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hiked  Panorama Ridge (From Parking Lot)  and did 30.0Km and 1563m   
Mood and date:  Jun 13, 2010
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Encouraged by the improved Sunday forecast, five of us headed to Panorama Ridge, planning on approaching it from the old west ridge trail. Snow started around 5.5km of the Rubble Creek trail and was only about a foot deep at the 6km junction. Quite a difference from a month ago! Traction aid was not really necessary, though one of the group put on microspikes and we continued on to Taylor Meadows. While drizzle and clouds followed us, we were not losing hope for improved weather in the afternoon. In the meadows, snow was firm enough to not need snowshoes, and the creeks were covered and crossable.

After crossing Mimulus creek, we headed up the west side of Panorama Ridge, an ice axe being of great help climbing up the steep slopes. The weather was rapidly deteriorating, and we soon found ourselves hiking in complete white out fighting against blustery wind. We stopped on one of the subsummits, surrounded by drops on all sides, and unsure of the direction of the ridge, waiting for at least a brief clearing. And thankfully, it came, revealing the ridge summit! Winds persisted, but they were now tearing away at the low clouds, opening up the views towards the beautiful lake and the gorgeous surrounding peaks.

Spent nearly 1.5h on the high point of the Panorama ridge, taking endless pictures of the Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk and Castle Towers, and watching Chris show off his summit soccer skills. Enjoyed the speedy descent running down the snowy slopes in between the summer trail and our ascent route. It was a great Wanderung trip led by Chris.
 
 
Only a foot of snow left at the 6km junction
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at 7pm Jun 28, 2010
I will sheepishly admit, that after I posted this question I immediately noticed the "post a question" option. Thanks for the geogratis tip. I never heard of that, it'll definitely make things easier.
at 12am Jun 28, 2010
Hi Pardeep, I'm really glad you're finding mine and others' reports on this website useful for planning your own trips. That's what Livetrails is for! And thanks for contributing your reports, too :).

Unfortunately, I haven't done that portion of the trail, so I can't provide any details. I would suggest, however, that you try asking this question using the "post question" option on this site. Hopefully, somebody who has done it, will respond. My only concern would be possible lack of water sources later in the season.

If you don't have the maps, you can download 92G06 and 92G11 from Geogratis. Please, don't hesitate to email me at irina(at)interchange.ubc.ca if you think there are other questions I may be of help with. Good luck with your trip!
at 1am Jun 27, 2010
Hi Irina,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for the all your reports. You've provided a great deal of information that has been very useful to me, and likely countless others.

I've randomly picked this report to ask you an unrelated question (I couldn't think of a better method). Anyways, I was wondering if you've done the complete Howe Sound Crest Trail. Specifically, I wanted to know about the trail conditions during the section from The Lions to Magnesia Meadows.

I've recently become very interested in completing this trail, but I want to as well prepared as possible. Other sites have lacked a certain level of detail in regards to this one section.

Thanks In Advance.