Snows of Mount Mahony

"When the sky clears in Powell River, you can see the snowpack all around, but you can't get to it. Mount Mahony is the exception. The dirt road, only a few miles outside town, climbs steeply..."

Wayne featured "Mount Mahony" in the first chapter of Up the Lake. I've been there once, but Wayne and I only took our quads a little ways up the mountain. Today we did the whole thing, with our friend John and his dog Bro in the lead. We are always more confident that way.

It was still overcast in Powell River. As we climbed higher and higher, we finally broke through the freezing mist to the sunshine promised for today. The snow on the trail got deeper and deeper and the overarching alders did their best to dump their load on our heads as we passed underneath. John takes the worst of it in the lead, but Bro in his aft quad box gets quite a dose.

Each time we thought we could go no further, John pushed through and made a trail for us to follow. We made it all the way to the bluffs and their panoramic lookout, but today's low lying clouds hid Inland and Powell Lakes from view. Texada and Vancouver Islands poked their heads through, but the rest of the coast remained shrouded in gloom. Sandwiches and pop taste as good as lobster and champagne when you are in such a beautiful place.

On the way down we hiked a few hundred meters up a side trail to a tranquil lake in the process of freezing. Sometimes it is hard to believe that Powell River has such wonderful places to explore so close to town. Even though we saw several cars and trucks along the way, we had the trails and snows of Mount Mahony all to ourselves.

Want to read more Powell River winter adventures? Try Up the Winter Trail. It will take you hiking, snowshoeing and quadding along the roads and trails of our glorious backcountry. -- Margy