hiked  Alpaca Peak (via Zupjok)  and did 15.0Km and 800m    Mood and date:  Jul 10, 2010 Share it on Facebook Embed it in webpage Reads:1877

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This trip was great fun and comes in three distinct parts. In the first, you walk along an old service road until it switchbacks from north to almost directly south, then go a few minutes further and pick up some flagging in the bush. We left a sizeable cairn a few meters from the start of the flagged route that we followed. In part two, you navigate through the bush, trying to follow flagging through forest with occasional meadow and then up the southwest ridge of Zupjok. It is possible to follow the flagging to the summit, but it is very easy to lose. I believe it is worth it to try to keep on the flagged route as it keeps to more open areas which make for easier travel. We lost it on the ascent and bushwhacked our way just fine (and picked the flags up again halfway to the top), but the descent was much smoother when we followed it the whole way. The flagging seems to split off in different directions and then rejoin in a few places, and much of it has fallen to the ground. I would consider some navigation ability to be essential. As long as you know your landmarks and your general route (from the road to the col, and from the col up the southwest ridge) you should be able to get to the summit with no more difficulty than bush thrashing. Finally when you reach the Zupjok summit (three hours in our case, due to some equipment failures) you get your payoff - a ridgewalk that extends as far as your stamina and desire can take you. This is some of the most distinctive and spectacular terrain in BC in my opinion, and well worth the small challenge of getting there. The views of the Anderson River Group and the backside of Zopkios Ridge, not to mention the ve continue reading »ry ridge you are on, are some of my favourite sights in B.C. There is currently snow along the ridge, but you can often choose to walk on rock or snow as you prefer. In the hot sun we found a fair number of meltwater trickles on the ridge (a pleasant discovery in the heat) and there are a few spots along the ridge that would make spectacular campsites. Due to some members prefering to stop and nap and soak in the terrain at various places along the ridge, we ended our trip at Llama. « less

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Login to add your comment at 1pm Jul 12, 2010 I think the ridgetops themselves may get a lot of their snow blown away during the winter thanks to the persistent winds out there. at 1pm Jul 12, 2010 Looks like a really good trip. I'm only judging by the photos but I would have expected more significant snow at that elevation.

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