–submitted by Phil Jackson
Leaving Nanaimo at 5:30am Phil and Matt proceeded to Campbell River where we picked up Mary then proceeded to where Palmerston Rd meets Eve River main. Rishi was there waiting for us, Rick and Lisa weren’t to far behind.
After proceeding up Palmerston Rd we had to stop and clear away 3 blown down trees. Once at the end of Palmerston Rd we started up through the slash. Luckily we found a well-used elk trail and the going was good. After reaching the treeline we moved into the old growth where the travelling was superb. After a short while we came upon some bluffs we had to negotiate. Once at the top of the bluffy section we walked upon good snow on a beautiful plateau with incredible views and our objective in sight.
After a short break, we proceeded across the plateau and climbed an easy hill to the col between two of the sub summits. After climbing the middle bump we proceed across to the main summit col and scrambled our way up to the summit.
Incredible views were had as we had snacks and to photos. We returned to the vehicle by a different route as the ascent route was steep through the bluffs and we tried to avoid them. There were several minor difficulties on the way down(mostly bush related) and crossing the slash proved more difficult where we came out. The weather was perfect and it was a great day to be in the mountains.