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 Satirical photoshop junkie who frolics in the mountains of the Chilliwack River Valley
Chilliwack, BC
Canada
6908 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2003 : 4:22 PM
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Ghostpass Lake attempt Ocober 19th
Participants: Billygoat
Dreaded Wonder
Trailflower
Well....if the Stein Hike sucked, this hike was AWESOME!! The trail to ghostpass lake serves as a good example of what happens to a trail once it's been neglected for some 30 years or so.
GETTING THERE:
Park at Manning Park West Gate, and take the engineer's loop trail east, as though you're heading to the Mt. Outram Trailhead. Once you arrive at the Outram Trailhead, continue along the engineer's trail (deteriorating now) for another 25 minutes, and you'll run across two lengths of orange flagging tape; one on either side of the ghostpass trailhead.
From here, the trail begins a STEEP acsent up the mountainside...we were beginning to wonder if we found an Outram alternate route. The trail at this point is faded, but still easily hikeable. After 45 minutes of merciless switchbacks, the trail then heads towards 18 mile creek, and then decsends( more switchbacks) to 18 mile creek. Once here, elevation gain is pretty much a non-issue.
The trail, still in hikeable condition, begins following the creek up the valley. Close to 2 hours into the hike, we ran across a rocky avalanche chute, with THICK brush to follow. We found a bit of a trail through the brush, but it was a major bushwhack getting through it...we probably spent an hour on this section. I should also take the time to mention that there was a flagged route through the chute and brush, but the flaging tape was YELLOW! Try to imagine looking for flagging tape that's the same colour of the YELLOW fall colours of vine maple! We late discovered, once nearly through this mess, that there was an alternate trail on the other side of the valley through the old growth forest....YEESH!
After the chute, the trail became increasingly difficult to follow, as it was either overgrown, or was mired in deadfall.
The going was quite slow needless to say. We had decided that 1:30 would be our turn=around point, which was 4 1/2 hours of hiking time. We ended up having to turn around before we made our destination, but we figured we were pretty close. In my opinion, this hike isn't worth going back and finishing.
there were some pretty big trees along the trail though. We came across a lovely small grove of massive cedars, and there were also a few giant Douglas Firs and a few massive Balsam Firs as well. Here's a few pictures of our experience:
 A couple of creek fords involved..no bridges...pick a fallen tree and go for it!
 DW made an unsuccessful attempt at one such crossing...hehe.
 A grove of massive cedars
 Trailflower (Nancy) in front of the ever-plentiful vine maple
 A good example of the flagging that had to find...a little chunk on the ground!
 Nancy battling the indigenous foilage of an avalnache chute.
 A nice little waterfall along the trail
"If you don't get at it, when you get to it, you won't get to it to get at it again!" |
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 Super botonist, hippie chick who cuddles thistles with glee
Langley, BC
Canada
1541 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2003 : 4:34 PM
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My alternate name for the hike is "Ghost-of-a-Trail Lake Hike".
Other thoughts - pink flagging is our friend, orange isn't too bad but the orange guy was off his meds a few times with placement, blue tape must be very expensive as I don't think there were many times we saw a piece of tape larger than the one in the pic, and yellow must mean 'alternate route'.
Might as well have hiked in the nude for how wet I was, but it sure would've hurt doing all that bushwacking. I'm still pulling devil's club thorns out of my fingers (didn't bring poles, I grabbed foliage).
Shadee and I have been comparing 'hike with BillyGoat' notes and decide you've provided up with a pass in Bushwacking 101. I'm still working on Staying Dry During Stream Crossings though.
Thanks for the trip guys!
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Langley
Canada
193 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2003 : 01:09 AM
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Well, this was an interesting little bushwack. Read up on it in the backroads mapbook, talks about a signed trailhead where the first two pieces of flagging tape were. It also says "beyond ghost pass lake the trail is overgrown and difficult to follow". Hard to believe we were on the well maintained section of the trail.
I was soaked like everyone else, especially after the failed creek crossing, and to think my feet were dry before that.
I might head back here some time, actually still interested to see what the lake's like, and at least this time I'd know to cross the creek before avalanche chutes, which could probably save close to an hour. Still, I'm not in any rush to go back there, maybe in a year or two.
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
718 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2003 : 10:00 AM
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Sorry to read about the Ghostpass Lake attempt. But thanks for going to let us know NOT to go.
As a suggestion, this could be a good restoration project.
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Super botonist, hippie chick who cuddles thistles with glee
Langley, BC
Canada
1541 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2003 : 10:25 AM
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Found this info online.
The site for the proposed logging is not in the park. It's planned for 18 Mile Creek and 20 Mile Creek where the Royal Engineers built a wagon trail for miners in 1861 and where the Ghost Pass Trail still goes by. The area includes old growth forest and critical spotted owl habitat, Foy said.
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/071102/news/071102nn5.html
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Peak scrambling, camera dodgin', knife toting gal who hikes with panties on pack & hangs clothes in trees
Port Coquitlam, BC
Canada
412 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2003 : 10:39 AM
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I was actually thinking of showing up that morning for the hike>
Woke up early that morning, looked at the weather and went back to bed --- regretted it later in the day when the weather turned out to be rather decent --- might have well have gone since I got soaked by falling into the pool!!!
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Ghostpass Lake attempt Oct. 19
