Mount Elphinstone Heritage Trails: Tramway

Wusses’ call: rated intermediate, but don't believe it!

This is the bigger mountain you see rearing up behind the thumb of Soames Hill. If you think of Soames Hill as “The Knob” – perhaps an arthritic knuckle pushing up from the shore, Mount Elphinstone is the hand attached to it, arched relentlessly upwards. Climbing it you feel like you’re perhaps climbing the wrist of a slumbering giant, the heavy forest like so many hairs on the back of the hand. Okay, it’s a particularly swarthy giant. Don’t quibble.

Don’t kill yourself trying to do the climb in the 30-minute window the guidebooks quote. 45 minutes with rest stops will allow you to actually enjoy Chaster Creek’s pools and waterfalls at the top. Also, if you’re like me and have a bad temper when confronted with a steep grade, let your kids climb ahead of you so they don’t hear your swearing. What, you don’t swear? Call me when you get back.

What to wear: light, breathable clothing. Sweaters or exercise jackets that you can tie around your waist if you get too hot. Anything in your hands to carry you’ll want to fling into the bush halfway up and pick it up on your way back. Oh, and here’s a HOT TIP: if you’re going to carry a blasted camera all the way up to the top, make sure the battery is actually in it!

You will need good shoes with strong ankle support, preferably hiking boots (this Wuss will never expect you to be in mountaineering boots). The trail has a lot of tree roots and loose, scrabbly rock in tight sections. Wobbly shoes will do you in. Bring a good amount of water, and something to snack on – you’ll need it. If you’ve been denying yourself chocolate, by all means do bring it. You will definitely deserve it!

Getting there: From Gibsons, drive along North Road towards Langdale. Just before you curve east, you’ll see a T-junction marking Cemetery Road. Take the left. Follow Cemetery for 1km to Keith Road and turn right (if you don’t turn you’ll be in a gravel pit, so not much chance of missing it). Drive up the hill until you see a sign for Boothill Ranch. Turn left down the side road just before Boothill. Follow it (watching for the old doggie that likes to sleep in the middle of the road) to the yellow gate. Park here to start your hike.

You’ll follow a wide roadway up an incline and around the right to a hill and the Pioneer Cemetery. Please stop in and say hello to the McConnells – if you’d brush their spaces clear of leaves we’d be grateful. Say a special hello to Uncle Jack – he always liked a lot of company.

Look for the signs marking the Mt. Elphinstone Trail to start the real part of the hike (and yes, it gets a lot steeper).

This is definitely a one-at-a-time trail. My little bullet of a dog couldn’t even get past me on most parts of the trail unless I leaned off to the side. Speaking of dogs, it’s a leash-only area by law but we follow the common sense rule of hiking with dogs… if you’re the only ones on the trail off-leash is doable if you’re cleaning up after your pet. However, if there’s anyone else hiking, a rambunctious dog could be downright dangerous careening around the trails in tight spots with humans in them. Be courteous – this hike is hard enough without being completely enraged at a dog owner (or being the target of such rage).

My best advice: WHEN YOU GET TO A PLACE TO SIT ON THE TRAIL… for God’s sake, SIT! A couple of minutes staring in a self-satisfied manner down that relentlessly steep, scrambling trail and resting your legs will renew you for another stretch. Wait for the next one at your peril.

The Wuss would like to point out that this particular hike is diabolical. The most minor of flat spaces (we’re talking maybe a foot around every few hundred feet of elevation) seems like paradise, and just when you’re congratulating yourself for mastering an especially steep part you will get to an even steeper part, until right near the top when you get to a very steep place that is almost entirely rock and in several places requires bending your knee to almost touch your chin to make the next step.

This is actually quite the historical hike. It’s called “The Tramway” due to its history as a part of BC’s famous forest industry. In the 1920s there were two tramways taking supplies to shake cutters working high up in the forest. (Hence, First Camp and Second Camp).

First Camp, at the top where the bridge crosses over Chaster Creek, is where all the action was back in the early 1900s. From here workers moved along to either Japanese Camp, Chinese Camp and Second Camp. Chaster Creek tumbles down the mountain, and there is a beautiful little waterfall accessible by a short trail following the creek which will take you to a viewpoint looking back up the hill and creek bed.

We enjoyed a well-deserved rest and our customary snack of shaved port wine salami, cheese, light buns, nectarines and dark chocolate. Heaven.

Resist the urge to head down quickly – your knees and hips will thank you later – or not, at your peril. The trail is easier going down in that you won’t be puffing like a blowfish, but not in that the loose rocks beneath your feet have an alarming tendency to roll away, taking your foot with it. And you know what happens when your foot shoots out ahead of you on a steep grade. Take it from someone who knows and go slow.

Now that you’re down, reward yourself. With, say, a $500 diamond, or for the fellas, a GPS. Nothing trivial!

The Wuss says: "I thought I was a goner for work the next day, but woke up with no stiffness, soreness or fatigue. Maybe I should train for a triathalon?"

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