In one of the last wintery weekends before ski season began, Brianna and I organized a hike for the Alpine Club on the Kludahk Trail.
Our trip filled up quickly, which was surprising for just a hike! But also understandable, as many people feel like there is a lot of mystery surrounding the Kludahk Trail.
I think it’s hard to claim a trail is all THAT secret when it has an official website. But I understand the excitement. It takes a few hoops to get the maps and a few more to join the club. And I am glad it does. It’s important to protect our wild places.
Planning a trip up there in early December meant there was a chance of snow. I regularly checked online photos and trip reports. From the comfort of my warm apartment, I slowly watched the snow get deeper and deeper each week.
That’s when we decided to officially change our hike into a snowshoe trip!
As we drove up the logging road on the day of our trip, I worried that the fuss over making people dig up snowshoes was for nothing.
Nothing but rain where we parked.
But as we hiked up to the trail, conditions quickly changed!
Certainly no show shoes required yet, but beautiful white stuff!
There were 10 of us on this hike, which was really fun. But also logistically challenging from a trip leader perspective as we wanted to keep everyone more or less together.
Staying together is better for safety, as well as getting a chance to talk to different people and making sure no one feels rushed.
As we got closer to the meadow near Blueberry cabin, the snow got deeper.
We had a quick snack and warm up at Blueberry cabin. Right as we were leaving, Kludahk members who had reserved the cabin for the evening were arriving. Perfect timing!
We then backtracked to the T-hut for a late lunch.
We had parked vehicles at another access point to make a bit of a loop. So we kept pushing through the last 90 minutes of daylight towards Tower cabin.
This is where the snow finally started showing up!
Snowshoe time!!
It was really fun to actually get to use them, after carrying them around all day.
After some joyous snowshoeing, we popped out on the logging road just as the sun was setting.
Trip leader selfie!
Hopefully you’ll be seeing more trips from the two of us!
Want to go?
Alpine Club of Canada – Vancouver Island
Kludahk Outdoor Club
The Kludahk Trail is a public trail. Anyone can hike there. You can purchase maps from the club.
Only members of Kludahk Outdoors Club, who have contributed to the upkeep of the trail and the cabins, can book the cabins for overnight accommodation.
Driving there in the winter
You can find snow and ice on the logging roads from November – May. Road conditions can deteriorate while you are out hiking. There is no cell phone reception. Make sure know you have the equipment and skills necessary to get you and your vehicle home safely.
Safety
- Bring all of the 10 essentials.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you’ll be back.
