EXCERPTS
Sample of Premier trip
MACBETH ICEFIELD ****
| Location |
Glacier Creek Valley |
| Round trip |
13.8 km (8.6 mi) from Glacier Creek Road
|
| Elevation gain |
1098 m (3602 ft) |
| Time required |
9 hours |
| Difficulty |
Challenging |
| Access |
Easy (until final, short, 4WD spur to
trailhead) |
| Available |
July through mid-October |
| Maps |
82 K/7 Duncan Lake |
OPINION
Isn't this an amazing planet? That's the sentiment
behind all the enthusiastic exclamations of
wonder that hikers blurt out when they emerge
above treeline and see the double waterfall
pouring off Macbeth Icefield. The entire setting
is powerfully wild; so recently glaciated that
it bears the still-fresh fingerprints of creation.
The hike begins beside a creek whose thundering
roar hints at the magnitude of the marvels you've
come to witness. Then, like a hypnotist regressing
you to a past life, the trail guides you into
a quiet, dark, moist, leafy-green middle world—a
hanging basin, above the valley floor, beneath
the icefield.…….
FACT
On Foot
Begin a long, ascending traverse northeast on
a slumping, brushy slope. In about 15 minutes,
pass a trail register at 1345 m (4410 ft) and
enter a stand of timber. The trail steepens
but is now better defined. Beyond the trees,
sidehill through more brush above convulsing,
glacier-fed Birnam Creek. Proceed into forest.
At 1455 m (4770 ft), about 40 minutes from the
trailhead, the trail turns left and drops to
where a log bridge used to span the creek. It
was blown out by a torrent in the intensely
hot summer of 1998 when the glacier melted furiously
and the creek raged for months. If the bridge
has been replaced, cross to the far bank and
follow the trail right (northeast).
If the bridge is still missing when you arrive,
turn right and follow a boot-beaten path upstream
about 100 meters (110 yards) to where a huge
fallen log (possibly still flagged) should convey
you to the far bank. Pick up the trail heading
generally northeast. For the next 1.6 km (1
mi) you'll be on a level basin floor that can
be inundated in spring and summer. Snowmelt
from above often courses down the trail. It's
not an obstacle, just annoying. Footlogs help
in places but are too few to ensure dry boots.
Want to read the whole description for MacBeth Icefield? Get the book.
Sample of a Don't Do trip
WEE SANDY CREEK
| Location |
Maps Valhalla Provincial Park |
| Round Trip |
29 km (18 mi) |
| Elevation Gain |
1370 m (4500 ft) |
| Time Required |
Two days |
| Difficulty |
Challenging |
| Access |
Boat Required |
| Available |
late June through mid-October
Slocan Lake 82 K/3; Valhalla Society Visitor's
Guide;
Valhalla and Kokanee Glacier Provincial
Parks brochure |
OPINION
Objective discernment has yet to illuminate
the mysterious aura that shrouds Valhalla Provincial
Park. That's because very few hikers have explored
it thoroughly. Yet many have heard of Valhalla,
and they swoon when it pops up in conversation.
They imagine themselves trekking, deliriously
awestruck, through an exalted mountainscape.
It's an exaggeration—only slightly less
mythic than the park's name, which refers to
the great hall of dead Norse heroes.
Valhalla has dramatic alpine scenery, but less
than advertised. And what little it has isn't
easy for hikers to appreciate. Of the park's
six trails, only one reaches the alpine zone
(Gimli Ridge), and just two others reach the
subalpine zone (Gwillim Lakes and New Denver
Glacier. All the rest stay deep in forest. No
grand vistas. No peak-studded horizons. No flower-filled
meadows.
The Wee Sandy Creek trail is definitely in
the "others" category. It's 14.5 km
(9 mi) long. That means you'll carry a full
pack for at least two days if you want to go
the distance. On day one, after nine hours of
arduous tromping (steep ascents, frustrating
descents, washouts, deadfall, brush, bugs) you'll
reach Wee Sandy Lake at trail's end and still
be 350 m (1148 ft) below treeline. Most hikers
would find that unfulfilling, even depressing.
…….
FACT
By Vehicle
Drive to New Denver. It's at the junction of
Hwys 6 and 31A, on the northeast shore of Slocan
Lake. Proceed to the town campground. It's on
the lakeshore, just south of Carpenter Creek,
which is bridged on Hwy 6. Park at the outer
edge of the campground, near the boat ramp and
dock.
By Boat
The trailhead is on Slocan Lake's roadless west
shore. To get there, you'll have to boat from
New Denver, on the east shore. For shuttle service,
call Hank Hastings (250-358-7737). Hank charges
$35 per round trip for up to 4 people and gear.
Make reservations at least a few days in advance.
Ask to be dropped at the campground immediately
south of Wee Sandy Creek. That's the trailhead,
at 537 m (1760 ft).
On Foot
Follow the trail southwest. Within 15 minutes
you might notice an old trail forking left (southeast).
It leads 2 km (1.2 mi) to the Sharp Creek trail.
Stay right, continuing the ascent southwest.
Gradually curve west. This will remain your
general direction of travel the rest of the
way as you follow Wee Sandy Creek upstream.
Near 4.8 km (3 mi) look for mountain goats on
the cliffs north of the creek. …….
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