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Too close to the city, BC
Canada
784 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2009 : 9:26 PM
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Did a little exploring this weekend 
Spent Friday night at the campground at Skihist PP near Lytton.
 
Drove along the Thompson, past Nicoamen Falls tucked back inside a gorgeous amphitheater, one ice climb - The Crucible - that I've never done... complete with knotted rope on the short access trail...
Then to Spences Bridge and a turn up Hat Creek Road, winding up past the Three Sisters [wow, sweet rock!] to the turnoff to Cornwall Hills FSR. There were some deep dried ruts in the road so we parked at the turnoff and hiked up! Glad we did - the road would've destroyed the car. 9km, ~850m elevation gain. The plants and flowers were incredible, and once above most of the trees the views really opened up. We made it up to the fire lookout at 2035m and were greeted by insane, deafening wind. We had lunch inside the lookout, and even though the windows were boarded up we were happy to be out of the wind.
      
We spoke to a very nice couple on the summit who had driven up [two 4x4s had passed us on the way up]. We were about halfway down, just back into the trees again, when that same couple came back down in their truck and offered us a lift! Sweet! If only every hike only required going up... maybe I need to learn to paraglide 
They kindly dropped us at our car and before long we were off again, driving further up Hat Creek Road through Oregon Jack PP and to Upper Hat Creek. The east-west section of road was very good for 2wd, but narrow enough in sections I was glad we didn't see anyone else there. From Upper Hat the road north-south was very wide and fast. We saw a few bears up on the hillside - so easy to spot in open country!
The cliffs through Oregon Jack are gorgeous... I don't have any info for climbing the area in my old copy of Central BC Rock but I'm sure info is out there.
We popped out onto Hwy99 just a few km east of Marble Canyon PP on Pavilion Lake. Looks sooooo different when it's not frozen over and waiting for ice climbers to wander across the lake... [read: sweetest west coast ice climbing approach ever, excepting Carl's Berg]
  
Got to the free BC Hydro Seton Lake campground near Lillooet in high winds and got camp set up just before the rain hit. All-you-can-eat Chinese buffet for din, bringing back fond memories of stumbling into that place mid-winter and splaying my rope and assorted soaking wet gear onto the floor to dry. Ah, memories. There was much animated discussion regarding my tattoos.
Woke up to gorgeous dry skies, yay! Next hike: Fountain Ridge, 4.2km each way, 580m elevation gain. We parked off Airport Road just south of Lillooet and headed up in the blissfully shady forest. A well-flagged trail, loose in places, with nice views of the Fraser. We went past the end of the 'maintained' trail a bit. Glad we started early - once the sun came around it was a typical baking hot dry Lillooet day. Didn't see a soul up there except some deer and grouse and the most insanely bright yellow songbirds with red heads. Awesome.
  
  
Full photoset at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30594963@N04/sets/72157620606877331/
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Edited by - icevixen on 06/29/2009 9:53 PM
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 Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
2268 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2009 : 9:49 PM
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| Cornwall is very cool, especially since it's right up the hill from my parents place in Ashcroft. Nice timing with the flower show, Icevixen. |
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Too close to the city, BC
Canada
784 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 08:31 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Too Many Canyons
Cornwall is very cool, especially since it's right up the hill from my parents place in Ashcroft. Nice timing with the flower show, Icevixen.
It was gorgeous up there, so open and full of colour! |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 08:52 AM
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| I've been meaning to go up to that Cornwall lookout for a while... have driven by going from Hat Cr to OJ a ton of times and never had the opportunity to stop and check it out. Looks well worthwhile! |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 09:35 AM
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| I wanna go hiking with you! I love the sunny, warm, dry (DRY!) interior. |
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Campbell River, BC
Canada
759 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 6:41 PM
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| I read that the area has incredible floral displays during July and August. |
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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
13453 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 8:43 PM
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Beautiful sweet TR, and love your report and photos. So many place names you referenced, brings back a lot of memories of the good part of five years I worked up in that area in the 80's.
 
K |
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Too close to the city, BC
Canada
784 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 08:44 AM
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Thanks everyone!
quote:
Originally posted by Eryne
I wanna go hiking with you! I love the sunny, warm, dry (DRY!) interior.
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1087 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 09:40 AM
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My brother and I hiked up to Fountain Ridge from Fountain Lake about a month ago, but didn't see a trail on top. Didn't think I'd see a report from the real Fountain Ridge trail anytime soon. After looking on Google Earth it's obvious there are two parallel ridges, and we weren't on the proper one. Thanks for your report, now I've got my story straight...
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 09:50 AM
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| The Fountain Ridge Trail referred to here doesn't go to the summit if it's the one in the Canyon to Alpine book, it goes along the flanks of the ridge... |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 10:17 AM
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Good report, awesome pictures. Was water hard to find?
I like the skeleton picture :). |
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Too close to the city, BC
Canada
784 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 5:18 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dru
The Fountain Ridge Trail referred to here doesn't go to the summit if it's the one in the Canyon to Alpine book, it goes along the flanks of the ridge...
Correctamundo. We did the hike in the book, along the flanks of the ridge.
Jon, neither hike had any water whatsoever. There were quite a few bones along the trail... I collect skulls so I was sniffing around for them but to no avail |
Edited by - icevixen on 07/01/2009 5:19 PM |
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Cornwall Hills and Fountain Ridge, June 27-28/09
