A Day in Hope
Hope is a small town in the south west of British Columbia, once a bustling thriving logging and mining town it is now a much slower paced retirement community. Set in stunning surroundings at the confluence of the Coquihalla and Fraser rivers it is easy to see why some would choose to remain there. It's enduring claim to fame is that it was the location for filming the first Rambo movie and indeed has a self guided 'Rambo Tour' you can take around the place.
After turning off highway 5 it is a short hop over the railway to the town centre, (the same railway Rambo jumped on a motorbike when escaping sheriff teasdale early in the movie) though the best of the views are looking out of town in any direction.
After turning off highway 5 it is a short hop over the railway to the town centre, (the same railway Rambo jumped on a motorbike when escaping sheriff teasdale early in the movie) though the best of the views are looking out of town in any direction.
I picked this place as it took a good chunk of the journey to Vancouver leaving me a day to explore before making the remaining couple of hour drive to the city. I stayed at a small motel called the Park Motel which was by far the best and cleanest motel I have ever stayed in. After dropping off my bags I took a walk around town to have dinner. Whilst walking I picked out my hike for the morning 'Hope Mountain' which was close by and promised great views over the town.
It is a steep mountain in fantastic high humidity and even though I'd set off early it was still incredibly hot as I made my way up the twisting forest trail, occasionally glimpsing the town along the way. I couldn't help but feel for the camera crews hauling their gear up here for the 'hunting Rambo in the forest' part of the movie....it must have been bloody hard work.
At the top of the boulder strewn lookout is a fancy cairn with an ammo box within it where a summit register now bears my usual input.
The overview of the town from here is worth the hike and there is a nice bench up here where I sit a while and take in the beautiful scenery, everything is so 'lush' as you would expect with all the rain they get over here, it reminds me of home.
The lady running the Park Motel told me I 'must' walk the Othello Tunnels trail and shouldn't visit Hope without seeing it, as an old railway line it was always going to be pretty easy so I headed down there after lunch and made a 5k hike through the tunnels and across the seemingly endless trestle bridges, it was a lovely shaded hike with a plentiful supply of wild raspberries along the way.
The Othello tunnels were built to traverse the coquihalla canyon to the East of Hope and was the site of the cliff jump scene in Rambo, the trestle bridges and tunnels are now maintained as part of a provincial park, it was originally the Kettle Valley Railway. As an ex train driver I can't help but envy the guys who drove this route daily.
The river funnels through the canyon bouncing and crashing off moss laden boulders creating a wonderful noise that echos through the dark tunnel sections promising more if you keep on walking.
Toward the end of the canyon the walls widen out and forest begins to retake it's lost ground though a well maintained trail ensures easy passage for even the most reluctant hiker.
Some sections of the trail are encroached upon by moss covered rock and fallen cedars which make for a wonderful hike in dappled shade where the heat of the afternoon sun is soothed by cool humidity.
The trail eventually breaks out into coquihalla pass where I turn around to make the return journey back through the canyon.
I 'm grateful to the lady at the motel for pointing this out to me, it is not something I would have been drawn to normally but it is a wonderful little hike that I would most likely have never made without her input. Local knowledge is a valuable resource.
If you ever find yourself in the area of the lower fraser river this little canyon is a must do hike, it may well be a graded pathway with no challenge at all in terms of either distance or ascent, it is however a beautiful, secluded wonder tucked away from prying eyes.
As I exit the last tunnel and make my way along the river to the car park I meet a random ice cream seller with a cool box on a mountain bike, I asked if he was a mirage before buying the best frozen mango lolly I've ever tasted, strange to find him there I thought.....assuming he actually was there and not a mirage.....either way I enjoyed the mango lolly real or otherwise.