Braggin' Rights

Sun. 4 March:  Braggin’ Rights

Usually a sunny Sunday afternoon at the West Bragg Creek ski area guarantees a scene of bedlam.  And so it was no surprise to find the approach road lined with vehicles.  Funnily enough, however, there were plenty of spaces in the car park itself.  A kid’s ski race was under way, and several groups were heading out onto the trails.

My plan was to explore a snowshoe trail which would take me into the hills to the north.  On my travels I would only meet six people!

My plan was to explore, anti-clockwise, a circuit which takes you up onto a tree-covered ridge, then drops down towards the western leg of the long Telephone Trail ski route before returning east along the steep forested hillsides.  The complete circuit includes three newly created or newly named trails:  Braggin’ Rights, Long Distance, Reconnect, and back onto Braggin’ Rights.  Since these are really mountain bike routes, this explains the randomness of the new names!

The lower section of the trail from the parking area was suffering from the soaring temperatures, and was mostly slippery mud, but soon enough I was up into the snow, and swapping MICROspikes for snow shoes.  This section of the trail reminded me of the recent Snagmore Hill trip – a tree-covered ridge with very limited views, even at the summit.  Once again I imagined how grand the view would be if treeless – but I was not wishing this, as it may be coming true.  A logging company has apparently being given permission to come in and decimate the area, despite cries of alarm from many quarters.

This trail is more spectacular than Snagmore.  After dropping down off the ridge, one gets some great views across to the eastern flanks of Moose Mountain.  Today the mist was rising up from Canyon Creek, swirling around the higher ridges. 

And so I ambled around this pleasant circuit, enjoying the quiet trails, and listening to a growing wind in the trees above.  The final section was rapidly losing its snow cover, and sooner than I really wanted, I was sliding back down the muddy pathway to the car.

I don’t often start my hikes in mid-afternoon, but it worked out nicely for me today.  When time is short, a half-day trip into West Bragg Creek is hard to beat.

Statistics
Braggin’ Rights
Sun. 4 March
Total Dist.	3.0 km (hike)   + 6.6 km (‘shoe) = 9.6 km
Height Gain	800 ft.
Max. Elev.	5,400 ft.
Time	2 hrs. 26 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:      1.59 pm Top:               2.55 pm Ret. to car:     4.25 pm	Start Temp:   +2 deg.C Finish Temp: +6 deg.C Sunny, cloudless, increasing W. wind