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Please read this
trip report first if you haven't already as I'm
going to skip most of the approach details as they are
already in the other report.
Finding myself husbandless & childless for almost
a whole week in November, I quickly scrambled to put
a trip together. Ben Lomond got away from me back in
September so I decided to go give it another try. Oriana,
Radmilla & Paul from Clubtread
answered my cry for company and we set out on the trail
at the crack of noon on Thursday, November the 6th.
We spent some time flagging the route to make it more
visible in the dark as there was a reasonably good chance
we'd be coming down in the dark on Friday but still
made it up to the hut in about 4.5 hours.
The door had blown open to the hut but fortunately
no critters had noticed this open invitation and the
hut was still in great shape.
Enjoyed our dinner & conversation before turning
in for a comfortable cozy night.
Friday was beautiful. Crystal clear & cold. We
set out around 9:30, heading for Ben Lomond. The trail
to Ben Lomond branches off from the main trail at the
end of Utopia Lake. Just watch for the cairns. Traverse
midway up the slope from Windy Lake, then rock hop your
way for about another 30 minutes to your first view
of Ben Lomond. From here, you must climb down into a
gully/scree slope,
traverse across and then stay low on the near side of
the ridge.
We, however, went all the way up the gully and along
the top of the ridge on the way out. Not a big deal.
It was fun scrambling but we could have saved some time
if we'd gone the right way. The trail is not particularly
well marked but there are occasional cairns.
The route is mostly easy hiking & scrambling with
some Class 3 and one Class
4 pitch. I wish I'd written this report earlier
because of course I can't remember times exactly now.
I believe we were on the summit at 1:30.
The views along the way are great. Mt. Garibaldi, Black
Tusk, one of The Lions, & lots more.
Ben Lomond is a fun little scramble. I only wish there
had been more climbing. The final summit section was
great but way too short.
Headed back down after a bite to eat and were back
at the truck just as the sun was setting at 5:00.
All in all, a great trip. Wonderful area. Can't wait
to go back!
Directions:
Take the Sea to Sky highway past the Furry Creek Golf
Course, up the hill and then take your first right.
At the 't' junction turn right. The red gate should
be right there. You do need a key to open the gate.
Contact me for more info. Drive for about half an hour,
keeping left until you get to a stream crossing the
road. Park here and continue hiking up the road until
you see the trail branching off on your left.
Reference:
Map: Squamish 92G/11
Trip Report | Photo
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