SCT Day 7 - Elk Lake to Tin Hat Mountain

Sunset from the top of Tin Hat Mountain, SCT British Columbia

With heavy hearts we ate a last leisurely breakfast with our old and new friends, swapping stories and having some great laughs. They filled our bucket list with lots of ideas for BC camping and Vancouver Island adventures. We discussed all their camp gadgets and meal prep philosophies and we shared ours. At last it was time for them to head up Walt Hill and for us to head up Tin Hat- big days for us both.

Our tent pad on Tin Hat Mountain, SCT British Columbia

The Tin Hat Hut, SCT British Columbia

Our plan of attack for the day was to make our way down from Elk Lake to the junction of two options for Tin Hat- the long route around Lewis Lake ( supposedly a gentler climb but much longer and added reroutes around logging operations) or the short cut past March Lake and then straight up old logging roads (more direct, but steeper and rougher on large rocks). We had decided to postpone a decision until we saw how we felt. We had 2 nights to play around with and so we could decide to split the hiking in numerous ways. If we felt tired or our feet hurt then we could simply camp at the base and attack the climb as a second phase of the hike.

As it turned out, after leaving Elk Lake, the rerouting around logging roads unnecessarily sent us slogging up and down to avoid the logging, feeling very much like we added an extended amount of energy.

We were quite taxed and thoughts of adding 4 liters of water to our packs and heading 4 hours uphill was fading fast.

We turned left to take he shortcut uphill and began looking for Spring Lake. Berries lined the logging roads and we picked fresh salmon berries in yellow, red, and purple. Unfortunately for us, Spring Lake was a swampy and was only a water source, with zero possible camp spots due to thick undergrowth and boggy conditions.  It looked as though a beaver dammed up the outlet and flooded the areas around the lake.  We scouted the surrounding areas for spots and decided to press on up the logging roads to the next possible water source at a stream. 15 minutes up the road we came to a high bridge over a solid flowing stream and decided to eat lunch while we decided where to camp as it seemed nothing was suitable.

5 minutes later, we heard a logging truck approaching and braced for the ensuing dust storm that was about to cover us. The logger slowed down in what we thought was kindness for not dusting us, but then came to a stop and rolled down his window. We thought for sure he was going to tell us to leave, but instead he just inquired if we were lost on the maze of roads. We explained our predicament in trying to decide on our next steps when he did the unexpected- he offered us a ride up Tin Hat. We jumped at the chance- a chance to save hours of miserable hiking in large rock pack roads with no where to camp for the opportunity to be on top of Tin Hat in 1 hour.

We threw our packs in the truck bed, filtered our 8 liters of water for overnight from the stream and jumped in. The actual best part was the conversation all about logging operations and histories, as well as first hand anecdotes from the area cuts. What would have taken us hours of sweat and sore bodies took the 4x 4 truck a mere 10 minutes. It was a rough ride, but one we were blessed to receive as trail magic. We gave him some Canadian money to buy some beers for his efforts, and feeling absolutely refreshed from our fortune, we took off for the last hour up Tin Hat.

The last hour is infamous for being a series of steep rises that fool you in to thinking you are done but then offering yet another hill. As we passed through 5-6 tough climbs, we never once complained, great fuel for our ease compared to what we could have faced. As it was we were sweating under the weight of the extra water with each step. The last section turned to single track and becomes a little bit of a challenge to get over a tall step or two  on the trail.

The view was opening up and tempted us to keep climbing. Reaching the hut area of Tin Hat is indescribable and something everyone should experience once. 360 degree panoramic vistas of mountain, ocean, and lakes makes every moment spectacular!

We were the 2nd group on top and found a tent platform for the night and set up our camp in the sunshine on top. After resting a bit we climbed up to the true top of Tin Hat where we stayed and surveyed all of the Sunshine coast before us.  We even got cell service on top right next to the weather station and were able to check in on our family.

We returned down for dinner, a quick nap, and then stayed up late to hike back up to the top for one of the most epic sunsets of our lives.

Looking North toward Lake Powell from Tin Hat Mountain, SCT British Columbia

Looking South toward Walt's Hill from Tin Hat Mountian, SCT British Columbia

Between Elk Lake and Spring Lake you will pass through an Old Growth Managment Area with some bigger trees, SCT British Columbia

Wild flowers in a recent cut block, SCT British Columbia

If you take the short cut on Tin Hat expect to walk for miles on washed out logging roads, SCT British Columbia