About an hour drive east of Vancouver City lies the Golden Ears Provincial Park; a green belt of roughly 215 squares miles - just slightly smaller than the island nation of Singapore. It was established in 1967, the momentous year that was marked by the first human to human heart transplant, and of course it was the year I was born in. Its prominent peak called Blanshard, stands quite prominently along Maple Ridge. It is perhaps the shape of the protruding peak resemble an ear, awash in the golden hues of the sun that gives the park its namesake.
Upon entering the park, we quickly realized how vast this forest reserved is; as we drove past many trailheads and well defined trails that seem to pop up everywhere we look. Our goal of the day (or half the day as we started quite late) was to summit Evans Peak which overlooks Alouette Lake. We had scouted the area the day before in order to familiarize ourselves with the area and its features.
We started our hike at about 2 pm as we made our way past secondary forests along View Point Trail. In a small clearing, we could see Evans Peak, majestically standing out against the forest. This section was well graded and wide as the old growth of the area had been previously logged for its prized woods.
In approximately 20 minutes we arrive at the junction to Evans Peak, marked by a simple small sign pointing the way. Its hard to miss as you can immediately see the hillside climb up to gain the ridge. From here the trail climbs in earnest and narrows to a single track. At times the trail was difficult to discern through the many blow downs and wash outs along the way.
The steep climb continued for about an hour when we finally reach a small break in the elevation gain. Here we had a peak-a-boo view of Alouette Lake and a small clearing to rest in. Soon we continued up the ridge with a steep ravine to our right. As we approached the top, we could see water flowing through the ravine due to ice melt.
Here the green of the forest really stands out against the warm browns of the earth. Although the pictures do not really capture it, mother nature provides for a swath of bugs as it is the prime time for hatching. We had to be careful to not swallow too many of them!
Towards the top we crossed a stream and the trail then flattened out towards the junction; left to Alouette Mountain and right to Evans Peak.
By this time, the very clear and bright weather had now turned to be foggy and damp. We began to wonder what we would be able to see at the top...
The relatively flat trail at this point didn't last very long. Soon we were again climbing a very steep path that was now changing from the soft damp forest floor to a more alpine rocky surface. Here patches of snow and ice began to appear. The steeper the route became the more rock scrambling we had to do.
Along the way we also started to see more warning signs about the steepness and potential for overhang drop-offs along the way. This is the great adventure of this trail - the taxing climb with just a little bit of danger along the way. We wondered about the person who made the signs as they were truly interesting to look at.
By this time we could feel the burn of the climb and scramble. We were however, thankful for the cool weather. Finally, we popped out at the top of Evans Peak, marked by the memorial plaque at the side of a protruding granite rock. If one were to look on the topographical map for this peak by name, one will not find it. Its name is very colloquial in reference to a particular local event where Mr. Evans and his son John went missing while attempting to summit Allouette Mountain in 1966. The two were last seen in this area heading towards Edge Peak. Although many searches were conducted over the years, not a trace has ever been found.
Our view at Evans Peak was initially shrouded by fog and clouds. So we hung out for a while. We could see the knife edge of the peak as we traversed further along towards the lake. We were told that there are many ice caves along the cliff edge towards the valley floor. Only for the foolhardy to attempt.
Fortunately, there was a brief break in the clouds and we could see the incredible view of Evans' valley along with the magnificent frozen falls. This hike is a great challenge for a short distance. On a clear day, one would be rewarded by 360 degree views of Blanshard, Edge and Golden Ears peaks; not to mention Allouette Lake and the surrounding valley and falls. No luck for us this day in seeing Blanshard rock. I guess we will just have to return again someday.
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