The last few weeks in SWBC have been thick with smoke, forcing Lindsay and I to change many of our plans. We had planned for a trip into the Tolkien area this weekend with some friends, but instead opted for something shorter to limit our exposure to the smoke.
Just after leaving the pavement in the Squamish Valley we saw a moose off road in some swampy bush. We drove two trucks up the Br200, accessing the series of spurs on the NW side of Cloudburst. These spurs have been pushed a few hundred meters higher than last reports indicate, and loggers have almost cleared up to the alpine tree line.
We bushwhacked through dry blueberries for around half hour, emerging on a pleasantly rounded ridge that took us to the summit shortly.
The views were short-lived, as we could barely see Tricouni Peak, and could not see across the valley.
We hung out on top for a bit then retraced our route quickly to the truck.
Back on the Squamish mainline, we followed it for nearly an hour and a half, until we reached a sandbar on the Elaho and decided to call it quits.
Despite a large party going on down the beach, we were able to enjoy some solitude and fired up the BBQ for dinner.
In the morning, Mel and Dom took off on their own, and Lindsay and I decided to explore the roads a bit.
We crossed the Elaho to the Sims Mainline Road. We drove quite aways, finding very minimal access to the river, and stopped at the Molson Recreation Site at Peaches and Cream waterfall.
A short trail leads to the spectacular falls! Surely, a great place to camp for free.
We crossed back and stopped at Maude Frickert Falls along the Elaho mainline. A great day exploring the backroads!
Coastal Mountaineering 