Dave's Report - May 06, 2005

The First One (It hurt a bit)

On Friday afternoon about 3.00 we thought a hike on the ski hill would be good. The afternoon was warm, although a little cloudy, and along with Nancy , The Nameless One ,one dog, some water & a camera or two off we went. We parked near the ticket office & headed up on the Cedar Trail under the Deer chair towards The Bears Den at the top of Elk.It is surprising that what seems reasonably flat in winter can seem so much steeper in summer, or maybe walking up a hill is a little harder than sliding down one.

With a bit of puffing & the odd complaint we reached the bottom of the Bear Chair and using the excuse "what a great view" recharged the lungs. We continued on up the road under the Bear chair to the Bears Den where after navigating the last nasty little steep bit, the picnic tables and chairs on the deck were VERY comfortable.The snow up to this point has gone, but above that elevation, the snow in Easter Bowl and Lizzard has yet to retreat.

The snacks came out, courtesy of well prepared Nancy and the Nameless One, who are much more experienced in hiking necessities than us Aussies, and we recharged and took in the majestic surroundings. As usual, it is such an awesome hill, no matter what time of year you are on it. From there we headed across towards the Boomerang chair, our goal being the top of the Haul Back. From here on the trail was mostly snow covered but easily walked. The occasional @#$! could be heard as a boot broke through the snow crust and disappeared up to the ankle, with the snow filling up said boot. The wild flowers are out in the places where the snow has melted and are beautiful. The Nameless One is an avid flower and bird observer, and there were some sections with lots of flowers out.

From the top of The Haul Back we walked down Wallaby (still snow covered) to the Cedar Trail.A lot of noise in the trees to our right and very fresh Moose tracks across our track made the pace at this point a little brisker. About 15 minutes later the base of the Resort was in site and a very pleasant two and a half hour walk was at an end.

Foot note. We finished off with Beer & Burgers about a half hour later. Our group was Dave,Anita, Nancy "The Nameless One" and Kootenay the pooch.