Cleveland Dam to West Lake, June 11th 2022
Maya writes:-
This was a tough hike. Nearly 7 hours of hiking. 15.2 km and 800m elevation. We started at Cleveland Dam and, going via the Baden Powell trail, we climbed for three hours straight. The initial part of the Baden Powell trail through the British Properties is all stone steps. It's a hard graft and, I'd say, should be avoided in future. Once we got into the 'real' trails it was still an uphill struggle (no pun intended), but much more pleasant. We finally broke out on top, where West Lake Lodge used to reside, and Martina told us all how she used to live at this location. For two years. Forty years ago. It included a 45-minute hike each way, each day. No power. No shower. Way to go Martina!
We took the "long" way around to West Lake, 300m longer, and it took us on to the Cypress Mountain cross-country ski trails were there was still plenty of snow. The sun came out briefly to greet us in the snow, making it a very pleasant extra 300m. We climbed down the snow to sit right at the edge of the lake for lunch. A couple of bald eagles said hello and protested loudly when two dogs showed up.
We descended via the Brother's Creek trail and then an assortment of trails to meet back with the Baden Powell trail that returned us to Cleveland Dam. Our descent was much gentler than the ascent and was so much easier on our joints. It was a great day's hike. The smiles, still there at the end of the day, were a testament to that.
