Lineham Ridge

Sat. 8 June:  Lineham Ridge

This ridge heads for the sky – and I still had some way to go to the top when I ran out of steam.

Despite this, it was another spectacular day in a remote area of the Highwood Valley.  To reach the trailhead I had to bike twelve kilometres from the closed winter gate up the deserted highway.  In another week, the road will be open again, bringing the hikers with their cars.  But today this felt like a real adventure into the backcountry.

The idea was to bike from Highwood Junction to Lineham Creek, on the road to the Highwood Pass.  Then I would explore Lineham Creek and see where it took me.  I was first at the gate today, and there was nobody in sight all the way up the road.  There were a few deer but no other wildlife.  Readers of this blog will recall that this route is high on my list of recommended trips, during May and June, before the road opens up.  Today it was another cloudless morning, and the freshly green valley was lined with improbable snow-covered peaks.

At Lineham Creek picnic area I changed into my hiking gear, hid my bike, and headed up the trail.  Lineham Creek heads straight into a deep chasm between two steep forested mountainsides.  The trail climbed steeply up the sides of the gorge, with occasional views down to the fast-flowing creek.  This is a brutal trail if you have just returned from a long day on the high ridges.  It climbs then drops steeply back down to the creek.  Usually you would cross the creek and then recross it a little further up the valley.  Today this small stream was a fast-flowing cauldron of water.  Luckily there’s a narrow trail through tangled brush which skirts these two crossings.  It deposits the hiker in a small clearing surrounded by mountains. 

This is an important junction point, marked by a tiny stone cairn.  Here the valley and ridge trails part ways.  The valley route leads up into several remote corries on the western side of the Highwood mountain range.  According to the guide book, some of this country is still uncharted and seldom if ever visited by hikers.  As for the ridge trail, it starts in a poetically perfect manner.  The narrow, grassy ridge strikes directly upwards from the valley floor.  I could not resist taking this option.  The mountain views were immediately impressive.

The trail now entered the forest and would stay there until much higher up the ridge.  There was never any doubt about the route.  In between steeper sections there were some pleasant, easily graded stretches.  Higher up, the ridge narrowed, and I finally came to a small clearing which gave excellent views into the Highwood Range valleys and snowy corries.

Now the ridge tilted sharply upwards, and finally broke free of its forest stranglehold, giving spectacular views all round.  I clambered up the ridge, which by now was a steep grassy slope covered by tiny white wildflowers.  Up ahead of me was the perfect place to stop, but when I got there, there was the next tantalizing rocky outcrop above. And so on, as the ridge rose steeply to the sky.

 But finally, not far below a snow-plastered ridge, I came to a stop.  There was still a fair way to go to reach the usual end point, a pole stuck in the bare rocky ridge-top.  It was probably still a couple of kilometres and another thousand vertical feet.  Already I felt as if I could touch the clouds, and I knew this was the right place to turn around.  This was a perfect picnic spot - a spectacular setting to enjoy my gourmet marmalade sandwich, in a strong, but warm, wind.

After enjoying the views of clouds and mountains, stretching to the far horizons, I headed back down.  Finally when I dropped down to the valley floor, I could see back to the high ridge where I had been standing.  It continued upwards towards a hidden summit.

Back down at the highway there were several bikers heading up the road or sitting on the grassy banks admiring the views.  I stopped at my favorite picnic area at Cat Creek to take a look at the Highwood River. It was in full spate, carrying the snow melt and the recent rainwater from the Elk Range mountains. Any river crossing would be impossible.

By the time I returned to the winter gate, it was mid-afternoon and plenty of bikers were preparing to head up the road.  There must have been fifty vehicles parked at the gate.  Perhaps people had been reading my blog, and knew that they only had six days left to enter this magic land before the gate opened up.

Statistics:

Total Distance:   9.0 km (hike) + 25.0 km (bike)  = 34.0 km

Height Gain:        2,430 ft .(540ft. bike + 1,890 ft. hike)

Max. Elev.:         7,380 ft.

Time on Trail:      7 hrs. 30 mins.

Start bike:               6.50 am

Cat Creek:             7.30 am

Lineham Ck:          8.20 am

Start hike:              8.45 am

Junction:                9.23 am

Top:                    11.04 am

Junction:              12.15 pm

Lineham Ck:        12.52 pm

Cat Creek:            1.31 pm

Ret. to car:            2.20 pm

Temp:                +3C to +18 C

Weather:           Cloudless at start, clouds building during day, warm, windy higher up.

The winter gate at Highwood Junction.  Due to open June 15.  I used the handy water bottle carrier for my bear spray (saw no bears!).

On the road.

Elk Range peaks to the west of the Highwood Valley

Lineham Creek - start of my hike. Mist Mountain (10,297 ft.) to the north.

The start of the Lineham Ridge trail, from Lineham Creek.

I was probably the first person up this trail this year.  Ammunition was scattered on the trail, and I found a hunting knife.

These beautiful flowers spread their petals wide - as soon as the day warms up a bit.

The remote western side of the Highwood Range.

The hiking guide suggests there are new places to explore in here.

First snowdrifts higher up Lineham Ridge

On the ridge

This is as far as I had the energy for today.  The ridge keeps rising for about another 1,000 vertical feet to the usual turning around point. I had already climbed over 2,400 feet from the winter gate.

Looking back down the ridge.  Lineham Creek turns right through the gap in the hills to the Highwood Valley in the distance.

Flying clouds and snow drifts.

The Highwood River in full spate, at Cat Creek.

Clouds starting to look ominous over Mt. Armstrong.

The Highwood Valley stretching north, with bikers on the road.

A busy scene back at the winter gate.