Hiking West Summit Ridge at Mt Washington

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Doug (on right) showing another hiker the route in the fog

    On Tuesday, August 4 we decided to check out a trail on Mt Washington that we had not done before and Doug Rose, a cross country ski buddy offered to show us the way. West Summit Ridge is rated as a black trail (advanced) and it does have some steep sections that could be tricky in wet conditions. It starts at the top of the Eagle Chair lift and descends steeply toward the Boomerang Chair and then along a ridge. The return distance is short (4.3 km) but it will give you a work out since the terrain is rugged. On this day we expected to have nice sunny skies but by the time we got to this section the clouds had rolled in making visibility poor. In fact one of the other hikers we met on the hike said that she had driven up from Victoria and had chosen this day since it was suppose to be clear and she wanted some pictures from the summit and along the ridge.

Doug hiking along the West Summit Ridge trail

 Since we have been to the top of Mt Washington on many occasions we knew that  great vistas were possible but not on this day. When it is clear you can look back to the Comox Glacier, Mt Albert Edward and other rugged peaks of the Beaufort Range and then in the other direction you can see the Comox Valley, the Salish Sea and even up toward the community of Campbell River. So definately bring your camera and one bonus is that you can always take wildflower pictures, even in the fog. One great aspect of hiking at Mount Washington is that you can take the lift down for free (if you hike up) which gives you a rest and provides you with an amazing view.  There are several hiking trails that a marked on Mt Washington and here is a blog link to one of our favourites- Linton’s trail- https://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-lintons-trail-to-top-of-mt.html   We will back to try the West Summit Ridge in clearer weather since it is short but challenging trail. For more information on hiking at Mt Washington and other summer activities see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/  

Wildflowers are out