Hiking - This Saturday

If anyone is interested in seeing the Okanagan's trails from something other than "behind bars", I'll be leading the Penticton Outdoor Club on a hike of Mt.McLellan (one of the summits towering over OK Falls to the west) this Saturday morning.

We depart from the Fairview Home Plaza Parking Lot (across from Home Builders on Fairview Road, Penticton) at 9am.

This trail is one that few will ever get the opportunity to see as it crosses private property as it makes it's way first to a beautiful little lake ("Beauty Lake") then begins to ascend the north flank of Mt.McLellan. We've secured permission from the property owners - so "its all good".

Everything beyond the lake is completely unrideable; thus the hike. The side-effect is that the trail offers amazing vistas over the valley for the balance of the hike.

If you are interested, show up at the aforementioned spot, ready to hike with good boots, thick socks, food / water, hiking poles (very handy for the steeps), sun-screen etc. Just like a decent mountain bike ride, but without the bike to break-down :-)

Think of it as cross-training.

We may be lucky enough to spot a bear, as the area is loaded with em'. Route is 11.6km / 'return', perhaps three hours and a bit in total.

This is actually the beginning (or end) of a little-known singletrack hiking route which runs between the highway intersection near the weigh scale and Mahoney Lake, 10km to the south. I hiked it with Peter Matthews a couple of years ago; cue the jaw-dropping vistas - as it follows the ridge-line for much of the route.



Andrew