It was a warm summer day in August of 2016, our big group left early Sunday morning. It takes about two hours to get to the trail-head from the town of Prince George so we made sure to get a head start. Our group consisted of seven people, some of us had been on the trail before while it was the first time for the rest. I had been up part way previously at this time, however, we only made it to the cave because it was pouring rain.
We arrived to the trail-head, unloaded our gear, and shortly after began the hike. You make your way through some trees and eventually arrive at a small creek in which you have to cross. There was only two wobbly logs going across so we went one at a time and made sure to go slow in order to stay dry. After the creek we carried on the trail, which is flat until you reach the forest, that is when the steep switch-backs begin. Our pace slowed right down at this point and we took many breaks so everyone could stay together.
Immersing from the trees the first thing you see is a mountain peak, it is breath-taking, almost like it has a mystical feel.
Immediately seeing this opening is when the challenge begins. Along the way you hit a couple rock-slides, which was a nice break from the challenging uphill terrain, but we had to be careful to not go off track by keeping our eyes peeled for the bright orange markers. Upon approaching the 2nd rock-slide shortly after you will notice this one is bigger and closer to the mystical peak than the first rock-slide.
It was a nice, very short break, however, we were back to ascending and getting closer and closer to our destination. Again we had to take many breaks as the sun was beaming down on us and the temperatures began to rise with the afternoon beginning to sneak up on us. We eventually made it above the treeline, but we weren't done going uphill.
There is a rock wall that you must climb in order to continue on the trail. It is steep, hard to grip, yet short. Needless to say we all managed to safely get up and over the ledge, there is a rope attached now to make this climb slightly easier, but make sure the rope is secure before using.
The first thing we notice after going up and over the ledge was this small cave in the rock wall to our right. Very small, so we knew it wasn't the fang cave. It was cute so naturally we had to stop to take some photos inside, you can explore the cave as it goes deep but you will need to belly crawl to get inside while crouching over to explore inside.
Continuing on, we reach the main event! The big, in-ground hole that led into the caves appeared. If the tape wasn't there to warn hikers of its placement, you could easily walk right in. We carefully leaned over to see inside but it goes on for so long, you just see blackness. So we went down to the fast flowing creek to the second entrance.
We all grabbed our headlamps and flashlights then followed the water in. The cave is very wet and cold, even on a hot summer day. It was hard to move about while trying to not slip and avoid danger, although the experience makes up for the anxiety of the cave.
We eventually hit the part of the cave where we could go no further and turned around to continue up the hiking trail. You follow up the creek and cross to the other side where you are met with some trees again with some more beautiful views of some hill sides. Upon arriving to the first alpine lake, we took a break to eat our lunch and refuel. The cool water felt nice on our feet and gave us a nice relief from our hard, and warm hiking boots.
The ground is like a swamp year round so don't expect to leave this area with dry feet! After our lunch, we ascended up to the second alpine lake.
We were so close to the summit, we got riled up and our adrenaline took over. We all raced up, until we hit the loose rock shale near the top and had to slow down. We all reached the summit and it was my hands-down, favorite part of this day.
Our group enjoyed the views for quite awhile before descending back down. The downhill terrain was hard on our knees which made the trip back just as slow as the journey up. We made it back in one piece, tired, sore, but our hearts of exploration were full.
I have done this trail 3 times now, it will always be one of my favorites. Don't let the strenuous reviews or the fear prevent you from accomplishing this trail; it is worth the effort.
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