Jan. 9, 2025 -- Chilliwack
Stats: 17.53 km / 892m gain / 395m high / 4:50 hours MT
This is my favorite local forest. The seemingly florescent green moss cloaking the bark and branches of tall maples and Douglas Fir trees, lent a fairytale essence to the landscape. Especially on Teapot Hill where numerous teapots and tea cups of all shapes, sizes and colors were tucked into tree trunks and hung hugh up from limbs (how did they ever get them up there?).
The stats can be rather decieving, when you see the high point on Teapot Hill is only 395m. It's still a good workout, because the trail does three significant drops and swells on the way there. It was a relaxing day, in which the ebb and flow of conversation were in sync with the dips and swells in the trail.
We parked at the yellow gate, just a bit up Edmeston Rd. With a 9:00am start, we were back by 2:30pm. Teapot Hill was our farthest destination where we had lunch.
A huge old stump.
Till this point the trail was relatively flat. We turned right. Left goes to International Ridge.
Then we began to ascend, doing three ups & downs for the following 8 km.
We kept going straight on the Horse Trail.
Jan S spent a lot of time maintaining these trails this past summer. Thanks Jan!
Just after crossing the creek, we turned left where the trail became rather steep for a bit.
This stretch was peppered with hollow black stumps.
We were scanning the forest, helping Jan look for a truck wreckage that he'd discovered about ten years ago. But we were not successful.
At the next junction onto 918 Road we turned left, heading towards the original Teapot Hill trail on a south-facing slope.
Staying straight gets you to Stillwood Camp. But we turned right onto Watt Creek trail.
The last stretch up Teapot Hill was very steep but short-lived.
Observing Columbia Valley from behind a chain-linked fence.
Playing the seek & find game. There were some pretty cute teapots.
Group shot: me, Jan S, Brigitte G, Lonja J, Brian H, Lori Y, Sue A & Denise D. Owen W had left us at the halfway point.
Want a cup of tea? (don't worry, we put them all back again).
Cultus Lake.
Heading back down Teapot Hill on the main trail going east.
Wrinkled Crust. Slender Pholiota
At this junction we did a quick right and then left, getting back onto the Horse Trail.
Soon we turned left, onto the Seven Sisters trail, although the sign didn't say so.
Three of the over-500-year-old firs are still standing.
Number 1
A short stair climb got us to # 2.
And # 3.
From there we continued east, through the Entrance Bay campsite.
The last short stretch was along the road. There's a new wooden walkway on the left side, making it safer to walk along the narrow shoulder where a curve makes it more difficult for oncoming traffic to see people.
Cultus Lake.
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