–submitted by Adrian Houle
We started at Wood Mountain parking lot. We traveled past the ruins of the old ski hill to the border of Strathcona park. From there we followed the trail and took the route signed as Drabble and lamountainie, skirting under the cliffs of Mount Becher.
We kept past the Drabble and McKenzie turn off, and kept going until Slingshot Meows. This section remains cleared, thanks to the 2016 efforts of the CDMC.
We had lunch at slingshot meows, even the main creek was dried, no flowing water the whole hike. We then proceeded up the Ash Pond Trail, the CDMC has finished clearing the trail just recently. At Ash Pond we were rewarded with a great view of Comox Glacier. On the final ascent, we found a very large bear print, made larger by the back paws on the same spot. Lots of deer prints too.
We made completed the accent after a total of 5.5 hours, and returned the regular route to the parking lot, making the hike a total of 7 hours with breaks.
All in all a great alternative hike to the traditional route, we had great views and experienced unique landscapes.
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