Needle Peak Hike Oct 6

[Dave]

I am planning a birding/hiking trip up Needle Peak next Saturday, October 6. The plan is to leave at 7:00am from Chilliwack and be hiking by 8:30am. The hike is listed as "difficult" in some guides, but I would say as far as trail difficulty it is similar to Cheam, just the tough part is in the beginning, not the end. If we hike to the peak, it is a touch longer than the Cheam hike.

The hike starts in thick forest, and after 30 minutes of sweating, you reach beautiful subalpine. 30 more minutes and you are in wide open subalpine. After that it is an easy up and down granite slabs with vegetation here and there. After 2 hours you reach good ptarmigan habitat.

The weather is the only questionable item at this time. I figure we will confirm the hike as a go ahead next Wednesday. Transportation access is not a problem, even with 2WD, the hike starts pretty much right next to the highway.

In the meantime, if you would like to join a group of birders up Needle Peak, feel free to sign up! All birding abilities are more than welcome! The only ones not welcome are those who will not have patience for others :

List so far:

Dave
Gord
John
David
Thor
Brent
Carolynn

Here are some pics from a trip one month ago:

[tmanson]

Hi Dave: Just back from 3 weeks in California. Will do a report for Fraser Valley Birding. I would be interested in a hike up the Needles next Saturday. I'll have to get some runs in this week to try and get back in shape after lying around on the sunny beaches of Cal. Cheers. Thor

[b1schmor]

Hi Dave,
Carolynn and I are tentatively in. We are moving in a couple of weeks so it all depends on how much we have done by next Saturday.

Brent

[Dave]

Glad to see your back safe and sound, Thor! Looking forward to the report. I sure that by 'resting on the beach' you mean 'scoping Royal Terns', it is just a different way of writing it.

Thanks Brent, I have added both of you to the list.

Dave

[Gord]

Hoping for ok weather.

Im wondering what thoughts are for starting a little earlier though.

I have a couple reasons for this.

I need to be home at about 5:00 at the latest. I dont want to cut the trip short or feel rushed OR ruin it for everyone else.

With the weather unpredictable, I like to be in such places with plenty of daylight ahead of me. Any poor weather we get up there is likely to be snow. We may need to turn around if things get ugly. Since I dont know this area at all, I might want to shuffle along very conservatively and not have to rush to beat darkness in possibly low visibility conditions.

I hope I did not put a negative feel to our plans with my planning for the worst.

Im keen and eager to go and am looking forward to it!

[Dave]

Well, what will the weather do??? It sounds like Friday is excellent and Saturday a new wet weather front is coming through....how long will it take for the front to reach the Coquihalla toll booth area??? Not til Saturday PM? Your guess is as good as mine.

So?
I don't want to cancel the trip yet (yes, yes.....the forever opptimist). My life experience (half of some of yours, right Thor? ) tells me that we should do 2 things:

1. Not cancel until maybe Friday night. If we don't cancel it and it is very ugly Saturday morning, I talked to Gord and he knows of some good local spots for Pyrrhuloxia, Five-striped Sparrow, and Streak-backed Oriole . I am sure he would be kind enough to lead us onward.... Actually, we would come up with something I am sure....Thor would make a great nature guide on the Sucker Creek Trail....

2. Start early....I am thinking of leaving CHWK around 6:30am....Please voice your displeasure now and we will move it to 7:00am, otherwise, we will meet at my house at 6:30am. Everyone has been here before except Brent and Carolynn, but as a refresher, I live on Berston Road, 1 road before Cheam Wetlands on your left. Email me if you need directions and a phone number. We will pick up Thor in Hope and I will arrange that with him.


For the trip:

1. Dress warm. Anything can happen in alpine this time of year. Dress in layers, and a toque and gloves is a must

2. We will for sure hit snow on the hike so wear proper hiking boots if possible.

3. Be prepared to be overrun by beautiful white ptarmigan, hunting Snowy Owls, Hoary Redpolls, the odd Bohemian Waxwing, and some migrating Polar Bears. Don't forget the camera for the beautiful blue sky we are expecting....

I will try to post again before Saturday,

Dave

[Dave]

Hello all,

I went on the Weather Office website and found the forecast not for "Agassiz" but for "Fraser Canyon". I couldn't find Coquihalla. Check out this one:

Fraser Canyon.
Friday..Sunny. High 14.
Saturday..A mix of sun and cloud with 60 percent chance of showers.
Low 6. High 12.
Sunday..Rain. Windy. Low 8. High 10.
Normals for the period..Low plus 4. High 16.


Sounds better, doesn't it? 60 percent chance of the odd flurry, I think they mean.

Dave

P.S. Trick to be an opptimist...(Keep hunting online ithrough the hundreds of forecasts until you find one that shows what you want it to show)

[Dave]

The forecast is looking better everyday . We are counting on a 6:30 am departure from my house, as well as all 7 people on the list coming. It is not too late for others to join!

Dave

[Gord]

db said:

P.S. Trick to be an opptimist...(Keep hunting online ithrough the hundreds of forecasts until you find one that shows what you want it to show)

Love it! ;D ;D ;D ;D

I like the sounds of the forecast as well. This morning's forecast says increasing cloud later in the morning. This is for Vancouver. I think we should be ok especially if the trend keeps going where it stays sunny most of tomorrow and the clouds start to come in the evening instead.

See you at 6:30!

[b1schmor]

Carolynn's out with the flu, but I will see everybody at 6:30.

Brent