Views From Mt. Caro Marion

May 9th, 10th and 11th (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday)

On Saturday we got picked up in the morning to go and help Gladys and James with their roof.  We spent the day working up on the roof with both of them, and we had fun.  Then in the evening we went for dinner to a couple’s house and the man made us Chinese food.  It was a nice day, but we were tired from working up on the roof in the hot sun.

On Sunday we had a relaxing day around home.  We worked on some little projects and got caught up on some things we had to get done.  

Monday was our fun day!!  We started out on a hike around 08:00.  At the beginning of the trail we put up the trailhead sign.  It was a beautiful sign that Gladys and James had made for us.  Gladys is very artistic and James is a good woodworker.  Gladys used three languages, English, Japanese, and Chinese because of all of the Japanese and Chinese workers who had been here in the old days of Ocean Falls. 

Once the sign was mounted we headed up our trail to Mount Caro Marion, excited to see how far we could get, and eager to get up above the tree line.  When we got to the area where we had had to turn around last time because there had been too much snow, there was no snow at all.  

We were encouraged, and as we came out into a meadow-like area with smaller trees and shrubs, we were hopeful that we were getting close to the end of the tree line.  
It turned out that we soon went right back into the forest, and it became harder and harder for us to follow the old trail.  At one point we missed the trail completely and we had to turn around a while later, as the going got harder and it became obvious that we had taken a wrong turn.  In order to stay on the path we had to proceed very slowly, constantly searching for any evidence of the old trail.  We felt like detectives looking for the slightest clue, such as an old weathered and clipped branch-end or a fleck of faded flagging tape. 

As we carried on upwards we got up into the snow and we were lucky that it was very firm, more like ice than snow so we were able to continue onward, walking on top of the snow.  

The deeper the snow got the harder it became to follow the trail because the snow covered many of our clues, and for the last bit of our trek to the edge of the tree line we were picking our own route.  

When we came to the edge of the trees and were about to cross the little stream that flowed past the edge, we noticed a stubby, faded blue ribbon; whether we had actually followed the trail unknowingly along the way or not, we had ended up at the same end spot.  
In order to cross the stream and get onto the snow on the rocks on the other side we had to cross a short snow bridge.  The snow was thick and firm and remained solid for our crossing. 

Immediately we were rewarded with a spectacular view.  Looking out along the stream it dropped off over the edge, and we had a splendid view of Link Lake and the mountains in the distance.  

The glare from the snow was blinding now that we were out into the sunshine and we quickly got out our sunglasses.  

We carried on until we found a perfect rock to sit at for lunch.  It was dry, protected from the wind, and had a beautiful view.  

We enjoyed crab sandwiches and wondered if anyone else had ever had crab sandwiches for lunch in that spot.  

After lunch we carried on, eager to explore further and see the view over the next ridge.  There was still a lot of snow up there, but there were also some areas of bare rock and low-lying shrubs.  We made our way along, careful to always stay away from the edges and any unstable looking areas, always sticking to the areas of solid snow.  

Unfortunately, because of the snow, there were a lot of areas that were unsafe to explore, but we were able to get up onto one of the higher ridges, 3177 feet, and we got a beautiful view out Cousins Inlet and all the way down Fisher Channel to Calvert Island.  

We could also see way back to many, many mountains and snow-capped peaks that appeared to ripple back into the distance beyond Baldy Mountain and out across Dean Channel.  

Behind us was the snow-covered peak of Mt. Caro Marion, only about another 800 feet above us.  It was a nearly cloudless day and perfect for taking in the scenery. 

While up in the snow we had fun, enjoying the heat from the sun and the fun of the snow.  

We built a snowman, and wondered if anyone had ever built a snowman up there before.  That snowman sure got a good view!

After a while of exploring we decided to head back.  We wanted to make it home with some time to relax in the sun, and we were eager to get home and take off our hiking boots.  Our feet had gotten quite wet because of walking through the snow and having it melt down our legs and ankles, so although we were not at all cold we were looking forward to getting our feet out into the air again. 

The hike that took us 4 hours to get up because of having to search for the trail and taking our time across the snow, took us only 2 hours and 20 minutes to get down.  

Mowi Fish-fry farm with dock and crew building, and tanks for the fish on land.

It will be nice to hike back up again sometime with our clippers and to work on improving the upper part of the trail.  We had both chosen to wear shorts for the hike, and our legs suffered with lots of scratches from the many brambles and twigs that were up above where we had previously cleared.  It was worth it however, as it would have been very hot otherwise.  

Back at home we took off our boots and changed out of our sweaty clothes, and then we enjoyed just sitting and relaxing on the dock.  Jason jumped in the water and had a refreshing swim; first of the year.  

It was a fantastic day!!!