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prince george/robson valley, bc
Canada
117 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 10:41 AM
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Aug 11-15
where-bunny and i spent a few days with friends j r ford and matthew wheeler just outside of mcbride recently.
there are more pictures than this, but i don't have releases from the guilty parties, i mean, other participants.
where-bunny says the liability is all mine...
this is a med-hard hike that could be done overnight. it's steep, and the elevation gain/loss happens quickly. 3 hours in or out. matthew has wanted to go to this area for a long time, so we stretched it to three days to spend more time photographing the area.
the day before we left it rained in the valley, and snowed like hell on the mountain.
we were 12 hours away from not going at all when we saw this:
really, there's a mountain or two up there...
fortunately, the morning dawned beautiful, and clear. we're on!
it's a half hour drive up a crappy road to the trailhead. good ground clearance, shocks, and 4wd are not just a polite suggestion. some people do make it up in small cars, though it'd be a bit hairy.
smile, and say "flight from prosecution!"
i counted 1280 steps from the car to the old forestry lookout on mcbride peak. all of it uphill at 30 degrees or more.
the thought never quite left my mind that we'd have to descend this later... *ouch*
by noon it was 20 degrees on the mountain and climbing. the snow that had fallen over the last three days was melting fast.
from the lookout to the trail summit there's a bit more uphill, then its around the right side of mcbride peak and voila!
from the site of what used to be a small icefield we turned right and descended to the shoulder meadow between mcbride peak and teare mountain.
the meadow on the shoulder looked like this:
setting up camp and taking a look around cost us the rest of the day, plus someone had to lose at crib before dinner...
the second day we spent the morning attempting to find some decent rock to play on. why take the easy route?
because, it's there for a reason!
  
the entire area is a big pile of shale and quartz. its steeper and far more dangerous than it looks.
here's the 1300 ft misstep below brother's folly:
and the twisted perspective you can get in the alpine...
the view up brother's folly. would you believe that this is 800 feet from the top? 60 degrees was the least steep, and the top is near vertical.
we left the shale to it's own demise and hiked away and around the other side of teare to the summit for lunch. the easy route 
where-bunny thought that the chili needed protection from the hordes of marmots that he was sure would attack...
the plants up here are a study in determination. despite the fact that the entire mountain is falling apart and the growing season might be 9 weeks,
little flowers like this are all over the place.
 
we hike out on the third day, and took our time. the views of the mcbride townsite and surrounding valley were pretty impressive.
 
although we didn't see any bear, and only three deer, two hawks and an eagle, there was sign that the bruins had been around.
when we got home, lo, there was beer! and it was a good thing, because the temperature in the valley had climbed to 30 degrees...
the next trip will likely be mount lucille, the peaks in the centre of this shot.
more info on this area can be had from http://www.mcbride.ca/outdoorrec.html |
Edited by - the bench on 08/17/2008 11:11 AM
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 | cjb
Junior Member
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Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
376 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 11:15 AM
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| Nice to see I'm not the only one to take lightweight stuffed friends hiking in the mountains. |
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 Fleece thong wearin, Buntzen Lurkin, mystic poet mountain man and international spokesman of the friends of the white squirrel society
Port Moody, B.C.
Canada
5910 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 11:33 AM
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| Coool! A whole new area to play in. Great report Ben. I bookmarked to site you posted and I think that is one place I HAVEN'T been. |
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prince george/robson valley, bc
Canada
117 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 11:47 AM
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quote:
Coool! A whole new area to play in. Great report Ben. I bookmarked to site you posted and I think that is one place I HAVEN'T been.
it's definitely worth the trip up from the coast, even if it is an 8 hour drive. there are several campgrounds near the town, and a number of "country cabins" that have set up shop in the recent years. it's truly one of the last undeveloped recreation areas in the province.
anyone looking at coming up here is well advised to check the forecast and road reports carefully before leaving home.
with the weather being skitz, if we'd planned this trip 3 days earlier, we could not have made it.
final note: this is a town of 800, one 24 hr business, and what i'd consider to be medieval backcountry emergency services.
it's not whistler, golden, or even tumbler ridge.
plan accordingly. |
Edited by - the bench on 08/17/2008 2:49 PM |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 5:06 PM
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I loved the bunny effect, prolly a good pillow at night too. This picture gave me the willies:
But, as a rock hound, I couldn't help but admire the formation!
Happy trails,
Lynn |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13469 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2008 : 11:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Flowing-Brook
I loved the bunny effect, prolly a good pillow at night too. This picture gave me the willies:
But, as a rock hound, I couldn't help but admire the formation!
Happy trails,
Lynn
That is mighty interesting slate - like rock.
K |
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prince george/robson valley, bc
Canada
117 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2008 : 1:03 PM
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quote:
That is mighty interesting slate - like rock.
K
here's a view from a bit farther back.
it's too far away to see the water seeping out from between the layers.
the greenish-gold colour that looks like plant growth is a lichen growth on the quartz.
it looks like its glowing in full sunlight.
i've added this trip to the trailwiki, here:
http://www.clubtread.com/Routes/Route.aspx?Route=1230 |
Edited by - the bench on 08/18/2008 6:03 PM |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2008 : 3:46 PM
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Hey Ben,
Good to see you out and about. I did the day trip of this many moons ago when it was the only hike in the vicinity lacking clouds! I remember thinking "I should've brought more stuff so I could stay longer..." Seems you've proved me right.
Don't do Lucille. Do Bell. Lucille is mainly used by quadders and snowmobilers, so it's a loud hike in nearly any season. Bell is much quieter and has good views.
Keep posting shots from home, okay?
Eryne |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13469 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2008 : 5:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by the bench
quote:
That is mighty interesting slate - like rock.
K
here's a view from a bit farther back.
it's too far away to see the water seeping out from between the layers.
the greenish-gold colour that looks like plant growth is a lichen growth on the quartz.
it looks like its glowing in full sunlight.
i've added this trip to the trailwiki, here:
http://www.clubtread.com/Routes/Route.aspx?Route=1230
Thank you for posting.
K |
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teare mountain - robson valley
