This is a great hike to do at night. There are ample reflective orange markers on the trees to guide the way down through the dense dark forest.
Stats: 10.2 km / 785m elevation gain / 1415m highest point / 3:47 hours moving time / stop time 1 hour
The parking lot is at 614m altitude. There are 2 almost new outhouses on this trail. One, just a few minutes from the trailhead and one at the top of Elk.
Why was our stopping time one hour? Because we stopped 3x on the way up to talk to members of our Chilliwack Outdoor Club. They had started out at 9:00am whereas we did at 1:00pm. It was quite a social Sunday.
At the first viewpoint overlooking Sumas Prairie - west.
We were sitting on the log/tree bench, sipping our tea and eating sweets while we watched the sun go down. Cultus Lake glimmered in the distance (left).
Chilliwack River Valley with Cultus Lake- southwest.
And guess who we meet at the first viewpoint? My lovely children & grandchildren. I knew they'd be there but I didn't think they'd get that high that late in the day with the little ones. We hiked down in the dark together.
A sense of peace overcame us as the moon shone like a beacon through the black forest and little Kathleen fell asleep on mommy's back.
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