A spectacular day for the hike up Mt Elma! Although only 1400m high this mountain offers views in all directons. After passing Battleship & Kooso Lake the route heads off westward through meadows & then through the bush. Route finding would be rather difficult without familiarity with the terrain or in this case, the expertise of two great guides who always found the intermittent flagging up the steep hill. While the trails past Battleship were still snow covered, once in the woods going uphill the snow patches were sporadic. On top of Mt Elma from the snow-covered flat plateau we could see the panorama of Vancouver Island mountains as well as the mainland mountains including Mt Waddington, the highest mountain in BC.
Mt Albert Edward, Mt Regan & Jutland Mountain, with the rock bluffs of Strata Mountain in front
Alexandra Peak to the west
Mt Waddington to the north
In the few bare patches, pink mountain heather & the occasional penstemon were blooming. Heading down westwards toward the col below Mt Allan Brooks snow patches were more frequent, while the meadows below were covered, and in the woods around the west side of Lake Helen Mackenzie the trail was only occasionally visible. Marsh marigold & globeflower were blooming profusely where the snow was melting. Once around to the junction at Helen Mackenzie, the lake was a tolerable temperature for swimming. A highlight was an osprey flying over the lake with a freshly caught fish!
Mt Elma from Lake Helen Mackenzie
Overall the hike including rest breaks was 7 hrs - a great group including participants from Qualicum, Pt. Alberni & the Comox Valley, as well as our excellent guides from Quadra.
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