The Big Elbow Trail in the Snow
Another long weekend and another trip out to the mountains for Saran and I. We took the short ride to the Elbow Valley to enjoy the first of the wonderful crisp snow and cold winter air. We parked in the usual spot at the little elbow car park and set out toward the Harold Chapman Suspension Bridge.
We had been walking for a good 2 minutes before Sarah came out with her classic "its warmer than I thought it was" so we stopped while the coat was removed and put away in the rucksack Behind Sarah in this shot is forgetmenot ridge which I hiked around this time last year.
At the Harold Chapman Suspension Bridge we crossed over and turned initially left for a little less than 1km before turning right onto the Big Elbow Trail.
This was a first for both of us and we plodded on through the snow enjoying being in a new area and anticipating the views that we hoped were to come.
after 3.5km of trees, trees and more trees we were beginning to wonder if this was a good choice of trail or not, with no sign of it opening out we were discussing whether or not to turn around when a guy came toward us. We asked about the trail opening up and he directed us to a high spot just a short distance ahead.
After thanking the guy we continued on and sure enough, as he had said we found some blue flagging tied to a tree branch where we were to turn and begin our ascent of a small hill that Sarah insists was a mountain.
It was a short steep ascent to a level section then another even steeper ascent which was muddy with meltwater making the surface greasy and the climb much more difficult than it would otherwise have been.
But in a short while we were sitting at a viewpoint overlooking the Big Elbow Trail and enjoying hot tea and sandwiches, it was nice to be out of the shade and bathing in glorious winter sunshine in such a wonderfully quiet location.
around us were mountains of all sizes and two wide river valleys, the usual blanket of fir trees stretched out for miles in all directions as the low winter sun began to dip away toward the horizon.
We stayed long enough to enjoy the silence and the wonder of the mountains in wintertime before heading back along the forest trail the way we had come. The sun was low as we reached the bridge and we felt the temperature drop as it sunk behind the distant mountains but we were now only a short way from the truck and soon in the warmth of the cab heading home after another great afternoon in the mountains.