Created 12-Jul-20
Modified 20-Dec-23
20200711 | Twin Cairns (Sunshine Meadows) | 2559m Max | 1658m TH | 21.0 km | 1200m TA | w/ Peter
Gorgeous blue-bird day to hit up the environs above one of my favorite ski hills. Rolled at 4:30 for a 7:00am start time at the base of the Sunshine Village parking lot. It was gated with only access via work vehicles, on foot, or (as it turns out) bikes. Sigh! With C19 restrictions in the parks the gondola, buses, and all services suspended – this turned out to be a very good day to do this as a normally busy area was very quiet. Walking past signs warning of humanized wolves in the area (resulting also in some backcountry campsites being closed) we crushed the ski out / access road and were soon in the village. Excellent gravel tourist trails took us to Rock Isle lake for a snack before ascending the south slopes of Twin Cairns Ridge. Wind greeted us at the top where a marking divides BC and AB. We scouted places we’ve been and hope to go before traversing the ridge and back down to the meadows for a lunch break and nap. Good trails took us back to the base and then the hot gravel access road. On the way in and out we met a solo scrambler who did Eagle Mountain and Mt Howard Douglas. Our interest was peaked for Mt Howard Douglas. All in a very good day out with the crux being the fantastic drivers we shared the roads with on the drive home!
© Clayton Ditzler
