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surrey
Canada
650 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 12:00 PM
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1. Where to start......
When I was in Scouts our troop would come and camp at Foley lake. Back then you might see 1 fisher person, or on a rare weekend, someone might camp on the sand bar at the end of the lake. I had always wanted to climb to the top of the waterfall. One day I did, bushwacking all the way to Williams lake.
I have always had the same desire to get to Ling. I do a fair amount of remote locations and I'm getting pretty good at reading google earth pictures. Turning them into reality of how nasty and steep it's going to be. I did not re-read or print off any of the info here on Club Tread (so it was neat to see after the fact just how close I was to the real trail in the bush bowl)
My posting style has always been slanted towards lots of info about the trail and destination. I have read alot of the banter back and forth about Ling, but I believe in access for any one to anywhere.
2. On with the show.....
Some of info in the wiki is outdated, I'm willing to leave it that way so at least people will have to use the search feature to find the info. This is not any easy trail it is VERY steep in sections. Most of the ropes are broken. Stat wise it's something like 12-14km with 900m elevation gain one way. Although it's much harder then that. An injury here is self rescue, or air lift. There are shit load of bears, BUGS, BUGS, and more BUGS. Water is limited in places so always stay full. It was 30C+ and I used 8L of water, I did not refill before the bush bowl and ran out half way through.
With a stock 4x4 you can drive about 40% of the FSR now. They put a tank trap in, and in the process cleared the road up to the trap. The ditches are a bit deep and I dragged my hitch on pretty much every one (I have a stock 4 door ford explorer). There is major erosion just past the trap and it would be crazy to drive on it. Park before the waterfall which floods the road, there is no need to save 200 feet by driving in the water and poluting the water with oil and Truck grime.
      
Past that point the road is great, I would take a bike as the ride back would be sooooooo nice. If you park at foley (no 4x4) then really bring a bike the road is good enough to make it worth while.
I spent most of thursday night drinking with buddies. Friday morning I got my kid ready for daycare then packed, and headed out to Foley. I took the advice and tried this side first. When I left the truck at 10:30am it was 33C in the sun.
I had always wondered why the trail head was at the end of the higher road (likely when you could drive this was a good spot?). Being that you drop down to the beaver pond through an overgrown talus slope. Taking the lower road you cut out 100m elevation gain and remove 1 bushy talus slope. (The wiki TH might be in the lower turn around not where I marked it, I never did find it on my way out.I was so happy to be on the road and tired I did not look for it very well). What I did on the way in was take the lower road (likely cause it had some shade) walked along the edge of the creek in some nasty trees and then walked on logs and beaver dams untill I got into the forest.
  
When I got into the forest someone had cleared a camping spot and had a huge fire IN THE FOREST, this is not an open area. Now I'm as pro fire as the next guy, but this was crazy, I hope it was really wet last weekend.
It was clear that a few people had been up on the long weekend (lots of sign as Man tracker would say). Getting past the beaver pond and to the forest trail is hard and nasty. If you don't like it turn around now it only gets worse. If you can't find it then for your own safety I would turn around.
    
It was crazy hot, I was hung over, and I had worked very hard durring the week (physically hard). Following the trail was easy. It's very well marked and you kinda know where it's going to go. If you have ever done any bushwacking, this is a bushwackers trail. It stays away from wet areas (devils club, maple/alder), skirts muskeg, uses logs and rocks to get above the nasties. Never loses elevation, and does not use switchbacks ever. If your ever lost as to where you should go next, the answer is always UP.
There is a section just before a loud waterfall that dead fall has destroyed the trail. The forest is open and it is easy to skirt around. Might be worth while to recover the blue ropes traped bellow the dead fall and move them to replace older frail ones at the steep crossing just before the lake.
After having a rope break on me I stoped using them. Every spot there is a rope you can detour and find an area you can switchback instead of trying to do the 70% grade with a rope that may break at any time.
   
There are some small slide areas with bushy crap but nothing too bad. Untill you get to the "brush bowl", there is no trail through it. A decent route has been made be myself and who ever went up last week. I flagged it decently but the flagging won't last. Get water before going in. You gain enough elevation and it's very exposed and was really hot (in the mid 30's for me). If anyone wants to improve the trail do it from the bush bowl to the lake. The bush could be cut back with hand cutters. Even 30 mins of clearing per trip would be helpfull.
      
After the bush bowl it's pretty much, UP UP UP to the lake. By this time I had drank 7L of water and was starting to get really tired. There is one steep creek crossing with broken ropes. This is where those blue ropes from before might be usefull.
Getting closer to the lake and the snow started to get thicker and more of it.
  
I got to the lake at 5:30pm. The bugs where as bad as any place I have been. I found a dry, snow free spot and set my tent up. Then I made some food. and read my book in my tent (even the 95% DET could not mask my stink from the bugs). I wanted to take a dip in the lake but the temp was droping fast and I was worried about not warming up agian. When I went to sleep it was 3C in my tent.
In the morning most of the lake had iced over durring the night. It was sunny and a warm 20C in the sun at 8:00am. Bugs came out around 9:00am so I packed up and left. I had wanted to do some exploring but I was so tired I wanted to make sure I had enough to get back to the truck safely. One wrong step and a sprain if not a break would be a sure thing.
On the way back I layed down a decent amount of GPS for key areas. I also bushwacked up from the beaver pond to the higher road. That sucked and I would never go that way again, I totally lost the trail and just went for it. All in all it took 5 hours to go down and 7 hours to go up with a 32 pound pack. I know abit heavy, but being solo I had to carry everything and I brought food for 2.5 days. I also brought bear spray, a book, and stove + fuel as I did not plan on having a fire at the lake.
Next trip is from Cantelon FSR likely in Sept. I want to see that area snow free and maybe do a bit of fishing
GPS mostly 9m to 20m acurate, I don't know much about the numbers but in google earth I have it set as Degrees decimal minutes, which is the same numbers as my gps.
End of FSR tank trap N49 08.480 W121 32.183
***Trail after beaver pond N 49 10.296 W121 31.646***
Trail N49 10.376 W121 31.730
Blow down N4910.549 W 121 31.695
Cool rocks N49 12.611 W121 31.732
Rope 1 N49 10.684 W121 31.810
***Start of bush bowl N49 10.868 W121 32.097***
Forest island in bush bowl N49 10.985 W121 32.269
***End of bushbowl in Talus slope N49 11.027 W121 32.285***
End of talus slope start of uphill beside talus slope N49 11.120 W121 32.359
Top of hill N49 11.166 W121 32.381
***Steep crossing broken ropes N49 11.601 W121 32.429****
almost the end up the uphill N49 11.715 W121 32.305
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Edited by - keadyn on 07/11/2010 12:06 PM
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5902 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 12:35 PM
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Good for you keadyn! Loved your report of an area rarely reported on . |
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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
13598 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 1:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Flowing-Brook
Good for you keadyn! Loved your report of an area rarely reported on.
Liked your style as well, keen and interesting reading. And thanks for the warning about the ropes.
K |
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1092 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 5:08 PM
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| I've enjoyed reading of your quest for Ling Lake, impressed you made it. For 5 years (1987-1991) we made backpacking trips to Ling on the August long weekend, that was before the trail. Just saying that to give you an idea why it interests me. Looks like it's always going to be a tough hike. |
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Satirical photoshop junkie who frolics in the mountains of the Chilliwack River Valley
Chilliwack, BC
Canada
6944 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 3:06 PM
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| The ling lake trail is actually one of 14 trails that is in proposal to become established. We may end up getting better trail maintenance and more protection for it in the near future. |
Edited by - BillyGoat on 07/12/2010 3:07 PM |
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surrey
Canada
650 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 5:07 PM
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Thats really cool BG alot of the trail allready runs through forest which can not be cut down. There are some massive trees in there BTW.
I think your right Elk, Aug. long weekend would be a great time to go there. July...... not so much. Are the bugs any better in Aug?
Not to take anything away from your five years of trips, but the forest is pretty open which makes for some nice hiking with or without a trail. I guess at that time you could drive to the end? road walking is hot and borring :(
Unless your SimonC I don't see any way that this would be a fun day hike.
I'm going to go one more time just to see it snow free but after that not sure I would be going back any time soon. So you guys can have it all to yourselves |
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bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4663 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 5:45 PM
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Good going ! Too bad about the bugs making your stay less enjoyable ... they're in full force now. It's a nice destination we have yet to make it too. |
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1092 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 5:53 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by keadyn
I think your right Elk, Aug. long weekend would be a great time to go there. July...... not so much. Are the bugs any better in Aug?
Not to take anything away from your five years of trips, but the forest is pretty open which makes for some nice hiking with or without a trail. I guess at that time you could drive to the end? road walking is hot and borring :(
The bugs must be just as bad as anywhere else in the Chilliwack Valley during August, I can't remember that long ago. We mostly started from the same spot you did, once from Foley Lake, the road back then was not driveable much beyond the creek. At one time Ling was the primo destination, but we moved on to easier things I guess, at least for our long weekend trips. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
667 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2010 : 5:00 PM
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Nice.. Glad you made it.. Bugs where not bad at all up sigurd valley but the snow was pressent for sure.
I would like to try ling one of these days. Thanks for the good tr. |
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God fearin' music packin' animal BBQin' funny trip reportin'.... cheese lovin' MH lover who skinny dips in Ling secret lakes
Somewhere between pomp & circumstance, British Columbia
Canada
1403 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2010 : 9:58 PM
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| Ling rocks! Well done. |
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At long last Ling Lake
