King’s Peak

October 5th, 2020

~ submitted by Sherry Durnford

Monday dawned overcast with some rain but was forecasted to clear in the afternoon with Tuesday and Wednesday being cloudy with sunny periods. 

Arrived at King’s Peak parking area at 12:30 pm Monday and enjoyed cool weather to hike the 1000 meters to the Meadow.  Very peaceful as 3 groups came down, seemingly leaving me alone on the mountain.   Interesting route finding in spots and washed out banks by the creek made for some interesting water sport.  Getting across the mudslide just before the Meadow is a challenge.  Helicopters provided background music in the late afternoon.  

After climbing a steep gully, I gained a very pleasant ridge (Queen’s) and, instead of going around a sub peak, I went to the top of it.   From there, King’s Peak was shrouded in mist.  Not having anyone else to “egg” me on, I decided to turn back, break camp, and head home. 

Tuesday morning had started clear, but the fog moved in about 9:30 making the rescue of 2 hikers injured on the glacier more challenging.  It took the helicopters about 6 hours total to retrieve them.   Meanwhile, the whirring of blades that seemed to hover above me wasn’t welcome music.   Got back to the car as the clouds lifted and was in Nanaimo by 7:40 pm.

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