Having figured that the Roe creek winter route to Brew Lake is too long for a snowshoeing trip, we decided to attempt the summer route. The first surprise of the day was that the Brandywine Falls parking lot was closed for Olympic-related functions. We drove ~2km back to the Brew Creek lodge, and while the friendly keeper informed us that we can't park on the property, he suggested we leave the car not far from the entrance. It was a short trip to the railroad tracks from there.
The trail was steep in places, well marked and snow-free until ~700m. We followed the summer route for a while, then suspecting that the boulder field may be too steep for winter conditions, veered off northwards in an attempt of finding a more suitable approach. In wet, heavy and slippery snow conditions (Dan’s thermometer registered 2-7C throughout the day), scrambling up steep slopes wasn’t easy; poles/ice axes were of great help. On the plus side, the air was completely still and warm, with me wearing a single layer throughout most of the day. Route-finding took a lot of time as the terrain was steep and treacherous. The trip may have been much easier in lighter and drier snow. We finally decided on scrambling up the bump on the ridge before the lake and calling it a day.
Feb 07, 2010
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