A quick alert on the hiking trail condition of the High Rim Trail from Kalamalka Provincial Park to the Relay Tower and Damer Lake. We just got back from the hike. (see previous post for locations and Kalamalka hiking maps) The distance is only about 10 to 11 km (my GPS shut down for a bit) and would normally be a one day moderate hike. But here is the warning that I feel I need to post even before I get the pictures and other details uploaded to TracksAndTrails.ca ;
If you want to make it to the vista at the relay station via the High Rim Trail and after Cosens Creek, you need to be prepared to navigate dozens of blow downs. For the last one half to 1 km just before the repeater station, the blow downs become very heavy with one every couple feet with no option to bypass them due to thick brush. So please do not take young children or use inappropriate foot wear along the High Rim Trail between Cosens Creek and Damer Lake as it is treacherous. Several trees that are leaning are split and ready to fall at any time. I’ll be back with more details from the trip soon.
I decided to post here you have no section for high rim trail mid section postill james lake area.
POSTILL RD 8km mark – James Lake Scotty Creek. High Rim trail.( distance 6-7km as the crow flies)
Mind what seems to be a relitivly short distance, WE were totally surprised when it took us the better part of 10 hrs to hike, the trail here is in need of some serious clean up. dead fall trips up the trail what seems to be every few feet and where dead fall isn’t obstucting your path . missing trail markers will surely keep your eyes dancing wondering where the trail went at all. at one point we probably went 3 or 4 k with no clear trail signs at all. Just when we decided to say heck with making sure we were on the right trail sure enuf another pink and black ribbon caught my eye, aknoleging i was on the right trail again, as quick as they had reappeared they were gone and we were left knee deep in bog. 2-0 for the trail so far. While navigating the bog we came across and interesting plant i have never seen before, a single blue black berry capping the stem of something resembling a common plantain. The stem was about 6 cm and the diamiter of the plantain like leaves was only about 8cm across, we found three, all small and alone, any ideas?? after about 40 mins of hiking we came out of the bog and entered a thick growth of forest and deadfall, here we hear a mosse tromping around us pusing through the bush. Now the tightness of bush and deadfall here had me squirming through and the sound of an unseen male moose knocking down branches with his antlers is a bit unnerving, we let him pass in silence it was fall and all. About an hour of hiking later wse came out on an abandoned FSR, by the condition of the old road and the fact bush grass had completely staked a plot on the land i’d say it hasn’t been used if a 10 year. not a track acros it save a small game trail it was a welcome release from the cramped wood. we took lunch here and this is about where we noticed we had lost a bag along the way ……. it wasn’t a big deal it was just mostly food and all 😐 3-0 for the trail now and with spirits on the decent we trucked on hoping to find a source of water to refill our rapidly diminishing supply.about an hour or two from here we cam across some easy trekking and withing the next 45 mins we heard water time to even the score.
sure enuf came across a small crick and a fsr it was just getting dark and the water was appreciated 3-1 . we decided to set up camp along the fsr and i checked my maps to figure out where we were …. farmers beta. 4-1 for the trail a whole day of pushin hard and we made it 6 km……. to think we planned to get to philpott… anyway as for oyama to philpott we are still preparing all the details but as soon as i think the snow is at an acceptable level we are gonna hit it … we are expecting 5-6 days.
keep ur socks dry and your whistle wet. CHaY