Trip Reports
Twenty-seven hikers including six guests came out for the easy two hour trip on the Piderny Trail – South-West Loop. This trail, although only about a 10 minutes drive from downtown Prince George, meanders through an area of forest having a distinct backcountry atmosphere about it. There is plenty of Moose and deer sign, and some of the trees have been virtually fallen by the efforts of what are clearly very large woodpeckers on steroids.
The Ramblers first hike of the season had 26 participants. We took the Greenway Trail for just over 2 km, and then took the Western Loop past the “Whose Home” interpretive trail to Forests for the World, the look-out platform, down past the water tower and back to the Greenway Trail parking area. The weather was overcast with the sun struggling to shine on us; the weather was mild with the last of this winter’s snow reluctant to leave with patches here and there saying a last good-bye. It was a leisurely trip with long breaks for snacks and chats, and we were out for three and a half hours. You can view photos of the hike by visiting the Gallery.
Although the weather was cloudy with rain at lower elevations and snow falling higher up, with no views of the surrounding mountains once on the ridge – we nevertheless had an enjoyable day of snowshoeing. Of course, it is still winter in the mountains with record levels of snow pack, but the beauty of the route we took through the inland temperate rainforest close to the Ancient Forest Trail, compensated for the zero visibility we had once on the ridge.
Some of the current rotation of Katimavik volunteers showed interest in visiting The Cliff located off the Blue Spruce Trail, so we set off Saturday morning and did the trip in two hours out and back. Snow is fast receding and we managed without snowshoes. You can view photos from the trip by visiting the gallery.
Seven of us enjoyed a leisurely 10 hour snowshoe trip to Viking Ridge on Sunday. We approached the ridge via the established trail route, and although dark clouds circled ominously as we arrived at Caribou Meadows – they kindly moved on leaving us with clear visibility for the rest of the day, especially once we were on the ridge. From the summit we followed the sickle above the lake that took us to a northerly route back to the trailhead. Along the way we saw lots of mountain caribou sign; we always do in the winter because of the lichen-laden forest in the area that the caribou depend on to survive. Of course, although summer looks like it’s around the corner in the city, it’s still winter in the alpine, but perfect for snowshoeing; the snow is packed down, there is more sunlight and daylight and the weather is warmer. So what if the estimated 8 hour trip turns into 10 hours – it is an extra 2 hours of enjoyment and you still get home before dark…Just! The only real challenge for us was falling through the rotten warmed-up snow at the lower elevations on our return, but otherwise it was a perfect day and good preparation for our final snowshoe trip which will be at Driscoll Ridge next Sunday (estimated trip time 8 hours!). You can view photos of the snowshow trip by visiting the gallery.
We began at the wildlifeviewing area and headed for the Willow River where we had great views of the McGregor Mountains in the north east, and the river below us – a good spot for a long relaxing lunch under a blue sky and a blazing sun. After lunch we spent about two hours searching for Mystery Lake south west of our lunch spot; when we arrived at the lake, it was a very tiny little thing still frozen over with the remains of old trees still standing resolutely out of the icy clutches of the lake. You can view photos of the trip by visiting the Gallery. |
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