| Author |
Topic |
|
 Mysterious, pop can stove stashin', gps totin', overnighter virgin, wannabe tentmaker and foul weather wuss who rides a thumper to the trailhead with wonderdog Max to hike the Chilliwack Valley
Chwk
Canada
4921 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2005 : 7:07 PM
|
Well, since this WAS supposed to be the destination of the original PopCan/Windscreen setup from last time...I decided to make another one and plant it up here as well:
My wife and I decided to end our holidays with a visit to a place where I had been to, but she had not yet seen!
Upon arriving at the Ford Mountain Forest Service Road turnoff, the first thing I saw was:
 - An abandoned fire!
People are such idiots some times! There were no creeks closeby, and we weren't about to use up our precious water supply - but nature gave me a spigot, so I put it to good use!
That and a bit of dirt, and this fire was out! People are such idiots some times!
We carried on, up the hill. Max wasn't his usual spry self and had a hard time keeping up. We stopped at this stream so he could get a drink. He had a different idea for cooling off:
Upwards and upwards we climbed, with Max either lagging behind or biting at my ankles! Finally, we made the trailhead and set off.
Along the way, we encountered some unusual flora:
Can anybody identify this?
As we neared the ridge, I also noticed some dainty and beautiful ice-crystals on the shaded side of downed lumber:
We carried on, upwards and upwards until we made the ridge - I don't remember the trail being this steep last time?
Finally at the summit, we are treated to even more beautiful, alpine flora:
My wife takes in the views from the summit:
Unlike last time I was here, the local mountains aren't afraid to show themselves:
 Williams Peak
 Mount Pierce (So, how about taking THAT logging road up to Pierce Lake? Looks as though you get within a few hundred meters of the top?)
 Baby Munday
 Mount Laughington (with logging road in full view!)
(Use your own viewer to ZOOM in for the full effect, I don't have an Optical zoom on my camera, and the digital zoom makes it awful!)
To the South, the Neskawatch Valley is at our feet:
And a Pano of the Neskawatch side-of-things:
The PCS and Windscreen? Well, if you stand at the summit and face Southeast, you should see this tree with the pink bowtie!
Follow the trail down the south-side of the knoll, to this tree. As you face the bowtie, the PCS is directly behind you, at your feet - tucked in a small bush. It's packed in a ZipLoc. Please bring the flagging tape AND the Ziploc back with you, thanks!
After a nice (but brief) lunch, we made our way back down the hill. In typical fashion, we had somewhere else we needed to be!
Upon returning to the trailhead, it's nice to see that everything is just as we left it:
The return-trip was without incident, all in all a nice, short hike to a beautiful area.
I highly recommend this hike, aside from the road to get there, the trail is beautiful - steep - but beautiful nonetheless!
The payoff is well worth the effort, but make sure you go on a SUNNY day otherwise you will have NOTHING to look at!
----------------------------------------
Pop can stove-making hiker wannabe that drives a THUMPER to trailheads!
|
Edited by - TheShadow on 07/03/2005 7:16 PM
|
|
|
Manitoba's misadventurin' bushwhackin', dog sloggin', dehydratin', beer drinkin' biggie - who's eager to peak bag Mt Currie in a dress
Squamish
5057 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2005 : 7:48 PM
|
| Nice day out. How's the new machine running? |
|
|
|
Mysterious, pop can stove stashin', gps totin', overnighter virgin, wannabe tentmaker and foul weather wuss who rides a thumper to the trailhead with wonderdog Max to hike the Chilliwack Valley
Chwk
Canada
4921 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2005 : 10:22 PM
|
Runs great! Unfortunately (for Max) it only holds two!
Heaven knows he wanted to hop on!
----------------------------------------
Pop can stove-making hiker wannabe that drives a THUMPER to trailheads!
|
|
|
29 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2005 : 01:01 AM
|
| Great report.Nice photos.Your "unusual flora" is indeed a most unusual plant.Its proper name is "Monotropa uniflora" AKA Ghost Flower,Indian Pipe,Corpse Plant,Ice Plant.It has no chlorophyl,so does not rely on sunshine for photosynthesis.It can grow in total darkness.Instead of making its own energy like most plants....it steals it from an underground fungus,which in turn steals ITS energy from a nearby tree.Pretty cool plant really. |
|
|
|
Mysterious, pop can stove stashin', gps totin', overnighter virgin, wannabe tentmaker and foul weather wuss who rides a thumper to the trailhead with wonderdog Max to hike the Chilliwack Valley
Chwk
Canada
4921 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2005 : 08:43 AM
|
Neat!
As for the other flora, I should have taken more pics at the summit, it was absolutely beautiful there! Thousands of Lupins, Columbines, Indian Paintbrush, FoxGloves and other unidentified species!
There are also LOTS of bugs...mosquitoes, bees, ants and some really HUGE butterflies!
Here's another sample that I should have included with the original TR:
Notice how some of the plants are holding a single drop of dew? Amazing! I think one of the summer banners has this same sort of plant.
----------------------------------------
Pop can stove-making hiker wannabe that drives a THUMPER to trailheads!
|
Edited by - TheShadow on 07/04/2005 8:33 PM |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Return to Ford Mountain.
