"Hiking Mount Seymour" Vancouver Travelogue by duanestorey

Well, today's hike was Mount Seymour on Vancouver's North Shore.. After last Friday's brutal encounter with Mt. Fromme, we decided that we would try something a lot easier this week.

Well, in the hike book, Mount Seymour looked pretty easy -- it has a total elevation gain of only around 450m, and return trip is around 8km. That doesn't sound too bad, but the reality is far different.

A few hikers on the trail

While the total elevation change from parking lot to highest peak is 450m, the pursuit of all three peaks will take you up and down hundreds of meters, making the total elevation climbed somewhere around 800-1000m I'm guessing..

Here's a shot of two hikers we met on the trail. The guy was from Seattle, and the girl (his sister) was from Eugene, Oregon. I told them I'd take a few pics of them (since they left their camera in the car), and send them to them via email.

Michele taking a break on a rock

We hit the trailhead at around 11am, and started the slow climb towards the first peak. Unfortunately, what we thought was 'first-peak' actually wasn't even a real peak. After around two hours, we made it to first peak.. From here, you can see all of downtown Vancouver, and most of the Fraser Valley. After a little debate, Jeff and I managed to pick out Chilliwack, and some of the surrounding mountains we used to hike in our youth.

Lonesome viewer

The 30 minutes prior to first peak were pretty tough.. It was basically a steep climb up loose rocks. There's a warning sign at the base of the first-peak trail saying that unexperienced hikers should not attempt to make this ascent.

Here's a shot of lone viewer standing on first-peak.

Rest time for Duane

After doing the huge climb up to first peak, we decided to stop for some water and snacks. I found the coolest looking rock I could find, and made myself at home for 10 minutes or so.

Here's a shot of me on my rock.

Michele and Jeff

Here's a shot of Michele and Jeff, just a few minutes before hitting first peak.

Two hikers and the mountains

After you pass first-peak, you have to go down all that elevation you fought so hard to obtain. Then, when you've gotten over your depair, you'll have to start the labourous treck up to second peak. Second peak provides a really wicked view of the mountains on the way to Squamish and Whistler.

Here's a shot of some fellow hikers, looking out from second peak.

Jeff on Third Peak

I thought it would be neat to get a few shots of us climbing the mountains. So, Jeff and Michele left their packs, and went up third peak. I snapped a few shots from the safety of second peak.

Here's a picture of Jeff (standing alone on the top of the left-hand mountain), looking out from third-peak .