From Summer to Winter

It seems we forgot a season, it's name, Fall. Just two short weeks ago I hiked St. Mark's Summit. Warm pockets of heat blew in our faces. Who knew in days to come our local mountains would be covered in snow. 
Yesterday I tried to summit Mt. Cheam in Chilliwack. The roads up to the mountain were clear. The road up to Cheam is a nasty bumpy ride up and you will need a four-wheel drive and possibly car sickness medication. I have never been car sick in my life and my stomach was ill until late into the evening. Take the road slow as there are steep drop-offs, dips in the roads, large rocks, and tons of deep puddles.

Cheam was named by the Sto:lo people. The Halkomelem name means '"the source"  or "the place where waters spring." The Sto:lo people call her, "the mother mountain," or an old women overlooking he children in the valley.  Lady Peak which is her dog.

As we walked the old log road it was clear about a km in, hiking boots were no more. I pulled out my snow shoes and put them on. Others in my hiking group pulled out Gators. It really isn't a snow shoeing trail so I had trouble trying to climb over the rocky and sometimes rooty exposed trail. I gave up 3.8 Km's in. My hiking friends carried on without much success but got close to the top. Several people turned around that had come with only hiking boots & runners. I now know it is probably best hiked in the summer. The bowl will be covered in lush green meadows draped in bright coloured flowers. It makes a nice day if only you make it up for the drive and have lunch at Spoon Lake. One family brought a sleigh in and their kids were enjoying the rides. I heard lots of dirt bikes and saw a few quads. It is a beautiful place. There is limited parking at the top and a decent pit toilet. There is no garbage cans, so please bring out what you bring in. I saw lots of bear prints so keep that in mind. I can see potential for avalanches here so I would be aware of that. The bridges are in great shape that cross a few streams however, I did not see one trail marker.
After visiting Cheam yesterday I know she is best seen on a clear day in August. I'm sure weekends will bring many footprints on her path.  Weekdays may be a better time.

It's almost time to check out snow shoeing. There are lots of BC Parks free SS trails. Check them out on My Snow Shoeing. There are also many SS trails on Cypress, Seymour, & Callaghan Valley that you can access that have fees. This year I am hoping to get to Manning Park to do some SSing. 
If you are looking for some trail walks, check out My Trail Walks. If you are looking for some year long hikes check out My Hikes or my latest blog: Year Long Hikes. There are lots of ways you can get out and enjoy nature.

Happy & safe trails. Lori Pederson aka Scaredy Cat!

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