Decision Time. Easy breezy or Summit Fever
I arrived at the cut off to Wildwood where my resupply is waiting for me. Decision time. I had already decided that the additional 7 days of hiking were out. The terrain, mileages, and possible route finding would make finishing the trail in seven days nearly impossible and quite likely miserable.
So now I had to decide. Do I just head down to the resupply and call a taxi from there or do I go all the way to Powell River? Back and forth. Easy Breezy or summit fever. My body said easy. My mind said wouldn't it be great to get a view of the ocean and Powell River from the summit of Scout Mt.? Scout Mt. won out. True to Canadian design the trail left an old logging road and went straight up the mountain. A grueling last few kms but the pay off was that we hit the SCT summit (not the true summit but close enough). The view was stunning. A panorama of Powell River in the foreground, Powell Lk off to the east, ahead was the ocean, islands, and in the far distance the peaks of Vancouver Island. Well worth the climb.
On the way up I ran into a man and his son who were day hiking. He warned me about bears and cougars. I said I understood they were there and had Taz wearing the bear bells. Later on as we plunged down to the lake we saw an increasing amount of bear poop at various levels of decomposition. The sign that we were getting close to civilization and...fruit trees. It was straight down the mt. right to Powell Lk. Both Taz and I were hot and tired. A beautiful beach beckoned us for a swim. We shed our packs. I threw some sticks for Taz and it was like he hadn't just hiked 6 miles with a pack on. Give me more was in his eyes. So I threw some more sticks and swam myself. We hung out for awhile. I let my feet recover in the cool water (still way warmer than I'd expected). They were definitely aching after 4 days of challenging trail and pack weight. Done, fini. Don't need to do anymore. Next stop the Shingle Mill Pub for a meal and a ...
Shingle Mill Pub
Coming in during the quiet time I was able to bring Taz with to a table on the deck. Next to me was a couple with their large dog as well. They were in need of a water bowl so I shared one of Taz's with them. That opened up a good conversation. They had just spent 7 days canoeing on the Powell Lake trail system that goes from lake to lake with small portages in between. The man had done it many times over the past 25 years. It was the first time for his girlfriend. His dog was a seasoned vet. He also carried his own dog kibble in a pack. A well earned meal and some good conversation was a great way to close the 4 day adventure I'd just had on the Sunshine trail.
Coming in during the quiet time I was able to bring Taz with to a table on the deck. Next to me was a couple with their large dog as well. They were in need of a water bowl so I shared one of Taz's with them. That opened up a good conversation. They had just spent 7 days canoeing on the Powell Lake trail system that goes from lake to lake with small portages in between. The man had done it many times over the past 25 years. It was the first time for his girlfriend. His dog was a seasoned vet. He also carried his own dog kibble in a pack. A well earned meal and some good conversation was a great way to close the 4 day adventure I'd just had on the Sunshine trail.
From there I caught a taxi to Saltery Bay retrieved my car and headed for Lund for more of that wonderful lazy seaside life.
Sliammon Lake from trail heading south.
This gives you a good idea of how steep this trail was in sections. Taz is above me.
Bright yellow / green moss lines the trail.
a Great Heron hunting on the Ooclec pond.
Little Sliammon lake with dock and canoe.
Taz walking out onto the dock.
He looks and then....
Just walks right out on to the floating raft. At first I'm afraid he'll fall in with his pack and then I take out my camera to get a shot.
Huckberry Taz.
The raft.
Positive signs that civilization is close.
Taz didn't want to cooperate with me on this shot but at least I have one photo of him and I together.
Looking out at the inside passage from the top of Scout Mt.
Powell River and lake to the left. Ocean on the right.
Now the trail goes down.
And down....
And down some more.
The pay off. A beautiful sandy beach with warm water for a swim. A perfect way to end the hike.
Beautiful blue green water lined with rocky cliffs.
Our little perch.
The marina from Shingle Mill Pub.
