Saturday provided an object lesson on why the hiking group conducts exploratories to check out new routes. Our route began at a trailhead on a logging road from Rampart's parking lot on the road up to Mt Washington. We hiked past McKenzie and Douglas Lakes and through McKenzie Meadows. Hooking onto the trail between Mt Washington and Forbidden Plateau, we turned towards the latter end and hiked onwards until we reached the side trail to Drabble Lakes. Up to Drabble Lakes we went for a well-deserved lunch break. And then....back again to the trailhead. Our email announcing the hike referred to the route as "fairly level, except for some climbing as we approach the lakes". Hah! Gil's memory of the stretch we covered was coloured by including Mt Drabble in the hike he and Barry made last year as part of a loop hike to Drabble Lakes, up and over Mt Drabble, down its far side and back to the trailhead. The mountain section was so steep that the part we hiked on Saturday was level in comparison. Not. Our day was very invigorating, involving a trail that turned out to be quite soggy due to recent rains over the mountain range. The result?...a fair amount of jumping (or leaping from rock to rock) over streams , slogging through very soggy meadows, negotiating slippery roots/rocks/mud ….and hiking up and down a number of slopes. In the end, the route turned out to be nearly 14 km long and took us over 6 hours to complete, which is almost the same statistics as when we tackle Drabble Lakes from the Forbidden Plateau end. I'm sure all the participants were feeling a mite tuckered by the time they reached home; I sure was! Thank you Barry, for so valiantly leading us all there and back. Your patience with us was appreciated.
Thanks you, Bill J., for the link to the excellent photos taken of the day - well worth checking out. Photos below were supplied by Dawn.
And, thank you, fellow hikers, for completing the route with good humour and few complaints. You were excellent companions for the day.
Thanks you, Bill J., for the link to the excellent photos taken of the day - well worth checking out. Photos below were supplied by Dawn.
And, thank you, fellow hikers, for completing the route with good humour and few complaints. You were excellent companions for the day.