Autumn hiking: Mount Horne from Cathedral Grove

Ryan and Kevin on the flanks of Mt Horne, above Cameron Lake.

Kevin and April planned this one. It had been raining for most of the previous week (sorry, I am still behind on posting… we did this hike a few weeks ago, on October 21st) and it was still raining most places. But the forecast looked slightly drier on the east side of the island (which is only a 20 minute drive from Port Alberni, just over the Hump for us). So they planned a hiking route over that way, starting in Cathedral Grove (MacMillan Provincial Park) and ascending Mount Horne.

In the parking lot at Cathedral Grove: Ryan, April, Andrea, Kevin (and me).

We probably looked a bit hard-core to the average roadside tourist here, as Ryan and April led us on trails and then cross-country, through the park and around to the road that goes behind Cameron Lake.

Then a small steep path up through the forest took us to the old railway track.

Then lots more steep uphill through the forest. Here we are just leaving the railway track – most of it was much more overgrown than this.

Deadfall across our route.

Then, as we got higher, out to some logging roads. We were glad that Ryan knew the route. That’s our destination, Mt Horne, in the background. And look, it was even almost sunny at times!

Then back to steep trails again – now rocky, and requiring a bit of scrambling, but nothing technical. And the views of Cameron Lake and the east coast of the Island just kept getting better.

Andrea and Ryan arriving at the summit.

Yay we made it! Ryan at the summit cairn. We even got lightly snowed on at the top as we ate our lunches. Lovely hike, and great route choice for the weather – roughly 5 hrs all together at a steady but easy pace.