The Red Lobster Journal for 2007
Nickel Plate Skiing,
Battery Mountain via Viking Creek, Golden Ears,
Baffin Island,
Mt. Macfarlane, Webb - Macdonald Col, Robbie Reid Attempt
"Bookends" - Lobsters in Scotland and Ireland -
Poboktan Creek to Maligne Lake via Maligne Pass
Brandywine and Eaton Peak
Exploring the North Ridge of the Golden Ears,
Zoa Ridge, Two Nights at the Himmelsbach Hut
Gold Creek, Munro Lake, Diamond Head
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Nickel Plate - Penticton (Google Map 49.383 n 119.96 w)
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My good friend Alan Lizee and I headed up to Penticton on spring break to do some cross country skiing with Bob Cuthbert. Nickel Plate is a little less than an hour from down town Penticton and is close to 6000 ft. above sea level, so it is a lot colder than down in the valley.
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| The weather was wonderful. It was well below zero, and the sun was out. The tracks were set, and there was lots of snow. The wood stove was burning in the hut waiting for our return. What more could I wish for? I wished I was in shape! Oh, well, we had a good couple of days and it was thoroughly enjoyable. After our second day of skiing Alan and I drove down to Oliver to see Lanny and Julie Martiniuk and enjoyed their company for the night. (Keep an eye out for Stoneboat wines) |
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Battery Mountain via Viking Creek
(Google Map 49.328 n 122.47 w)
"I always thought only a masochist would dare wander up the bushy, bluffy flank of Evans Peak, in Golden Ears Park, until I read a bivouac.com report by Fred Douglas. He and Alice climbed Evans Peak, accessing it from a gully rising out of Evans canyon. On their descent they noticed flagging in the col between Evans and Alouette, and being adventurers, they decided to find out where the tapes would lead them. They headed down a prow between Viking creek and its neighbor creek to the North, and they ended up on the Viking Creek lookout trail. It took 90 minutes to descend from the col to the West Canyon hikers' parking lot."
- Alan Lizee
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"I decided to set my prejudices aside and try to get up Alouette from this access. It turned out to be a quite enjoyable snow hike, winding around a few bluffs and trending generally Westward to gain Alouette's South West ridge. Here we found the snow hiking to be more pleasurable by staying to the East of the summer trail, closer to the actual ridge crest. Chris Cooper and I summited first, then I repeated the hike twice more In April with members of the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club.
This being the year of the big Fraser River flood threat, I thought a picture of the mid-April snow profile at 1150 meters would be appropriate."
- Alan Lizee |
Chris Cooper hiking across the top of Battery Mountain. (Google Map 49.335 n 122.495 w)
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Needle Point, Chris Cooper, and Edge Peak
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Golden Ears -Golden Ears Park (Google Map 49.362 n 122.51 w)
" Pack tied down on summit with ice axe so I don't lose it. Raven Lake to right of pack."
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| Alan made a solo trip up to the summit of the Golden Ears May 31. Here is what he had to say:
"Hi Gang, I had to go back to the Ears today, Wednesday, because the weather was irresistible, and because there was unfinished business to get done. I hiked without a break to reach the summit before noon. I planned to just take 2 shots from the top and head right back down before the snow softened too much and maybe start sluffing. I ended up spending 20 minutes on top, and did run into a bit of a glitch coming down. The solution worked very well and I was down in no time. It was a wonderful day!
Happy Trails...Alan"
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In the picture above, Mt. Edge is off the left edge of the photo. Needle Point is the tooth like peak hiding Battery Mtn behind it. The southern part of the Golden Ears is on the right side.
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Baffin Island Ski Expedition
May 08 to June 05 2007
The following article was written by Chris Cooper:
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"A very typical camp with great views all the time"
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"One more excuse to visit the Canadian Arctic, this time it is Gibbs Fiord on Baffin Island, at 70 degrees Latitude, the team composed of two fellows Chris Cooper, Manrico Scremin and three gals Liz Scremin, Linda Bily and Julia Keenliside.
Liz and Manrico and I had discussed a few years ago to do something in the Arctic on skis but it took a few years to finally pull it off together. Most of my Arctic journeys have been with John Dunn, Sandy Briggs and Mike Sharp so this will be a more modest trip and not too ambitious, having said that it’s great just being out their with new comarades.
This was the first Arctic ski trip for the others so they learned a lot from the old boy!!
Anyway, one must plan on at least a weeks travel time both going and returning on these types of journeys and also one must plan on having some complicated logistics to sort out including using points to your advantage!! It's the only way to get there!
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We arrive in Iqaluit on the 9th May and met with Mary Potyrala who just happened to know Mike Sharp, Mary put us up for two nights then onto Clyde River to meet outfitter Levi Palituq who arranged Komatik and Snow machines for our group and moved us and gear to Gibbs Fiord.
A 10 hr journey by Komatik ( sled ) is cold, rough and quite adventurous but we managed to get there with some incredible scenery to say the least.
Our three week ski traverse starts here at Gibbs Fiord with walls as high as 5000ft.inplaces, very impressive.
The ski traverse took us through Gibbs Fiord, Stewart Valley, Sail Peaks, Walker Arm, Sam Ford Fiord, Polar Sun Spire,Swiss Bay, Revoir Pass and finally Eglinton Fiord. Levi arranged our pickup near Eglinton Tower which was about 60km from Clyde River.
In all I calculated 200km on skis including side trips, which was considerably less than most ski journeys up there and was considerably easier than the marches with John Dunn who we met heading North to Pond Inlet over a 6 week journey. It was great to see John, Sandy and Paul there.
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"My last day trip on Baffin."
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A Word About Global Warming as of January 1st 2008
I have just picked up the phone just thinking of our dear friends in Clyde River, I spoke with Levi Palituq and he mentioned to me that there is no evidence of Global warming at present and that it has been consistantly cold temperatures of -40C and will be colder in January and February, It was completely dark December 18, 19, and 20th 2007.
They and the community have celebrated Christmas over a two week period starting in mid December, they came together with lots of music and dancing.
So there we are, another great journey on skis to a marvelous place in Canada’s Arctic."
Submitted on behalf of the group. Chris G. Cooper
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Mt. Macfarlane
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Early in June Alan Lizee made a solo trip up Mt. Macfarlane. After reaching Pierce Lake, he made his way up the forest and snow slopes to upper Pierce Lake and then on to the top.
He left home at 04:00 and was on the summit by 10:00! We all need to remember that Alan's times are going to be faster than most others ;-)
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Crossover Peak with Slesse on photo right.
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Mt. Webb - Mt. Macdonald Col (Google Map 49.045 n 121.461 w)
Alan on the summit of Mt. Webb with Rexford and Slesse behind him.
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Alan checked out the trail up to Radium Lake and Mt. Webb as he wanted to take some members of the Maple Ridge Outdoor Club up there. For other pictures of this area, go the Lobster page for 1991.
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Alan at the col looking up at Webb.
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| Robie Reid Attempt
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Lobsters in Scotland and Ireland
"Bookends"
Looking west towards Inverness from Nairn.
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| Now what should a guy do when he retires? Going to Scotland and Ireland with good friends seemed like a great idea. We had planned the trip before my decision to pack it in, but what the heck, it seemed like a way to celebrate life.
Yes, there will be some kind of movie made up of still images and video that Ken and I took, but that will be a project for the fall. For now, a few pictures and short reflections on our trip.
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The Isle of Skye has many delights.
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Where's Easdale? You ought to really check it out when in Scotland.
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Ken and Anna Willis, along with Lynn and I rented a car in Glasgow and put on 3500 kilometers before we dropped it off in Belfast. Lots of single track and narrow two lane roads visiting places discovered by our tour guides in the back seat. With Ken's navigation, I was able to make our way to the various sites without too many heart pounding situations.
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Was it the cider?
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West Coast of Ireland - Achill Island from the summit of Minaun
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The Giant's Causeway just north of Bushmill's
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Gay Pride Parade in Belfast
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On our first day in Glasgow we witnessed an Orange Parade. It was unlike any other parade I had ever witnessed. The almost violent beating of the drums, and the obviously liquor induced "frenzy" among the many young marchers was almost frightening. This parade didn't seem to have much about tolerance. The fervor with which long past events are held on to is boggling to me. This was the first bookend.
"The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth and the United States. It was founded in Loughgall, County Armagh, Ireland in 1795; its name is a tribute to Dutch-born Protestant king of England, William III, of the House of Orange-Nassau. William had defeated the Catholic army of James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
The highlights of the Orange year are the parades leading up to the celebrations on the Twelfth of July. The Twelfth however remains a deeply divisive issue, not least because of allegations of triumphalism and anti-Catholicism against the Orange Order in the conduct of its Walks and criticism of its alleged behaviour towards Roman Catholics." - the wikipedia
The second book end - On our last day of our trip, we discovered another parade. It was the Gay Pride Parade. It was noisy as well, but excepting for a small handful of protestors was one that was met with a lot of tolerance. The four of us had just taken a guided taxi tour of western Belfast - Shankill Road, Falls Road, petrol bomb scars, the Bobby Sands mural, and visited the Sinn Fein book store. It seemed to me that if Belfast could put on a peaceful and accepted Gay Pride Parade, perhaps there is reason to believe that we can all learn to be tolerant after all.
Between these two bookends our trip was compressed. It was a great trip filled with a wealth of experiences that will be fully digested over the coming months and years. Thanks to Ken, Anna, and Lynn for another wonderfully enriching experience.
Now should I have a Guinness or a wee dram?
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| Maligne Pass - Poboktan Creek to Maligne Lake via Maligne Pass - "The Skyline Will Have to Wait."
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Brandywine Mountain
Dollie and Ann are on a knoll of the South-East ridge during a brief moment when the peak was in full view.
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Alan Lizee is an active member of the Maple Ridge Outdoor Club as well as a member of long standing of the Red Lobster Outdoor Club. He led a trip with two members of the Maple Ridge Outdoor Club up Brandywine Mountain
"On Aug 10th Dollie, Ann and myself hiked Brandywine Mt as a Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club outing. The entire day the clouds threatened to sock-in the peak, but they lifted often enough to give visual bearings without resorting to map and compass. It took 1 1/2 hrs to reach Brandywine meadows from the end of the Brandywine/Callaghan West Forest Service Road (2w drivable), then another 2 1/2 hrs to the summit of Brandywine. We only had fleeting views along the way of Mt Garibaldi, Castle Towers, Black Tusk, Mt Fee, and Pyroclastic Pk. While on the summit it was totally socked-in and finger-numbing cold. Yet in spite of poor visibility, a great time was had by all.
" - Alan Lizee
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"This self-timer shot is all I have. It was socked-in so there was no view from the top"....Al
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Eaton Peak
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"I went hiking today with unlimited bear deterrents, which turned out to be a total flop. But guess where the bear was? It was in our yard. Barb, banged on the garage door twice to scare it away. It was not interested in our garbage on the street for pickup at 11:00. I think it just thought our yard would be a cool place to hang-out!
I just had to try this trip out to see if it would be feasible. I would do it again, but you do need the "Boost". Keith, I owe you a bear spray. The bush-whacking up the bluffs first pulled the pin on the personal alarm and by the time I could stop it the batteries and my ears were toast. A little later the bear spray must have been torn from the pack and I could not find it on the way down. Anyway, I made excellent time to the top, and my route finding was bang-on. There are several tent possibilities at the lake for single-occupant tents, so camping is not out of the picture." - Alan Lizee |
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Exploring the North Ridge of the Golden Ears - by Alan Lizee
In the picture to the left, Alan stands on the south-west peak of the Golden Ears. He has spent time earlier this year exploring possible ways to a spring traverse of the Golden Ears, and after that not working out, has spent time exploring the north ridge . If you use the links provided here, you can read his account and see where he has gone. My goodness this guy has energy!
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Zoa Ridge - Coquihalla Area (Google map: 49.626667, -121.088333)
Keith Akenhead and Nella
- Just past the gap between the "subpeak" in background and main "peak" looking east. -
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| Keith Akenhead and I made a hike up Zoa Ridge September 8 in very nice weather. We drove to exit 221 just south of the tool booths on the Coquihalla highway and went up the short paved road to the Falls Lake parking lot. We left the parking about 10:30, went up the gravel road to the north for a short way, and quickly found the overgrown former "road" on the left hand side leading up to the pipeline right of way. From there we hiked up the right of way until we were getting close to the top of the ridge and there were obvious cairns and tape marking the beginning of the trail. From there we found a good trail working its way up the east ridge of Zoa.
It should be noted that Zoa does not have a "peak", but rather two alpine bumps separated by a rather narrow col that is right on the trail. It took us just under three hours from the car to reach a point in the trail that we had reached the highest bump, and to go any further meant that we would be going down hill. We spent a leisurely time eating and drinking, and enjoying the views.
About two thousand feet of elevation gain, and worth the trip.
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North face of Yak Peak from the gap between the bumps.
Note the east ridge leading over towards Nak Peak.
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The view from the end of the trail looking west.
Alpaca, Vicuna, and Guanaco peaks on the skyline
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Two Nights at the Himmelsbach Hut
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Gold Creek
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| Close to home, enjoyable views, and the opportunity to get exercise out in nature. What's not to like? Lately Chris Cooper and I have done a number of hikes up to Gold Creek Falls, up the trail to the East Canyon Road, and back to the car. How lucky we are to have Golden Ears Park so close to us. Now if only the hired help will keep it open in the winter. |
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Munro Lake
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After Alan took me up the first 2000 ft. of the Viking Creek trail that leads up to Battery, he took me up to Munro Lake in the Burke Mountain area of Coquitlam. I think it is fair to say that Alan enjoys steep trails. I think he enjoys the trail up to Munro Lake almost as much as he enjoys the Viking Creek trail. ;-) We did this hike in the last week of October and there was ice starting to form on parts of the lake and adjacent ponds. It was a very pleasant spot and made me want to come back and go on to Dennett Lake and perhaps the ridges beyond. Although the trail is steep, it is quite a good one.
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Diamond Head
Fresh snow and cold air November 29
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| Chris Cooper and I went up to Diamond Head on November 23 for our first winter trip and surprisingly there was enough snow at the parking lot for skiing. I used snow shoes for the first time in many many years and was surprised how easy they were to walk in. I did miss my skis on the way down though.
Chris and I braved the many construction slow downs on the Squamish highway again November 29 and found between 20 and 30 centimeters of new snow. There was snow covering the road starting from the Squamish golf course, although I was able to avoid putting on my cable chains until the entrance to the park. From there the road was ploughed, but it consisted of compact snow and ice. You could see where people without chains and all wheel drive had been spinning their tires and sometimes simply not making it. I had now problem going up, or later, going down. I love my CRV.
We had left Maple Ridge just after 7:00 am and with having breakfast in North Vancouver and the slow downs on the highway, we didn't have our skies on till 11:30! I'm afraid we won't be able to make good time on the Squamish highway till the Olympics are over.
In spite of the length of time it takes to get to the parking lot, with weather we had (see picture above), it all seems worthwhile. We met Ken Stewart's daughter Megan and her partner on her way up to the Elfin Lake Hut for a couple of days of snowshoeing. She had been taught by Ken Willis at Alouette Elementary and knew Chuck McCafferty from Thomas Haney High School. Small world. Chris met a young woman in the Red Heather shelter from Yellowknife who knew people from the north that Chris knew from this ski trips in the Arctic islands. Small world.
The sky was bright, it was about minus 7 C, there was fresh snow, my new bindings seemed to work well, and the ski down back to the car was unusually easy. Chris and I talked a lot about his upcoming canoe journey around Britain. We stopped off at Starbucks in Squamish to refuel. It was good to be retired.
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