff spotted an interesting rock face across the creek so we pulled over to explore the creek. The short walk to the creek saw us pushing through some dead undergrowth and clambering down large rocks. It was obvious that no-one had been along here in many years. We soon noticed some interesting sedimentary rock along the bottom of the creek bed. The smaller rocks were embedded in the base rock and it had interesting patterns. The original cliff face that caught Geoff’s attention proved less interesting but it did get us down to the creek where we enjoyed some new sights.

Continuing on, we came by a piece of heavy equipment parked to the side and a very steep side road to the north. It was too challenging to ignore so Geoff turned up the spur and we made our way in. We soon came by a very steep section that had pure dust for a road surface. It was very slow going as we inched our way up the slope through the very low traction dust while creating a massive dust cloud in our wake. We did get up the road and after a few switch backs we came face-to-face with another track bearing piece of large road equipment. The operator was stopped chatting with a person in a safety vehicle. Once he spotted us trying to get past he started down the slope towards us. We backed up a few meters into a wide section of the switch-back to let him pass. Once cleared we continued up to the ridge and an extensive road network. Here they were busy adding in a new line of transmission towers. We drove up to the closest one, here they had completed pouring the cement base. It was interesting to see that they no longer tried for a level area, each cement pad was at a different level and all sloped inward. I gathered a few photos from the site then we drove up to a second tower pad, here the tower was in place but there were still buckets of bolts on site to finish the task. We decided to head back to the mainline as we wanted to finish exploring the narrow valley before I had my planned radio contact. The return down the steep soft slope went with little challenge and we were quickly back to solid level gravel.

Continuing along the valley we stopped a few km further along so I could get some photos of the slope to the north and below the transmission line. This slope is very steep with a talus surface and many dead trees along the upper section. It looks quite interesting, last trip we climbed up it a bit but today I was content to just gather some photos from the bottom. Meanwhile Geoff was trying out is semi-auto .22 rifle on an empty water bottle. We continued up the road and made our way along the headwaters of the Uztilius. It is a swampy area and we could only skirt alongside it on the mainline. Perhaps one day we can explore it on foot. Next we came by a major fork, the right branch continued east and down to the Murray Lake road area which we followed last time. Today we went left and soon came along a ridge with a view of a wide grassy swamp area with a winding creek through the middle. The road continued along it so we made our way down and were soon driving alongside the sweet grass. It was very pretty and here we looked for a pullout to setup our radio gear.

E
arlier this year I came across a story and video about some hikers watching a Sasquatch making its way across a snow field. They were on Tricouni Peak looking down into the slopes below. This caught my attention and I thought it may make for a good hike. There were a number of published hiking reports and the trail to the lakes is very popular in summer. So it became the goal for our first hike this season. Back in May we drove out here scouting the roads for the right choice of turns to reach the trailhead. We did quite well back then getting to within a few hundred meters of the trail-head before we were stopped by snow. That made today’s drive go quickly and we got to the trail with no distractions even with almost bald tires.

The one concern we had in starting out today was the forecasted high temperatures. A lovely sunny day but it was going to be a hot one and I don’t hike well in the heat. Well having arrived, we got our gear together and started for the trail. There were already two other vehicles along the road and so we knew we would be encountering others along the way. The first section of trail was cooled by trees and the ground was quite solid, I was hopeful the mud would be not as bad as described. But then we came to the first patch. It was slippery and not easy to get around. The edges were generally more solid and that is where I tried to walk.

We continued along the trail walking over solid ground alternating with thick deep mud patches. Early on Geoff took one step and sank in over a foot deep in the goo. He was more careful after that experience. Fortunately his gaiters kept the mud from flowing into the top of his boots. My boots weren’t as waterproof as Geoff’s so I had to be much more careful. Well we kept walking and the patches of mud kept coming some were thick mud others quite loose. At least the trail was easy to follow through the valley leading to the first lake. After an hour forty we came by the first of the alpine lakes. Here the area opened up and the ground was solid.

Our first views of the alpine lakes were quite amazing, it truly is a lovely sight and I can understand why so many come just to visit the lakes. But our goal was to reach the summit towering over us. So after gathering a few photos and just enjoying the scene, we continued along the trail leading up the slope to the next lake. It roughly followed the creek which it made its way between two lakes. It was very beautiful in its own right. After gaining some elevation we mounted a ridge and there we spotted the second lake along our route. At its shore was a small campsite with a few tents setup. The occupants were not around. I guess they were out gaining the summit.

Now the trail followed along the edge of this lake but it first crossed over the outflowing creek. This was our second challenge of the day. The water was flowing fast and the creek was much deeper than our boots high so we had to figure out how to cross it and stay dry. Geoff found a few rocks that were a couple inches below the surface that he used to cross but my boots would not stay dry if I used that spot. So I walked down stream a few yards and found another series of rocks and logs that were not so submerged. Here I started across. Geoff lent a hand to pull me up when I got near the far side. It worked and my feet remained dry enough.  We continued around the second lake and started up the slope at the far side which was where the stream flowed coming from the next higher lake. This area was heavily strewn with talus and the stream was flowing fast between the rocks. It made for a challenging climb up the slope and it was getting hotter out; I was starting to feel the heat and be slowed down. We made our way up a steep section of the trail and crested another ridge which brought us to the top of a lovely waterfall which we were enjoying from the distance. Now we had an easy walk to the close side of the upper lake.  Here we took a bit of time to rest before starting the slog to the peak.

I wanted an easier drive in the hills today and as we hadn’t been up the Silver-Skagit for a while, it seemed like a good choice for the day. It would also give us a chance to find the granite quarry we came by a few years back. So we left the house with the newly repaired truck and made for the town of Hope. We arrived at the start of the mainline in good time and started up the initial paved section of the road. We passed a number of places selling firewood. This always seems so strange when there is so much lying all around ready to split and burn!

Once off the pavement we found the gravel freshly graded and it was so smooth it was like driving the asphalt! In fact the mainline was smooth all the way to the start of the Skagit Park where we stopped. It likely continued to Ross Lake! Not at all like it normally was. We made good time along it and with almost no traffic the dust was minimal as well.  We commented a number of times at how smooth the road was, it really didn’t feel like the back-country. I am sure that it will be a lot rougher by the end of the summer.

We made our way in not stopping until we reached the upper Klesilkwa. Here we turned in but soon were stopped by over-growth. A new logging road spur set off north along the edge of a slope and so we drove along it to its end where we spotted some lovely log sections that would have made a good replacement for the one in my front yard that finally rotted and was removed. Unfortunately the combined strength of Geoff and me was not enough to move the log into the truck. We grumbled a bit and decided to look for slightly smaller and less interesting choices, we never did find one. This area proved to be not the one with the quarry and so we continued further up the mainline and tried the Maselpanik branch.

The Maselpanik Creek proved to be interesting and we were able to get down to it in a couple of places to capture some lovely small waterfalls as the creek made its way down the steep valley and over fallen trees.  Through the road wasn’t overgrown we fairly soon encountered a steep washed out section that was just too rough for our truck to carry on. It was a disappointment as I have wanted to explore this road for some time. Another case where an ATV might have done it for us. We turned back and followed a lower branch north along the edge of the slope this was the road where we came by an excavator on our previous trip with a split open bucket. This ended with no quarry in sight though the terrain was similar to our memories.

Trips to the hills have been a bit scarce this year so far, so for us today it felt really good getting out and exploring some new areas. I have been on the B200 branch a couple times previously but there was still large areas we had not seen and so today we made it our plan to spend the day in this one area and look over as much of it as we could. It was still early enough in the season that we were stopped by snow short of the road ends but we did get up to 1150m elevation before the snow became a problem.

Our first goal for the day was to find the correct roads for our planned hike later this year. I had heard about Sasquatch viewing from the slopes of Tricouni and so I studied the route and felt it would be a challenge but achievable for me later this summer. I doubt we will see any Sasquatch but the views will be magnificent. So with that in mind, we set off for the valley and the B200 side road. It being a long week-end we encountered quite a few cars and SUV’s on the mainline. Fortunately they were likely all camping along the river and once up the side road we saw only two vehicles the entire day!

The one bad thing about campers in the hills is that they kick up a lot of dust on the road this time of year. So we were glad they stayed away from the side roads. Early during our drive in there was one truck hauling an ATV that came racing along the road towards us as we rounded a curve. It was taking the curve wide and got a bit close to us. Some of these guys really need to smarten up on these gravel roads, hopefully he got enough of a scare to slow down around the next bend.

Once away from the traffic jam, life in the hills resumed its sense of freedom and solitude. We made good time climbing the initial steep section of the road as it ascended the slope to the ridge bordering the High Falls valley. While on the mainline, we saw some hikers getting ready for the High Falls. Later as we were coming out we met three pairs of hikers walking down the B200 towards the mainline. They were making good time on the road but still looked quite tired out.

I had loaded the track of our previous trip to the B200 and studied it to see what would be new and where we should go for the Tricouni trail. The map made quick work of our planning and we soon were on the spur to the tail head, it was a new one to us and so we enjoyed seeing some new sights. A bridge across Belia Creek offered a lovely view of a small waterfall just above the bridge. The early part of this road was easy driving but as we gained elevation the brush was leaning in on the road and I am sure once covered in leaves, the road will seem quite narrow. We made our way almost to the end but snow finally blocked our way and rather than push it, we decided to just take a short walk up the slope and enjoy the view. The road-end was just a half km further.

Earlier this year Ralph and I planned a radio outing to activate another mountain peak this spring. We wanted one that could be done early in the season and as there are limited peaks listed on the chart which are registered for the summits on the air program, Mt. Lincoln was the only local summit that fit the bill. So we planned to hike up on April 26th, late enough in the season to melt the snow and have a good chance for decent weather. We also were hopeful a few other members of our club would join us. Well, two others had planned to join us but in the end only Ralph and I set out.

We had a quick drive out to Yale and were ready to start our hike at 10:30. The weather didn’t look too bad – broken cloud – with only the odd slight drizzle, so we started out and made really quick time crossing the highway to the trail head. Then for the next two hours we slogged our way along the steep trail, over logs and loose rock. There were a few places with ropes to help one get up some steep sections and across one rock face. It was a good hike and we felt we did it in decent time. Once on the summit Ralph immediately unpacked his radio gear and we stretched out his wire antenna for our first contacts.

Soon Ralph had a number of contacts in his log including two other operators who had climbed peaks themselves in California! The weather continued to hold but with increased wind and the odd bit of drizzle and hail. I ate lunch and went for a walk around the broad summit. It looked a bit different than last time as the sun was blazing hot on my first visit. A short distance from us at the summit is a solar and wind powered radio repeater. I wasn’t sure all that it was doing but I noticed that I had a strong signal to a Wifi access point, though it wanted $5 to join. So I guess it provides some internet connectivity and likely a link to some rural communities further up the canyon.

It’s been far too long since my previous trip the hills. This year has gotten off to a very slow start thanks to the weather and various other tasks which have been in the way of the all-important drives through the hills. Well finally today we were able to get the weather to co-operate and so off we went to the Britannia Beach area and the logging roads over-looking the town of Britannia Beach. To access the roads above the town one turns off the highway at the logging road entrance just past Furry Creek. This access point actually provides the way in for both the Britannia Beach roads and those in behind Furry Creek.

The initial section of road starts with a steep rise to get up above the highway level and into some serious trees and rock faces. This whole area is traversing sheer cliffs and in many places the rock face has been shaved to make a wide enough section for the road to skirt across to reach some denser pockets of trees. Not far into the drive we started to enjoy some views of Howe Sound, but our first stop was beside a small pond that was just below the level of the road. Here we parked and made our way down to the pond. Now this little excursion proved more hazardous than it appeared. The recent rains made the water level high and the ground very soft. The route down involved walking over a bed of fallen trees which were rotten enough to give way under load. So one had to be very careful picking each foot step to ensure one didn’t step on a log that breaks and drops ones foot into soft ground that then buries the hiking boot. After a few close calls I was down to the pond and in a spot to gather a few photos.  I continued past the pond and made my way up a small moss covered slope to see if there was a view to enjoy. It was unfortunately quite full of trees. So back to the truck and on we went.

Next we stopped briefly at a widened spot along the road where I got out and wandered out across a mossy rock surface. Not far in, the rock ended in a steep drop to a fast flowing creek far below. It was in fact a very steep ravine formed by two creeks which merged directly below where I was standing. After looking down into the dark depths for a while, Geoff persuaded me to come back from the edge and return to the truck. Probably a wise thing to do as one never knows how long the moss surface on the rocks will hold up to being walked on!

It had been over a month since I was last out in the hills, so it felt great being out here enjoying some fresh air and the bright sun. It was cold but not too bad as we started up the FSR. The road was so dry that we were kicking up a dust cloud just like in summer travel! Shortly after starting up the mainline we came by a group of vehicles unloading their ATV’s and getting ready for a day of adventure. They were preoccupied with their tasks and we continued past and soon were beyond Davis Lake Park. As we drove we noticed a number of frozen streams and rapids but we opted to continue past for the adventure beyond.

The mainline is littered with a number of short spurs, each was occupied by small groups shooting off various guns at targets, and it actually gets a bit monotonous. Not much beyond the park we came by an empty spur which led down from the mainline to a small isolated cove. It was an ideal spot for shooting but it also seemed to provide access to a view of Stave Lake just beyond the far wall. So we decided to drive in and see if we could find a few photos of the lake. I made my way along and up the far side into a clear-cut area where I had a limited view of Stave Lake below. It was a nice spot and I enjoyed taking a few photos. Meanwhile Geoff looked over the lower area where he found an old golf ball which he decided to shoot at. The ball seemed quite resistant to being injured by bullets.

Once done with photo taking we continued on to the main gravel pit where there are often several groups shooting but this morning it was still empty. So we continued on and turned onto the Twin Lakes side road. From here we turned onto a secondary spur and came to a washed out bridge where we stopped to look around the area. I gathered a few photos of ice along the stream while Geoff hiked into the bush to where he spotted something blue. It proved to be some old barrels. Done with this little area, we returned to the main side road and continued up finally coming by another fork, one goes to the lakes the other further up the slope. Geoff tried the branch to the lakes but the shape of the cross-cut was too much for the truck and so we decided to not push it at this time. The other branch didn’t go much further but we did see some interesting casings of a variety of bullets at the end of the road.

We then returned to the mainline and continued in, passing the fork to Salsbury Lake and rounding the lake on the east side. Here Geoff spotted a huge ice puddle alongside the road which caught his attention. He drove out on it and then proceeded to walk over it and sliding for the fun of it. A bit further up the road we came by a spur that led down to Salsbury Lake. I hadn’t seen the lake from this location so we parked the truck and hiked on down to the lake. It was a lovely view, the lake was frozen over for quite some distance – perhaps all the way across. But it wasn’t that thick so we didn’t venture out very far on the ice. We tried to pick out our favourite spot on the other side where there is a small island just off shore but without binoculars we weren’t sure we had found the correct spot.  After walking along the shore a bit and looking over the lake and camping area we returned to the truck and continued up the mainline.

We didn’t find any more access points to the lake so we just continued along aiming for Kenyon Lake. The road, though pothole filled, was actually a fairly easy drive through here and we made good time as we headed for the second lake. Soon we arrived at a fork with one branch continuing along level the other heading steeply upslope towards the lake. We started up this very rough stretch of road and soon encountered some ice and snow on the road. It was the first we came to but fortunately wasn’t deep here and it posed little obstacle to us. As we neared the lake we came by another fork. We chose the right side and this led towards the lake but never got to it. Instead it skimmed past the eastern edge and made for a ridge which looks down on the north end of Stave Lake. We realized this was the wrong branch and so we turned back and started up the left side. This immediately got very steep and covered in ice and we weren’t sure we could drive it, but it levelled off just a short way further up so Geoff decided to give it a go and we fortunately had no trouble getting over the worst of it. Here we found a narrow steep road leading down to the camp area on Kenyon Lake. We drove about half way and walked the final section to the lake.

It had been over a month since I was last out in the back country and I was in desperate need of a fix of freshness from the hills and Geoff and I haven’t been out together since September and so it was well past time for us to get out together. Being January 1, I wasn’t sure where we would get the best chance of avoiding snow so we chose the West Harrison area. We needn’t have been concerned, the season has been so mild so far that we barely saw any snow the whole drive!

Our day began a bit slowly as we had to check our gear and load up the truck with the requisite equipment. Once ready we set out for coffee, gas and the start of the FSR. We even tried a new route on the way out, it worked quite well and likely saved us a few minutes of travel time. Traffic was light and we made good time to the back country and in fact we encountered very few people out there, I guess most were recovering from their parties the night before.

Though a dull day the road was inviting and we zipped up the initial segment and soon found ourselves looking down on the grey waters of Harrison Lake. It looked cold but still the layers of cloud against the peaks across the water were as scenic as ever and so we stopped to switch the truck to 4x4 mode and get our first breathes of clean air. Geoff was still looking for some ducks he could shoot as he had hoped to get one last week-end but thanks to a friend falling out of his boat into the cold water they had to abort their adventure. So today he was looking for a suitable spot, unfortunately we never did find any ducks until we were on our way home and they were not in a place he could shoot!

We continued up the mainline for some distance as we both had thought of the small lake we had explored earlier this year, it has access from two ends but only the northern one is easy access. Our prior attempt at the south side resulted in damaging our truck mirror. Still we took the side road the forms the start of the southern road but kept to the major route and headed up into the slopes away from the lake. Last time we were having engine issues and the truck had no power, today we had no loss of get-up –and-go. We decided to check out a bridge that was just being constructed back then, today we sailed across it and made our way along a couple of branches the first was following the old road into the hills. We tried to follow it a ways but it got too rough and narrow for us and so we reluctantly quit before the road end, so sad. A second branch brought us by a small waterfall and then to a tree which blocked the route. We cleared the tree and then continued up the gravel road. Unfortunately it ended not much further along but we did find a spot for a few lake photos.

We then back-tracked to the mainline and continued up to the other entrance to the small lake. The road was easy travel and we soon pulled up to the camp spot overlooking the small lake and near the old cabin that sits on the north tip of the little lake. The makeshift raft was still tied up and we both stepped onto it. The lake had a thin layer of ice and when the waves from our motion made their way along under the layer a lovely crackling sound was created. We tried a number of wave patterns and intensities until we got bored with our musical instrument. I continued to capture photos of the water and various trees while Geoff walked around the area and looked over the cabin. When we had our fill of this spot we continued up the mainline enjoying our potato chips yet feeling a growing hunger. So we decided to continue to 20 mile bay and eat lunch there.