Mt Cheam
Look how cheap the gas is out here!
Last Summer, flying back from Toronto on approach to
Vancouver, the plane dropped in close to the peaks out at
Abotsford. The plane trip featured a sun set protracted over three
hours and as we approached, you could see the mountain peaks
punching god rays into the evening haze. I so much wanted to be
on those mountains, rather than in that plane.
Fast forward almost a year, it's Canada day, and I want to get
outside.
Brendon and
Ashley graciously volunteered
to join me hiking (be photo filler) so I picked them up at 9:30 and we
started the long drive out to Chilliwack. After a bit of direction
following, we were heading into the mountains well off the beaten
track. We turned off onto forest service roads (well maintained
gravel roads) and then onto a deactivated (not maintained gravel road)
road for the last 7km up to the parking lot. The road is rough -
there are a few sections where you are driving on bedrock, and a few
streams to ford through pushing your front clearance. As you get
near the end, you can see vast clear cuts (why the road was built) and
large alpine meadows.
We had not even started hiking before Brendon called me over to see
something cool. Golden Jelly Cone was growing on the logs that
marked the perimeter of the parking lots (or the beginning of the last
slope your car would ever descend). They looked like natures
answer to the gummy bear.
I like hikes where you start at or near alpine. The road up seems
to reduce the number of people who come up, but the trails are still
well worn and will probably get worse.
I gained a new appreciation for
Alpine
Flowers last summer, but every other trip I've been up in the alpine
has been late summer. At this time of the year, Yellow Glacier
Lilies are just starting to come into flower.
We made it about 45 minutes
from the parking lot (of a four hour hike) when the light rain turned
heavy, and then hard (hail). The trail quickly become slick with mud
and summer hike in the meadows was losing its appeal fast. The top of
the mountain was locked in clouds, so it was unlikely we would have
seen anything anyways, so we decided to cut the hike shot.
Back down in the valley, we came across Alpine White Marsh Marigold
growing next to the stream that caries off the melt water from the
surrounding valley.
Thanks Brendon and Ashely for
putting up with my hiking desire and the potholes needed to satisfy it.
Tags: alpine(6), meadow(4), flower(4), Do Not Tag(2), mushroom(2), plane(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Hiking > Mt Cheam
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Hiking > A Second Attempt on Mt Cheam > Mt Cheam
Your taxonomy page for your fungi pictures was very helpful for my Forest Habitats Lab on the Fungi.
Thank you!
Burton
Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 08:02:52
nice pictures!
che
Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 04:01:15
Last Modified Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 00:50:32 Edit
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