Marble Meadows - 43.7km, 2902m elevation gain.
Total hiking time 21.5 hours.
I underestimated this hike a bit but it might be a new favourite. A hike up through the forest to a rolling plateau of round lakes and an ancient sea bed. The views were unreal.
It turns out this hike would have similar stats to the Augerpoint Traverse. It ended up being 3.3km longer and 454m less elevation gain with one less day to do it.
Day 1 - Buttle Lake to Marble Meadows/Wheaton Hut, Marble Peak Summit.
13.7km, 1628m elevation gain, 7h 13m.
This hike started as a 1km kayak across Buttle Lake from the Auger Point Day Use Area. The water was super choppy and this was not a fun experience. I was worried about all my gear and if I could save it all if I tipped. The waves were so big I had to turn the kayak into them and this added a bit of time and distance to my trip. Eventually I made it to the Phillips Creek Marine Site and stashed the kayak in the bush.
The hike up to the plateau (if you can even call it that) was long, 8.2km and 1267m elevation gain just to that point. For the most part the trail was like any other Strathcona Park trail to a ridge, switchbacks through the forest. Once you got to the plateau you started to see the old stone and lakes. Morrison Spire rose above the landscape, the Golden Hinde peaked over the ridge and you could start to see Mount McBride and Marble Peak.
I decided to check out Marble Peak before making my way to my intended camp site since the turn off was along the way. Marble Peak is a bit more than a hike but not a climb. There's a lot of exposure as you make your way around some bumps and get up and down some gravel/dirt chutes. I wouldn't recommend this mountain unless you're comfortable with some exposure and height where a slip would likely be fatal.
I had a great time getting to the summit!!
After getting off the summit and retrieving my bag I made my way to the Wheaton Hut (more info in photos). I set up my tent, as there was one group of people already in the cabin, made dinner and watched the sunset before heading to bed.
Day 2 - Wheaton Hut to Mount McBride Summit, Morrison Spire Summit.
19.1km, 1186m elevation gain, 10h 6m.
Day two was a slow start. During the night the temperature had dropped below zero. I didn't sleep well as my sleeping bag isn't rated for that kind of temperature. I should have brought my liner but it's supposed to be summer! I slept in a lot longer than I wanted before I got my start to the day.
When I finally crawled out of the tent I saw that the two tarns had frozen over. I skipped a couple larger stones across the surface and they didn't fall through.
From Wheaton Hut you make your way up to the ridge that ties Mount McBride to Morrison Spire, Limestone Cap and beyond. This is where the hike started to get great. Ancient sea fossils start to appear in the stone around 1500m and soon you can't help but walk over thousands of them on your way up to the ridge. Even on the ridge at 1775m you are walking on huge sections of sea bed that's millions of years old. Very cool!
The hike up to Mount McBride was fairly straight forward but long. Once I got closer to the summit I heard a helicopter towards the Golden Hinde. I eventually spotted it flying from the shoulder of the Hinde and right above me.
The trail got lost a few times under some patches of snow but eventually I made it to the summit where there was some amazing views of the area. I made my way back towards Morrison Spire. It was even less of a challenge than Mount McBride and a much shorter distance as well. A quick trip up and down the summit and I bushwacked down the mountain to meet the trail and head back to the Wheaton Hut. I thought ahead and boiled some water, put it in a water bottle and threw it in the sleeping bag before heading to bed.
Day 3 - Wheaton Hut to Buttle Lake
10.9km, 88m elevation gain, 4h 1m.
Another late start. The water bottle helped but it was still a cold night. The tarns had ice on them but weren't completely covered. It was a long trip down the mountain. For such an amazing area I am surprised at the lack of people, I guess it is a lot of work even to get to the meadows and having to boat across is another challenge. I shared the camp site and summits briefly with two guys and I met two girls on Saturday who were making their way up for an overnighter.
The trip back across Buttle Lake was even worse than the way here. The water was way more choppy and before long I was drenched but I made it back in one piece!
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