Aug 26, 2018
There are two approaches to this lovely little mountain. The west side that begins in the Cathedral grove parking lot (I know it is called Macmillan now, but it will always be cathedral grove to me), and the east at the Cameron lake parking lot. The east takes you along the ridge while the West challenges your balance on a steep trail riddled with loose dirt and rocks. I deemed the west a worthy adventure and so we set off.
Cutting through the park, there is a little trail that veers off to chalet drive (a gravel road). Walk along it until cabins come into view. A bit past the first cabin blue paint saying "TRAIL" is sprayed onto a tree. Behind it is a steep trail upwards. This is the starting point of the journey ahead. It gets a little less steep but I found it was still quite the slide down.
My legs got a nice rest at a set of abandoned train tracks that become the trail for awhile (go right). A little ways on is a little sign with "trail" in the shape of a pointing finger. Glancing upward, a thick washed out blue rope acts as a foreshadow to the ropes ahead.
From what I remember we first hit the fork for Mount Horne and Mount Wesley without any ropes. Turning for mount Wesley leads to an overgrown area, but no bushwacking is required. Since I lead, I had the fun of being attacked by stray spider webs. It's quite flat for a little stretch, and then the grind continues. Even the switch backs did not feel like switch backs.
There are two rope sections. For the life of me I cannot remember which came first. One is merely a support for the crumbling trail to keep a clumsy person (me) from sliding back down. And the other turned our hands into the colour of the dusty trail.
There is a nice view point toward mount Horne along the way. Further up is exposed rock with a view of Cameron lake-- this is the best spot for lunch in my opinion. The true summit does not have a view (from my exploration). As we settled down for awhile a hawk circled lowly above us. I hope it did not think we were food.
The trip down is exhausting due to the unstable footing. There is a portion of the trail that if you slide too far you're in for a tumble. Overall it was a pretty nice trip. Peaceful. The views are average in my opinion. For some reason I was expecting a panoramic view.
(All photos are from the rocky bluffs lower down from the summit)
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