In August 2020, I did my first hike up to Mount Brunswick, and since then, I have wanted to go up there in winter/early spring. Rohan was also interested, so we decided to do Mount Brunswick on Saturday when we had a good weather window in the morning.
Even though it is the middle of the Spring season, we know there is still a lot of snow at a higher elevation. Combined with recent rainfall, the conditions were not ideal, but we decided to give it a go. In any case, we would have a good workout with a weighted backpack.
Rohan and I met at the Lions Bay Elementary School parking lot at 6 am. On my drive to the parking lot, I was surprised to see a black bear on the street in Lions Bay. Rohan and I carried about a 22 lb pack with avy gear and climbing gear (more for weight than any actual climbing). It took us about 15 minutes to reach the trailhead.
At the trailhead, I realized that I had left my phone in the car and was not motivated enough to go back and get it. So all the photos in this post are courtesy of Rohan.
The hike starts on a wide gravel road from the trailhead, and the road continues till Magnesia Creek. About 3 km into the hike, we continued straight at the junction of Tunnel Bluffs/Brunswick Mountain and Lions trails.
Brunswick Mountain Trail
We stayed right on the Brunswick Mountain trail a few minutes past Magnesia Creek. The trail on the left goes to Tunnel Bluffs. It had taken us just over an hour to reach this junction.
About 5.5 km into the hike, the trail had patches of snow at an elevation of 1000 m. We continued for another 10-15 minutes and then put on our spikes/crampons as it was icy.
Higher up, the trail was not always obvious, and Rohan referred to the tracks on Cal Topo at regular intervals. It was a beautiful day, and we had a good view of Hat Mountain from the trail.
Our progress slowed as we started punching through the snow. It took us almost three and half hours to reach the junction of Brunswick Mountain and Howe Sound Crest Trail.
Past the Howe Sound Crest Trail, the terrain was steeper. We arrived at a rock patch and went left, leading to a short but exposed section. On our way back, we realized that we should have gone right at this point to stay on the trail.
The last 500 m or so hike from the Howe Sound Crest Trail to the saddle that leads to the summit took us almost an hour and twenty minutes. By now, it was 11 am, and the visibility was terrible. Even when we were on the saddle, we could barely see the edge/cornice. So after a quick break, we decided to turn around.
It took us about three hours to get down, and we were back at the parking lot by 2:15 pm. The round trip was just over 16 km with 1640 m vertical in about eight hours – another good day in the mountains.
Territory Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.
Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First Nations.info
Resources:
Trail Guide (Summer): Outdoor Vancouver
Cypress Provincial Park – BC Parks Website
Avalanche Canada – Forecast | Avy Savvy – Online Avalanche Tutorial | Recorded Webinars
Weather Forecast – SpotWx | Yr.No | Windy
AdventureSmart – Trip Planning
Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not Affiliate Links.
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