Unnecessary Mountain: Hard
Details
Howe sound crest trail starts off very easy from a technical standpoint but is quite steep. It's mainly hard packed gravel and a pretty smooth surface. Before you hit Mark's summit the smooth trail ends and it becomes very steep. It also get more muddy from snow melt.
Continuing onto Unnecessary Mountain, the trail gets even rougher. The ascent in the forest between Saint Marks summit and Unnecessary Mountain is both technical and extremely steep, but not exposed to the point that you have to worry about falling. There are big drops, large rocks, large tree roots, and ropes to climb/repel. There are amazing viewpoints of Howe Sound and the two Lions.
*Class 1-2 Scrambling
*There are ropes to climb and descend
Difficulty, Distance, and Elevation:
Hard, 15km trail (out and back), 1122 meters of elevation gain
Meeting At: Cypress Creek Lodge, near the back
Parking: Yes
Transit Access: No
Carpool List: (accessible on a PC, or on a phone with MS Excel or Google Sheets)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_0G0ztt5vtEJBk7OhJSlnH9KxiENTmues7G_lqdsr7o/edit?usp=sharing
Recommended Gear:
- Hiking Boots or Hiking Shoes
- Hiking Pack + 8 bottles of water (4 liters) + Lunch + Snacks + 2nd Lunch + 2nd Snacks
- (If raining) Rain Jacket
- (Optional: if sunny) Sun Glasses, Sun Screen, and Hat
Unnecessary Mountain: Hard