Tag Archives: Trophy Range

Fifty Years on Trophy Mountain

Kamloops Trails Posted on by  

On a sunny and warm day in early July, an early start was important, so the hike started at the trailhead by 8:30 in the morning.     The first 2 km was through forest, winding uphill, crossing streams, working toward subalpine glades up to the meadows.    Snow was still present at the higher elevations so the slopes were mostly wet, with wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and emerging perennials all the way from the forest to the heathlands in the alpine zone.   This was the fiftieth consecutive year in a row of hiking in the Trophy Mountains.    Over the years, all of the 9 summits were hiked, some from different trailheads, some involving day-long traverses.    In later years, the goal is to limit these summer hikes to 15 km or less.     On this day, the route was up the main trail to the meadows, up the ridge to the junction, down to and around Sheila Lake, up a gully toward the summit, off-trail through the alpine heath, then back on a trail through Plateau of the Tarns.   There were more hikers on the trails on the way down.      Wildflowers were abundant in the alpine, in the subalpine meadows, and in the damp forests.    Birds were active wherever there were copses.     Mosquitoes were not an issue.   This was a 12.5 km hike.

Two fathers with their daughters were coming up from the Sheila Lake campsite.    One said that this was the best spot to enjoy backcountry camping – “Only 5 km to get to this wonderful spot.”

The temptation to go up the scramble route to the top of Long Hill was great, but common sense prevailed.    Conditions (it was hot), age, and other hikes and paddles in the week were prime considerations.    All of the ridges in the Trophies have been hiked before, so in the years to come, just returning to hike on the mountain is an ongoing success story.

Shared here are some photos from the hike.     Captions are included for those who click the link to the album itself, but the images can be seen in a slideshow provided here.

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