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Saturday, January 18, 2025
Opal Cone - via Mamquam Lake Trail, October 2023
Opal Cone is a cinder cone located on the southeast flank of Mount Garibaldi in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. I got a good look at it about a week prior to this hike from The Gargoyles and Columnar Peak and was intrigued by the pyroclastic wasteland and icefields that lie just beyond. The "cone" and surrounding area would surely also offer outstanding views of Garibaldi itself from a side not often seen up-close. At around 35 km round trip, the approach is no slouch mind you, but with most of it dispatched by bike, it takes much less time and effort to get there than it would seem. Been out to the Elfin Lakes and beyond several times by now, so this report will just cover the hike and return to where I stashed my bike near the Elfin Shelter.
Continuing by foot from the shelter, I passed the "Saddle Trail" junction and proceeded straight onto the Mamquam Lake Trail for some ~3 kilometers to a small footbridge spanning Ring Creek. Classic volcanic terrain here, calling attention to the bare and eroded pumice slopes with a snowclad Atwell Peak towering above. The trail then parallels the creek for another ~1.3 kilometers before turning up to gain Opal Cone's south shoulder. Around the south side for a bit before turning left and following the Opal Cone Trail as it ascends the crest of an old lateral moraine now on the cone's east side. Up a short, steep pitch and then onto the crater rim, which I followed counterclockwise over several bumps to reach the true summit. Wowzers! What a view! Diamond, Garibaldi, Bishop and Lava glaciers from left to right looking north, the "Big G", Atwell, Diamond Head and Gargoyles looking west, peaks on the Mamquam Icefield to the east and so much more!
With time to spare, I decided to go get a closer look of the Lava Glacier and so completed my orbit of the crater rim before returning to the Mamquam Lake Trail junction. Turning left now, I contoured around a chocolate milk-colored moraine lake, crossed its outflow and proceeded along the east shore towards the glacier. Maps show it extending all the way to this lake, but as with everything else these days, the snout has pulled back considerably and now lies at least a half kilometer to the north. Slogged my way though soggy pumice and glacial till before finally setting foot on the ice. Flat as a pancake, the glacier extends a good ~3.5 kilometers straight north to intersect with the South Pitt Glacier at the headwaters of the Pitt River. Briefly considered pushing on in that direction to tag Viking Ridge (Peak) but ultimately decided against it as I had no interest in returning in the dark. Regardless, the highlight here is the view west of the Garibaldi Glacier with it's teetering seracs and hanging ice cliffs.
Having soaked it all in as much as I could, it was finally time to call it a day. Back to the trail, taking a shortcut this time by cutting over on the right side of the lake. Returned to the Elfin Shelter in good time, hopped on the bike and back to the trailhead about 8.5 hours after first getting going that day. This one greatly exceeded my expectations and makes for a fantastic Fall objective!
Making good on my previous attempt, I set out at a very Mediterranean "crack of noon" on the Elfin Lakes Trail for The Gargoyles and Columnar Peak. I had the intention of bagging these upon my return from Diamond Head back in August 2020, but fast approaching weather had me hightailing it for my bike to avoid a soggy ride back to the trailhead. With the shorter October days now, the ~10-kilometer MTB approach plus 3 kms on foot (each way) make this a great Fall season objective. Just east of the Squamish city limits, this is easily one of the top 3 most popular access points for Garibaldi Provincial Park, so regardless of when you go, you're 100% guaranteed to encounter other parties on the trail. Fortunately, after the Elfin Lakes/Shelter, the hiker traffic diminishes significantly as most parties tend to stop here before returning to the trailhead. Stashed my bike here as I've done before and proceeded on foot to the "Saddle Trail."
Familiar grunt up to the saddle, then turned right for The Gargoyles. Short little walk along an airy ridge to the true summit with fine views towards Garibaldi, the Neve (Bishop & Lava glaciers) and Mamquam Mountain. Then back down to the saddle and up the other side for Columnar Peak. Following a trail on or just right of the crest, I soon reached its northern false summit. A short walk down a pumice slope to a saddle then on up to the summit proper. Views similar to those from Gargoyles, albeit somewhat moody on this day with clouds swirling about the peaks. Not too unlike my Diamond Head hike, minus the incoming rain thankfully. Got a peekaboo view of Howe Sound and decided that was good enough. Took a shortcut down from the saddle adjacent to Columnar and then back to the bike and trailhead for an unexpectedly quick 5.5 hours round-trip! Put this on your list if all you got is a half day to play or just in the mood for a quick bike n' hike!
With fond memories of our MacLeod Peak climb this past September, Kevin and I returned to the area to pick off the two remaining "seven-thousanders" at the head of Eleven Mile Creek. Mount Manson and Mount Hatfield both offer enjoyable scrambling and benefit from the same good FSR access after turning off HWY 3 as MacLeod. As the two are less than 2.5 kilometers as the crow flies apart from each other, and connected by a broad ridge, most parties including ours choose to combine both peaks in the same outing. Anyway, it was a crisp October morning when we parked my truck and started walking up the forest road towards Manson. Turned right at the junction following an obvious switchback, then a bit more road before proceeding across a cutblock. Entered trees at the far end for before popping out at a meadow below Manson's west slope at which point the real "fun" began.
Ahead of us now was an increasingly steep heather slope littered with boulders which we'd have to angle up and right to gain the SW ridge, just above a low saddle. We were in the shade and the dew had frozen overnight, making for some very greasy conditions. Veggie belays for the win here, all the while regretting not having brought my spikes. Finally, into the glorious sunshine upon reaching the ridge crest, which we followed upwards as best we could. To bypass problematic rock steps and avoiding the slick north side, we instead made a couple short traverses on the sunny south side. Doing this entailed an unpleasant bash up steep bush and loose ground to regain the crest. With the difficulties finally behind us, the remaining plod up the ridge was easy enough. We then descended to a shaded notch and proceeded up blocky rock below a prominent tower. Here the way forward became somewhat treacherous again, with frosted rock made even more sketchy thanks to boots with worn-out tread. Not a place one would want to risk a slip and fall, so I called it, while Keven proceeded for a bit more before calling it off himself. Close but no cigar!
With our attention now on Hatfield, we started down the North Ridge towards a bump at about the midpoint between the peaks. Contoured around the right-side of this, soon reaching a wide saddle with yet another bump beyond. Up and over and down to a final saddle before starting up Hatfield now in earnest. South facing and fully exposed to the afternoon sun, there was thankfully no frost to be found this time. Following a worn path, the route winds its way up through krummholz and a couple rocky steps. I found the scrambling quite enjoyable, although not nearly as fun as nearby MacLeod. Soon we were on the summit, enjoying the panoramic views! Snass & friends, Silvertip, Outram and MacLeod stand out when panning from east to west. To the NNE lie the scenic Kippan Lakes with Tulameen Mountain rising from the opposite side of the valley. I've laid my eyes upon this peak more than once this season and it's getting to be time for me to go in for a closer look!
Spent about 45 minutes to an hour up there before starting back down. From the saddle closest to Hatfield, we descended in a southwesterly direction across a large heather slope. Crossed over a minor spur, and then into some dense forest for a bit before reaching a meadowy bench. This we followed south for a bit before turning down to intersect the forest road. About a kilometer more to the truck, clocking in at a very civilized 7 hours round trip. A worthy outing all things considered, and for those that haven't already done MacLeod I might suggest bagging all three for the Eleven Mile Creek trifecta!
Isolillock Peak - via Eureka Mine Road, October 2023
Located in the BC Cascades immediately SSW of Hope, BC, stands Isolillock Peak. Along with nearby Hope Mountain and Wells Peak, it is a prominent summit that towers above the confluence of Silverhope Creek and the Fraser River. For those that have motored southbound on Highway 1 in the vicinity of Yale, BC, Isolillock and its lesser twin Silver Peak dominate the view ahead, just to the right of Hope Mountain visible at center. Until recently, access to the peak was from Sowerby Creek to the south, via a steep, bushy and reportedly unpleasant grunt to the Silver-Isolillock Col. Today, thanks to the restored Eureka Mine Road that ascends the north side of the peak, one can "drive" a rugged 4x4 to within a mere ~1500 ft of the summit! Okay, okay, not so fast...that was true as of a couple years ago, but unfortunately recent washouts have now rendered the FSR partially impassable after just ~2 kilometers from where one leaves the road to Silver Lake Campground. This leaves over 7 kilometers and ~3500 feet just to reach the road's end, ugh! Doable yes and still better than the southern alternative, but Andrew and I had a plan to make it even better!
By "partially" impassible, a longer wheelbase vehicle such as my 4x4 wouldn't be able to make it, but a compact Jeep, ATV or motorcycle on the other hand would be no problem! Neither of us own a Jeep or ATV, so we hatched a plan whereby Andrew would give me a tow on my mountain bike with his dirt bike. There are videos of people doing this on YouTube, albeit on mostly flat ground, so what could possibly go wrong?! Suffice it to say, on a steep and loose FSR such as this, it's a LOT harder than it would seem, both for moto and mtb alike! As Andrew had to maintain some speed to keep from spinning out, I had myself a white-knuckle ride, struggling to hang on and sucking on fumes and dirt being kicked up in my face. Navigating the switchbacks was particularly difficult, being flung wide and in so doing pulling back on Andrew who then had to gas it while fishtailing for traction. Any slack meant that a violent lurch forward was imminent, with the rope repeatedly getting tangled up in the moto drivetrain. Another washout at about 2.5 kilometers gave us a short reprieve from the ongoing struggle as we pushed our bikes through before steadfastly resuming our comedy of errors.
Finally, somewhere around the 5-kilometer mark, after repeated stops and starts the road got bad enough such that we both had to proceed on our own. I walked my bike though this stretch, while Andrew after making a valiant effort of it, ditched his moto and joined me now on foot for the remaining hike to road's end. We passed a mine shaft where the road makes a couple tight switchbacks, before rounding a shoulder and proceeding into a small valley below Isolillock's North Face. The road ends near another mineshaft, beyond which a short bit of side hilling leads to the Silver-Isolillock Col. We donned our helmets here and scrambled up steep heather interspersed with some talus, slabs and the odd "veggie-belay" to reach a broad talus slope shortly below the summit. Didn't find anything particularly difficult here, but I'm not sure I'd want to climb this when wet! Found ourselves on the summit before long admiring the outstanding 360-degree views! Looking north, where the Fraser winds its way past Hope makes for a particularly memorable sight, as does the view looking towards the Cheam Range and south up the Silverhope Creek Valley. And then of course there's the rugged North Cascades on full display farther south near the USA - Canada border. There's just something about the October lighting that makes for stunning mountain views!
Andrew had places to be later than evening, so we cut our summit stay short. Made our way back to the road end, checking out the mine shaft for a bit before continuing back to our stashed 'cycles. With good ol' gravity providing the "tow" this time, the ride down was a blast, and we made back to our parked vehicles a mere 2 hours after having left the summit! Only 6 hours round-trip, so despite the struggle, clearly the moto-assist was a big help! That said, unless you enjoy soiling yourself being towed up a mountain road like this, I might suggest exploring other options!
Lone Goat & Snow Camp Mountain - via Skyline I Trail, September 2023
Late September now and Summer took a brief hiatus to allow for cooler temperatures and a healthy dusting of snow on the higher peaks. Mindful of the conditions, I decided no better time than the present to go for a nice "walk" in Manning Park. On the program were a couple ~6500-foot pup-friendly peaks, both of which are served by a well-maintained trail: Lone Goat and Snow Camp Mountain. Situated just north of the border at the western end of what one might consider the "Canadian Pasayten Wilderness", these two peaks form the culmination of the east-west trending ridge separating the Nepopekum Creek Valley to the north and the Lightning Creek Valley to the south.
Starting from Gibson Pass, shortly before the Manning Park Ski Area, I followed a good trail some 6 kilometers up to the Skyline I Trail intersection on the ridge crest. Following this trail now, heading west, I descended a bit towards Despair Pass, making my way past Snow Camp Mountain intending on tagging Lone Goat first and then Snow Camp on my return. The main trail undulates along the crest and traverses below both peaks on their south sides before descending in earnest into Mowich Creek Valley. Leaving the trail just prior to this decent, I followed a spur at right leading up Lone Goat's SW shoulder to its open summit area (2.5 hours to here). Nice views, albeit with significant cloud cover looking south toward the Hozomeen Group, SW towards the Picket Range and Redoubt-Spickard Group, and east towards Frosty and company.
Lingered up top long enough to get cold, and so headed back down to Skyline I Trail and followed it back towards Despair Pass. Quick detour to tag Snow Camp before continuing back to where I was parked. Checked out the tiny ski area there at the end of the road before calling it a day and heading home. This is a scenic area and a great option for some "mountain time" without much of an agenda or effort for that matter.
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