Sat, May 18 2013 - Indian Oil Hills (View Event Details) Event Coordinator(s): (To see who coordinated the hike, log in to the Member Area) Participants: (To see who hiked, log in to the Member Area)

Write Up:
Some trips are fondly remembered for their great trails and fantastic weather. Unfortunately, this is not one of those hikes. The bright sunshine and fluffy little clouds enjoyed at the trailhead as we started out were soon replaced by a giant slate-coloured water balloon that appeared out of the south sky just as we were making our way out of the trees and up to the first Indian Oils hill. After lunch, as we continued along the path again, that gaseous zeppelin, now directly overhead, decided to spring a leak. This dampened our spirits because it thwarted our original plan to gain grand vistas of the surrounding mountains from multiple hill-tops. Instead, the unspoken sentiment of our party of 8 seemed to be: endure what we must, but get back to the cars as soon as possible - at least that's how the hike coordinator felt. The only problem was that the most direct route back was off-trail and entailed a rather ugly bushwhack down a log-clogged drainage, which wasn't readily apparent on this exploratory sojourn until we actually found ourselves in the match-stick mangle. Though we tried to circumvent it, seeking higher ground whenever possible, it meant we had to improvise with some circuitous undulations. The character-building test lasted over an hour until the slow, steady drizzle subsided and the sun came out only moments before we reached the road at the bottom. But, it wasn't all bad. Our pre-deluge lunch-stop afforded us unimpeded views of snow-capped mountains to the west (Shunga-La-She, Burns, and Blue Rock). We saw wildlife (sheep, deer, hare) and were able to visit the aptly named Sheep Falls during a brief rain respite near the end. The kind forbearance and optimism of the hikers on this trip was impressive. Great company makes up for a lot of unpleasantries. I appreciate the support that I felt from all (especially from Marek who helped navigate) and, though I would not likely do this particular hike again, I would be honoured to share a trail together with any of these wonderful people. Brian P