Summit View

As has become a bit of a tradition, all I ask for on my birthday is a hike. This year the ol’ South America crew reunited to conquer Golden Ears. This one isn’t for the faint of heart – 1500m of elevation gain is enough to give any seasoned hiker a challenge.

Full of enthusiasm and ready to roll

We kept changing our minds about how to do the hike and didn’t come up with a plan until the night before. We ended up hiking to Alder Flats, dropping our tents/etc and continuing on for the summit.

Nearly at the ridgeline

The day was average at best. A little rain and poor visibility.

A moment when the clouds cleared – a view of Alouette lake

Some crazy people hiked all their equipment up to Panorama Ridge which ended up being quite the location to spend a night. With good weather it would be epic.

An incredible camping spot for the awesome only

We got a bit of luck at the summit as the clouds cleared for a bit of a view. It was as good as we could have hoped for.

Happy for a view at the summit

The hike down was an absolute slog. We were absolutely exhausted when we made it to the tents.

The conquerors at the top
Next day, hiking out past Lower Falls