Darrell is was Hiking the PCT

Darrell Ainscough is was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail the Spring & Summer & Fall of 2011 with John & Sandy Reinders providing support. They are updating a blog -- Darrell on the PCT -- when they're near civilization.

Darrell is hiking to support HOPE's Place -- a project of the North Shore Crisis Services Society. You can donate to them here. If you're interested in joining Darrell for part of his hike contact him or John & Sandy.

Update: The fat lady sang with 350 miles to go. They say you can't control the weather and I guess they're right! We dreaded heading for the Pacific NorthWest and for good reason. Five Months of warm, sunny summer weather had to balance out somewhere.... and Washington certainly took care of that!

Chuwanten Backpack

On Friday July 8^th, 3 of the original winter camp group set off once again in search of Chuwantan. This time the conditions and weather could not have been better. A former ranger/volunteer had just removed all of the blow down to the 14 km mark and was stopped due to deep snow patches. (Beyond this point was only 1 large tree across the trail/old road that we managed to get around). This made for a pleasant walk up ..with breaks we got to the fire lookout in just under 5 hours. Thank you Tom Moore for all your hard trail work!

Water source note: the last water is located at 10 kms (bridged area). Beyond that, you can find water about 10-15 minutes down the Pasayten River Trail located around 14.5 km. We managed to melt snow from a few decent patches near the lookout.

The monument area is a nice place to camp and the old cabin on the Canadian side offered comfort against the windy evenings and mosquitoes. It was built in the 1920's. The lookout on the American side is only used during extreme fire conditions and was built in 1953. The tower can be climbed for viewing, but the office area is closed. There are no longer any outhouses located in the area, and a weather station can be found before the summit.

The evening was quite windy and it got cold over night as we woke to frost on the tent.

Saturday we set off on our mission to reach Chuwantan Peak via the Pasayten River Trail. Dave had figured out a basic route that should get us there, so off we went. We followed the trail to it's end at the start of an old burn. From here we flagged a route to the summit of the burn ridge. Through this section we came across a few patchy remains of the Centennial Trail.

At the top of the ridge we could see our destination in the far distance, but we could not tell if it was reachable due to a deep steep gully. We carried along just below the ridge marking our way with foot prints in the odd snow patch and flagging where needed. Eventually, we made it to the other side of the gully via several shorter ridges, and on to the summit of Chuwantan Peak. With breaks we were there in 3 hours 45 minutes, but it was quite the ever changing elevation gain and loss trek. Our return trip was uneventful and we managed to gather all of our flagging tape. On the way back we stopped at the creek below the main trail head and filled up all our water containers, to save us from melting snow. Total time out was 7.5 hours and the weather was great.

We had a nice evening and warmer night, and headed out in the morning with a walk out time of just under 4 hours with breaks. This was a great 2 night trip!

To read more see the thread on ClubTread: Stein Traverse.

Happy Trails,
Dianne wharton

Broken Islands Kayak

On Sunday, July 31^st, 33 of us set out from Port Alberni aboard the Francis Barkley ferry towards Barkley Sound. Our nesting place for the next 3 nights would be at the Sechart Lodge, resting amongst the rich brush and thriving wildlife, just within paddling reach of the Pacific Rim National Forest. Our days were filled with beautiful sights and sounds, as we headed out each morning in smaller groups towards our daily choices of access points within the Broken Island group. Teeming sea life and welcoming beaches were at our reach and ready for exploration, and all with the bonus of the welcoming sun. Our prepped lunch bags, packed full of food and drink satisfied us, as we gazed out on the beauty of each little cove we rested at. We couldn't have planned better weather or other conditions for our outings.

Our stay at Sechart Lodge was nothing better than perfect for our group. The wafting smell of sizzled bacon and freshly brewed coffee lured us down into our dining area each early morn. Socializing for the day began here as we mingled and enjoyed the pleasure of getting to know each other more intimately. Our evenings would normally start with a scramble for the showers, so we paddled hard, trying not to be the last one in the line. After our huge home cooked meals, completed with enormous desserts, we began our relaxing. Some found refuge in cozy papason chairs with their newest read before the socializing began. The eves were mixed with games, sing-a-longs, social stories, chats on the wharf, little group hikes, and of course jokes... and maybe a little drink (here and there).

What a trip. What great organizers, gracious group leaders, music leaders, and helpful staff (who lifts a tandem kayak, fully loaded onto his shoulder and carries it up a hill???). What a great opportunity to sit back and take time to bond with new friends. Our daily lives slowed down here for awhile and we were able to realize the real reason behind being a part of this great adventurous outdoor group... each and every one of you! What a memorable experience.

Sign me up for next year!

Davina Crawford

Monument 83 Snowshoe & Backpack

On April 1^st, 2011 the usual 5 VOA winter campers decided to head up to Monument 83 on a 2 night snowshoe trip. The plan was to camp at the old forestry cabin site and then day hike to Chuwantan Peak. Starting out on April Fool's Day should have been a sign!

Before we hit the trail, Alexis noticed a few missing bolts, which held her traverse blades in place, so Dave managed to fix them with his repair kit. The snow conditions were terrible for the slog in and the weather gradually deteriorated. Half way in on the 16 km trail, Alexis broke a binding . A shoe lace was used to hold it together loosely, but made the walking quite difficult for her. As we gradually made our way toward the summit, Dave's traverse blade on each snowshoe broke in half !Luckily, he managed to hold the blades together by a few old nails he rounded up in the cabin. It snowed all night! Add the snowshoe malfunctions to the poor overall snow conditions and we had no choice but to call it quits after the first night. The long walk out in deep powder did not help matters, but we all got out in one piece.

Note: although we always carry a repair kit, we did not have enough supplies on hand to deal with all the repairs. We will be revising our kit.

To read more see page 6 of the July Bulletin.

Dianne Wharton