As if you haven't seen enough of
Hollyburn Mountain and its peak, here are a few more photos to delight! The one above is looking toward the north-northeast from the summit of
Hollyburn Mountain. The only difference now between now and then is that the interior mountains have a dusting of snow. The frosting comes soon enough! The photo below is a close-up view of the
Lions, a nearby mountain to the north, and is easily seen from many vantage points in the
Vancouver area.
This was my rest spot on the summit. There is a close-up shot of the plaque on the side of the bench. The locals, the chipmunk that is, came out rather quickly to welcome visitors, and get some handouts!
The view alone was worth the hike, so if you're in the area and you love hiking and lots of beautiful scenery, come take a hike. For those with a vehicle, there is a road up the mountain with a parking lot with access to the nordic ski area from where you can hike up to the summit. My next adventure up the mountain might involve a winter hike. I understand the scenery can be quite breath-taking that time of year. Someone I know has done it with snowshoes! However, plan out your trip carefully if you plan to spend a day up on the mountain. Plus, bring a working flashlight with spare batteries and a sweater or light jacket if climbing up in the summer. This is if you stay is extended longer than you had anticipated. The winter time would obviously require the necessary clothing to keep warm in a cold environment plus warm boots and a hat.
My trip up the mountain on August 16th went well, though taking photos ate up time and I wasn't exactly keeping track of the hours fly by. Troubles began on the way down when I took a wrong trail. There were only two options and I went to the right when I should have kept hiking down using the trail straight ahead. By the time I realized my mistake, valuable time and daylight had been used up by the time I backtracked and resumed the hike on the correct trail. To add to this, the flashlight I was using had failing batteries. As I continued down the mountain, using no flashlight was as good as using the one I had that was failing. In the end, I ended up booking off work for the next morning knowing that I'd not be able to get home in time, have enough sleep and work in a wakeful manner through the next day (cell phone come in handy). Then I called the police via 911 to arrange for someone to get me off the mountain. Keep in mind that it was after 10 pm and very dark! And so, all things considered, it was unsafe to continue (there were plenty of ravines ahead to fall into) and wearing a t-shirt and jeans, which was great for the daytime (August), was not enough for the night hours, not without at least a sweater or light jacket. If my flashlight had been working properly, I would have been able to continue down without any issues.
North Shore Rescue ended up getting me off the mountain, so I speak from experience on a wise way to prepare for such a hike. The same rescue people were also responsible for putting up the trail markers. Before that, lots of people were getting lost and this was in the days before cell phones worked on the mountain. So give them your support if you're interested. They do a lot of valuable work! That my friends is my hike up the mountain to the summit. I hope you've enjoyed the photos (I certainly got to take plenty of them, more than I've posted here) and the commentary! I hope to have a detailed post soon on
Haliaeetus, my other blog that deals with nature and the wildlife in it, etc! - V.
As if you haven't seen enough of Hollyburn Mountain and its peak, here are a few more photos to delight! The one above is looking toward the north-northeast from the summit of Hollyburn Mountain. The only difference now between now and then is that the interior mountains have a dusting of snow. The frosting comes soon enough! The photo below is a close-up view of the Lions, a nearby mountain to the north, and is easily seen from many vantage points in the Vancouver area.
This was my rest spot on the summit. There is a close-up shot of the plaque on the side of the bench. The locals, the chipmunk that is, came out rather quickly to welcome visitors, and get some handouts!
The view alone was worth the hike, so if you're in the area and you love hiking and lots of beautiful scenery, come take a hike. For those with a vehicle, there is a road up the mountain with a parking lot with access to the nordic ski area from where you can hike up to the summit. My next adventure up the mountain might involve a winter hike. I understand the scenery can be quite breath-taking that time of year. Someone I know has done it with snowshoes! However, plan out your trip carefully if you plan to spend a day up on the mountain. Plus, bring a working flashlight with spare batteries and a sweater or light jacket if climbing up in the summer. This is if you stay is extended longer than you had anticipated. The winter time would obviously require the necessary clothing to keep warm in a cold environment plus warm boots and a hat.
My trip up the mountain on August 16th went well, though taking photos ate up time and I wasn't exactly keeping track of the hours fly by. Troubles began on the way down when I took a wrong trail. There were only two options and I went to the right when I should have kept hiking down using the trail straight ahead. By the time I realized my mistake, valuable time and daylight had been used up by the time I backtracked and resumed the hike on the correct trail. To add to this, the flashlight I was using had failing batteries. As I continued down the mountain, using no flashlight was as good as using the one I had that was failing. In the end, I ended up booking off work for the next morning knowing that I'd not be able to get home in time, have enough sleep and work in a wakeful manner through the next day (cell phone come in handy). Then I called the police via 911 to arrange for someone to get me off the mountain. Keep in mind that it was after 10 pm and very dark! And so, all things considered, it was unsafe to continue (there were plenty of ravines ahead to fall into) and wearing a t-shirt and jeans, which was great for the daytime (August), was not enough for the night hours, not without at least a sweater or light jacket. If my flashlight had been working properly, I would have been able to continue down without any issues. North Shore Rescue ended up getting me off the mountain, so I speak from experience on a wise way to prepare for such a hike. The same rescue people were also responsible for putting up the trail markers. Before that, lots of people were getting lost and this was in the days before cell phones worked on the mountain. So give them your support if you're interested. They do a lot of valuable work! That my friends is my hike up the mountain to the summit. I hope you've enjoyed the photos (I certainly got to take plenty of them, more than I've posted here) and the commentary! I hope to have a detailed post soon on Haliaeetus, my other blog that deals with nature and the wildlife in it, etc! - V.
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