The catch is, the North Shore
Mountains, as this sub-range of the Coast Mountains is known are
steep, perhaps unimaginably steep if you have not done much hiking,
climbing or skiing in this area. While the summits don't reach much
more than 1800 metres, the rise from sea level is abrupt and rapid.
The western slopes of Unnecessary Mountain for example, rise over
1500 metres in just under three kilometres.
Nearby Black Mountain trail:
Typical North Shore mountain track
I don't have any pictures to illustrate
the "trail" that descends from Unnecessary Mountain to
Lions Bay. You can, however, take a
gander at this selection of the relevant topographic map (the contour
interval is 20 metres and blue UTM grid is 1 km) to get an idea of
the terrain I descended. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
It was supposed to be a sunny day, at
least that was the valley forecast. However, when Doug dropped me
off at the base of Cypress ski area, it was foggy, damp, and destined
to remain that way until I reached Lions Bay, way down at sea level.
I suspect the mountains stayed socked in all day. That is the way of
mountain weather.
From a previous trip, I knew a quick
way to get to the Howe Sound Crest Trail which is what the rooty,
muddy, scrambly foot pad that runs along the crest of the mountain
ridge above Howe Sound is called. Apart from the trail moniker, it
is an apt name.
West coast trail goodness
Perhaps 20 minutes from the ski hill
where the trail is a broad and pleasantly graded walkway, an
information booth is reached. I've been past this booth a few times
now, both on skis and on foot, and, as I knew my way, I really did
not need to stop. But, a new sign had appeared, courtesy of BC
Parks.
Well, OK, kids, don't try this at home
as you will surely need hospitalization, possibly a coffin, for the
subsequent water intoxication (aka hyponatreamia) which will surely
result. I guess BC Parks does not realize, in their arse covering
way, that there have been fatalities from water intoxication as a
result of such imperatives. Yes, "people have died" (to
quote the statin lunatics). It's also not clear to me, given the average time to traverse the Howe Sound Crest is upwards of 12 hours, how people are supposed to carry 24 plus litres of water. Governments can be inexplicable.
In any event, about 30 seconds past
this sign, I crossed the first of several creeks that were running
with lovely clear mountain water. Thereafter, I sloshed through so
much water for the rest of the hike that my shoes and clothes were
soaked.
Water is everywhere in the BC mountains
After the information booth, the trail
crosses several gullies that are avalanche prone in winter and soon
arrives at a forested saddle between Montizambert and Lempke Creeks.
This is the jumping off point for Christmas Gully, or, if you do
that trip more sensibly reversing the route we did, the base of
Christmas Gully. In summer, the gully is not appealing, full of head
high wet greenery.
Christmas Gully in spring
After this, the track heads up to the
Howe Sound Crest and pretty much stays right along the ridge top, the
entire way. In the Olympic year (2010), some work was done on the
trail making it an actual trail, but, this runs out soon after
leaving the saddle and the track turns into the usual West Coast
narrow foot-pad criss-crossed with tree roots and mud-holes.
At some point, I passed St Marks summit
in the gloom. There were really no views, although on a clear day,
the islands of Howe Sound glitter in the ocean. Continuing north I
followed the foot-pad, trying to stay on the main one, but in the fog
and with many braids in places, I kept leaving and joining various
alternatives.
Looking down on Howe Sound from near St Marks
After about 3 hours, when I was quite
turned around in the fog, I came to what seemed to be a summit, with
an area clear of trees and falling off in all directions. What one
normally considers a summit. Here I stopped for a quick bite to eat
and checked my location on the map. I was not quite on Unnecessary
Mountain, instead, on a little bump on the ridge perhaps a kilometre
south.
So some more up and down, scrambling
down some rocky sections, feeling my way along in the gloom.
Unnecessary Mountain is marked by a wooden sign delineating the Howe
Sound Crest trail continuing north and the Unnecessary trail
descending to the west. I was about 4 hours into my "easy
stroll" and thinking it was time to head down to the valley and
catch the bus back home.
I should have had stunning views of the
Lions, Howe Sound, and all the cliffs that bristle along the spine of
the ridge, but instead I sat in a dank fog, ate my lunch and
considered my options.
Howe Sound Crest in fog
On a previous trip to climb West Lion,
we had walked up and down the trail that descends from the ridge
between Unnecessary and West Lion so I knew that trail. It was steep
at first, all the trails are steep, but then it had a lesser angle as
it headed north to join old logging roads. However, I could remember
that the logging road section was hard and stony underfoot and
overall it is not a particularly scenic trail. So, I decided to head
down Unnecessary trail.
There is no getting around this trail
is steep, but I enjoyed it more than other trails in the area. The
first part of the descent is on a spur ridge that points west. The
ridge is narrow and to the south there are a series of cliffs and
buttresses. Along the ridge itself there are small tarns and
meadows. Walking down in fog, however, is an eerie feeling as the
terrain ahead is so steep it feels as if you are about to walk off a
cliff. It is too bad I have no photos of this section as it was
quite impressive.
Where the spur ridge merges with the
west slopes, the trail just goes straight down, and so did I. Glad
of a hiking pole but also grabbing trees and branches, rocks and
roots, anything to keep my descent under some kind of control. The
foggy light filtered through evergreen trees was really pretty.
Unnecessary Mountain in spring
Near the bottom, when I was beginning
to wonder if I would ever reach flat ground, I passed a young couple
hiking up with overnight packs. They looked comparatively fresh and
happy, but I couldn't help but wonder how they would feel higher up
after a few hours of uphill struggle.
Eventually, I heard the noise of road
equipment, saw light through the trees and emerged on a dirt road
that quickly became paved. Still, it was two more kilometres to the
bus stop and then another two kilometres at the other end of the bus
ride. By the time I walked up the driveway, one of my knees had
seized up and my feet and body were feeling battered about. So much
for an "easy stroll."
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