The hike was supposed to be about 13.5 km, but we had heard that some blasting in the area had the top portion of the trail roped off ... so we were looking at more of an 8km hike, which was perfect in the muggy, Ontario-like heat and with an 8 year old dog who loves a good hike but tires quickly.
We parked at the side of the road and new immediately that the sun would bake our car crispy by the time we got back.
We laced up our shoes, double checked our water supply, took a quick pick, and hit the trailhead.
Just a few steps in there was a can of OFF! Bug Spray.
"It's a sign," said M.
"you think?"
He nodded.
So we sprayed ourselves liberally.
A decision that we would definitely not regret later.
The trail was thin and led quickly into dense forest. Lots of ferns and moss, mud and fallen branches. It was a wet wonderland.
We wove up and down and all around for maybe 10 minutes before we came across an aged bridge over a small, flowing river.
Harley was delighted! She was already hot and ran down to the river to lay in the water for a little while.
This was the first of many little bridges throughout the ravine.
It was like a piece of history.
Once over the river and out of the ravine, the trail became even denser with brush, wetter, and steeper. We had hear that because of an ongoing dispute between First Nations who own the land and the government, this trail is not as well maintained as some of the others in the lower mainland. So we weren't surprised and kinda enjoyed the adventure.
The trail also quickly became a nesting ground for mosquitoes. (When they came out Thought we certainly did not feel eaten alive, we did feel that they were strategic little buggers who were quite keen on gnawing on unexposed skin. (The 23 bites on my butt that night were evidence that my tush is a gold mine for mosquitos!"
Still, we pressed on.
M and I felt great, but our poor big brown pup was feeling the effects of the humidity. It's hard being big and brown in the sunshine.
So we stopped often at creeks, rivers, and puddles so she could cool off and we could admire the scenery.
After an hour or so, we came to a clearing – to our left the trees had been clear cut and it sliced my heart in half to see. It's difficult to stomach, really. To the right the train continued up past an old logging road. And within a few minutes we were back in dense forest, the sight of the clear cut still stuck in our guts.
The trail continued steeply upward then eventually began to wind around the outside of the mountain with a steep cliff edge and some breakthrough views of the Valley and the Fraser River.
We hiked for about another hour or so through the Douglas Firs and the fresh moss. At one point, as with all of our hikes, we actually made a full circle without even realizing it.
"I am the worst navigator" said M
"You are," (he is!) I concurred, and we stopped for a nap on a cliff ledge, some water, and lunch,
Our tired happy pooch wandered over to a small river bed and submerged herself in the water.
We napped in the fresh air, using our backpacks as pillows; Harley snored in the sunshine.
I doubt we've ever slept better. It was so peaceful, sweet, and surprisingly comfy.
Then we turned back and began our descent.
Before long we were at the car, which was sizzling to touch and unbearable to sit in, so we noshed on some apples and dog treats (Harley only, I swear), with the windows open until it was acceptable to get inside and drive off into the sunset.
A few hours after we go home and hopped in to bed, I was scratching feverishly.
"i am so itchy!" I said, writhing around in bed.
I turned on the light and said "do I have any bites?"
M looked over.
He gasped.
"Babe, you have more bites than regular skin at the moment." then he promptly ran off to the pharmacy to grab some After Bite and put me out of my misery.
Though they were responsible for me scratching my butt in the middle of business meetings for 5 days straight, those bites didn't get the best of me! We'd go back and do the rest of the trail in a heart beat.
We'd like to go up to Chadley Lake at the top and take a dip.
I know Harley would love it too.
We've been blessed with a bit of an Indian Summer these past few weeks, so we're hoping to get in a few more hikes before the snow falls.
