Tenquille Lake 23/08/08

Chris at Tenquille Lake:
“Cara, Dean, Lucy and Michele joined me on a trip into Tenquille Lake and to share the joys of west coast weather. The Hurley had just been graded so, though the surface was loose, the potholes and washboarding were gone. Branch 12 (the Tenquille branch) had some large water bars right from the start but the Isuzu Trooper made it through without a problem courtesy of Cara’s driving skills. The alder was pretty overgrown so we got some pinstriping but, on the way out, we met a couple guys who were in the process of cutting it back. The trail was in pretty good condition with only a couple blowdowns right at the start. Even with a stop for lunch (and berries) we made it to the lake in about 3 and 1/2 hours. After setting up camp, Dean took off to scamble Tenquille Mt. and Goat Peak (and saw goats!) while the rest of us went to Finch Ridge to gaze at the unlogged vista to the north. The next morning lived up to the worst of the forecasts Michele had seen for the weekend: “Rain, heavy at times”. It turns out that the cabin at the lake is in pretty good condition considering that it is 60 years old – kept the rain out and the resident mouse was fairly quiet. Wearing as much waterproof stuff as possible (Cara fashioned a poncho out of plastic sheeting from the cabin), we hiked out stopping only to graze on more berries (easier to pick with your teeth than with gloved fingers).”