The hills are alive…

… with the sound of thunder!
At least the hills in Manning Park BC were yesterday.

We left White Rock a little later than I’d hoped (two women in attendance – I’ll leave the sexist comments unsaid), but despite it being the long weekend (BC Day today, Monday), the roads were quiet, and we made good headway along Hwy1 and then Hwy 3 towards Manning Park.

After driving for 20 years in the UK with a clean license, I’d picked up 3 points in Manning Park when we first moved here a decade ago, so despite the clear roads I was careful to stick to BC’s sluggish speed limits. Well – mostly anyway.

What was to be a brief stop at Timmie’s in Hope took longer than expected, as we discovered where all the traffic had gone. It was all parked in Timmie’s car park! The weather was a bit undecided as we’d left White Rock, but brightened steadily as we headed East towards the Cascades. I wasn’t totally sure where the trail-head was for our intended hike up “Three Brothers” in Manning Park, as I’d never been myself. However, I felt well prepared with my GPS all programmed up with the route and a shiny new topographical map keeping my compass company in my rucksack.

As we approached the Manning Park lodge, the turning on the left up Blackwall Rd. was well signed, and I knew that we really couldn’t go wrong now. This road – despite its long wiggly ascent – went nowhere except to the start of the hike. Well – not quite.  There is a lookout giving beautiful views to the South and back over the lodge. Having briefly stopped to verify this was not in fact the trail-head, we continued upwards on what was now only a loose gravel road. It was well maintained, but seemed to have been travelled over by a tracked vehicle and our teeth were chattering as the car’s suspension was pounded by the high frequency ruts in the road.

To the left was a cliff – cut away to make the road and, it seems, continuing to throw sizeable chunks of itself onto the road in a bellicose attempt at revenge. The largest rock in the road was a good 18″ cubed. To the right of the road was a shear, unprotected drop. A steep one. There would be a Hollywood ending to any car slipping off that edge! Eventually we turned the corner and found ourselves at the car-park. I was surprised just how many cars were there, but a time check told me it was already almost 11:30am, and the day was much further on than I’d have liked for beginning such a long hike. The Heather Trail begins at the lower car-park, but there are trails linking to it from the upper car park too.

As we arrived and got ready – checking we had wet weather and cold weather gear “just in case” – a Parks Ranger was just packing up what looked like it had been an interesting display of local flora, and suggesting the nearby “Paintbrush Nature Trail” to the less comprehensively prepared. This is a 45 minute stroll named after the Indian Paintbrush flower common to the area.

For us though was the distant peak of First Brother – nearest of the Three Brothers. It’s a 10km hike there, which not surprisingly entails the same distance to get back! The peak is at 2272m… some 7500ft. Not particularly high in these parts, but for an ex-Brit that is high! It’s almost the same as Ben Nevis stacked on Snowden (or even SnowdOn – thanks Lance) – the highest peaks in Scotland and Wales. Luckily the trail head was already high, so the total ascent was only ~700m total (there and back) which is less than doing the Grouse Grind.

The path leads through a wilderness campsite at Buckhorn Camp with a little bridge over the creek of the same name, then climbs steadily up into the high alpine meadows where the views are drop dead gorgeous. You can see for miles – all the way to your innermost thoughts.

The actual ascent of the First Brother requires a turn off the main Heather Trail, and you follow the sandy and rocky ridge up to the peak.

We were very lucky with the weather and despite ominous thunder and spectacular distant rain storms, we made the peak and safely off the ridge before we were treated to hail showers. That careful preparation of “just in case” clothing was appreciated, and we descended the meadow and back to the car in near silence over the next 2-3 hours.

20km in all, over 6 hours (including photo and meal stops). We had gone to experience the views and see the alpine meadows in full bloom and had not been disappointed. The soil is really fragile at these altitudes and signs reminded hikers that a single boot off the path can cause plant and soil damage that may take 20 years to undo. Despite those, we saw several people hacking off the path for “the perfect camera shot”. I will say though that I was greatly impressed to see not one scrap of litter or cigarette butt up there.

We were steadily grazed upon by a variety of flies including some mosquito-like flies with stripes that I’d not seen before. The worst though were giant flies like regular house flies but bigger. When these bit, you were left a little lighter and with blood oozing from a place where you used to have skin. They were hungry! In addition we saw a few ptarmigan up in the rocky areas and on the drive back down Blackwall Rd. we were lucky enough to see a young fawn with its mother. Actually, I think they were lucky I saw them… they were in the road, and with the loose gravel, a sudden stop would have only been an intention with no guarantee of success!

The hike starts at the lower Blackwall Rd. car-park. Blackwell peak is looming in the background, over the valley to the West.

“Don’t pick the flowers,” warned the Haida, to their children, “or it will rain.” They called the columbine the red rain-flower.

This is actually the fruiting or seed body of the anemone. Very distinctive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_occidentalis

Shades of Monty Python, but these are the wild variety. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbtVaTWs6II

Indian Paintbrush added a lovely red texture to the alpine grass areas

First Brother is way off in the distance… but it’s only 10km apparently

The bridge at Buckhorn camp as we start the steady climb up to the alpine meadows

As we traversed the alpine meadow we could see spectacular rainstorms in the distance. They were loud but thankfully “not here”!

The mountain ranges seemed to go on forever. Many of these peaks carry no name.

Three Brothers is a collection of three peaks forming a line roughly NW. First Brother is the most southerly and has an impressive ridge leading to its peak

First Brother is getting more distinct, and we’re grateful it seems to be bathed in sunshine.

Still not over us, but thunder clouds were making themselves heard all around between the vast areas of blue clear sky.

BC is such a lovely place to be.

Sometimes it felt like the peak was travelling away as fast as we were approaching. The meadow in the foreground seemed out of place at this altitude.

It seemed weird to see so much snow in August. Especially as we were comfortably warm in the high teens and being eaten alive by cold averse flies.

The summit is definitely getting a little closer now

I was lucky enough to find a web page with details of many of the flowers I had photographed: http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/Manning2/PurpleWet.html

Suddenly the landscape became very different and much more sandy and rocky. This outcrop was very different to the lower terrain.

First Brother was definitely getting closer and was starting to look quite imposing.

Looking almost due East we could see rain in the valley, and the trees looked like tiny shrubs. It was sobering to realise how high we were.

Still on the main Heather Trail, but there’s no mistaking the ridge up to the peak of First Brother

This westerly ridge has no name, but has some imposing neighbours further West.

There are no words for the views except “you had to be there!”

Looking back towards the edge of the alpine area we’d steadily climbed. Thankfully the path was nowhere near this sudden drop.

As we begin the ridge ascent of First Brother, the scoured bowl over to Second Brother further North is clear

Number two offspring was feeling the effects of the thin air, but thankfully the air was still and dry. This is not a trail I’d want to take in bad weather. The ground was sandy and in places loose rock. Treacherous, in other words.

Three Brothers are pretty much the most northerly extreme of the Cascades. To the East the terrain is very different

As we reached the summit, we were greeted by a family enjoying a late lunch. Number two child took a family photo for them. We never saw them again – I hope they made it safely off the hills.

The clouds were definitely starting to gather and we were keen to get off the peak and ridge before the lightning began more locally.

Making good progress off the peak and the rain is already beginning.

Despite the sudden showers, there was still lots of sunshine about, and the clouds made weird shadows on the land to the East.

No idea what this species is, but I was struck by its black seed heads

Much more round seed heads than the other variety but still strangely dark

As we descend back through the meadows the showers break and we’re in blue sky again.

The different types of peak – rolling or steep and rocky – belie the different rocks underneath them and the various glaciers that have travelled these parts.