The omens were favourable. It was clearly time to get out of town. My old riding friends Andrew and Matt were both visiting from out of province (both having decamped from BC to ON of late... ), and we decided to hit the Sea to Sky -- destination Squamish and the recently inaugurated 'Half Nelson' trail.
Andrew arrived at my place precisely on time at 8.00 am on a red-eye inbound from YYZ. Matt showed up not long after. First stop: PHAT in Yaletown for some breakfast -- the Montreal smoked meat eggs benny is as good as you've heard. Andrew had the same, plus a gigantic slice of apple pie. Matt contented himself with the salmon and cream cheese benny. We watched the final few humiliating moments of Italy's demise at the World Cup and then hit the road.
It was my first venture up Highway 99 since the Winter Olympic Games upgrade. I had heard rumours that the Deeks Lake trailhead had been relocated by the new roadwork to a start point closer to Lions Bay. I tried to spot it on the way up to Squamish but did not see anything terribly obvious. This will warrant further investigation. Deeks is a steep hike, but well worth it -- especially in September when the blueberries which encircle the small lake are ripe and ready for picking. But I digress…
Our next step was Tantalus Bike Shop in Squamish, where Matt and Andrew had arranged to rent a couple of full-suspension mountain bikes. A slight problem ensued: Matt had requested a large bike and the only one the shop had to let out had not yet been returned -- so the owner offered Matt his own bike, a 2010 Kona Abra Cadabra, which is perhaps one of the most beautiful mountain bikes I have ever seen. Its unearthly. Maybe of Elvish make?
Map one: Highway 99 to Mamquam Road ('A' marks the location of Tantalus Bike Shop)
We hooked up with the fourth member of our group, Todd -- now a Squamish local, where we parked, right beside the outdoor soccer pitch at Quest University Canada. Rain threatened as we quickly packed our gear, keeping a wary eye on the clouds. But in true B.C. style the sun was soon shining and the temperature started to heat up as we climbed up to the trailhead.
Map two: to Quest University Canada up Highlands Way S
The route up to 'Half Nelson' is quite simple: follow Garibaldi Park Road as it climbs towards Diamond Head; turn left at the Ring Creek FSR and then climb gradually through a couple of cutblocks. There's only one more turn and you should soon see the trailhead which is marked with all-weather signage and map. The ride up took about 40 minutes, and we were not really pushing it all that hard.
Satellite photo one: route up to the Half Nelson trailhead - the red 'X' marks the approximate location of the trailhead
Here I would like to express my thanks to Todd for suggesting we ride 'Half Nelson' in the first place. My initial idea was to ride up 9 Mile and then catch some of the Test of Metal route back, including 'Powerhouse Plunge'. At the last minute Todd recommended 'Half Nelson', describing it as a very unique 'flow-y' ride. I was puzzled. I just assumed that any ride in the Squamish vicinity (and here you will recall that I only ride a hard-tail, e.g. no rear suspension) was a decidedly savage downhill pounding and was preparing myself for the worse. Armour packed? Check!
But 'Half Nelson' is a very different sort of affair. It has been described as a 3 kilometer long 'pumptrail', which means if you know how to ride it properly pedaling is not required. Big berms guide you around tight corners. Riders are meant to get tons of air over specially constructed 'table tops'. Its basically a big BMX track in a forest. And quite a blast to ride, even if your airborne skills are not up to scratch. 'Half Nelson' is also Squamish's first ever government funded trail, as this article from The Chief recounts. Kudos to all the volunteer designers and builders!! We had an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable ride.
