Trekking with Nicola (and the dogs)

 As usual, we started too late up the road to the hike. It turned out to be a little rougher and farther than anticipated. It's an old forestry road that hadn't been gravelled in years so we were basically driving on rock bed. Our Highlander Hybrid was not designed for this kind of driving so we're thinking we're going to need to buy a truck, heaven forbid. (A smaller truck like the Toyota Tacoma but truck nonetheless.) The actual trail was fairly easy all the way up to the first tarns. We stopped part way at an old mine shaft that had been closed off with a sheet of plywood. Of course that had been removed so entering would be relatively simple. We figured it must go down a ways from air blowing up from the tunnel. Like most mines in the region, silver and gold had been the object of the miners dreams. Decomposing wood from the sluice gates could still be seen in ditch extending from the tunnel.  From there, up to the tarns, the trail became quite steep. From there it ...

 Jumbo Mountain is the most iconic in the Columbia River and was once considered a great location for a future ski resort. The locals became outraged by this idea, got the support of indigenous groups and basically killed the project.  The trailhead is about an hour's drive over gravel, both rough and smooth, from Panorama resort, which is 20 kilometres from Invermere. It's supposed to be navigable in 2 wheel vehicles however it requires going through a stream and few deep dips in the road.  A number of trucks were in the parking lot however we didn't meet anyone on the trail on the long, long, way up, 810 metres according to the AllTrails app. With the 7.6 kilometres, it took us about 3 hours to reach the overnight hut. It's there we were greeted by a bunch of trail makers, two young women and three older guys and, when I say older, I mean in their 70s. Kind of incredible really because the hike is really quite gruelling.  The hike is beautiful, perhaps the most bea...

 We did this hike a couple of times. The first with Hart. We left at noon thinking we had plenty of time but the road took us a couple of hours to navigate. I asked Nicola get out of the car a few times to ensure that we could clear some of the ruts in the last couple of kilometres. Fortunately, I don't believe we scraped the bottom of the car once. We've always wondered if our Toyota Highlander Hybrid was four-wheel drive however the way it pulled us out of some of the ruts, I'm beginning to believe it is.  The parking lot was surprisingly full. A young couple arrived just ahead of us. A couple in their late forties, early fifties were just heading up the trail and a couple of dirt bikers arrived just ahead of us. They had planned to ride up the trail but, seeing that motorised vehicles are prohibited on the trail as well as mountain bikes, they decided to find another way in.  Like the road going in, the trail rises constantly and in some places, steeply. About 500 metr...

 This was an easy hike almost within the town of Fernie. It took us about an hour that did require some effort as there is a constant uphill walk. The falls are pretty so the little effort required is well rewarded.  This trail is also part of an extensive mountain bike trail system.