Pulpit Rock & Flag Pole trail
Spring is always a wet time of year here in Nelson BC, almost comparable to the monsoon season of the far East. May is always continuous precipitation of the non ski-able kind which rolls right on into June and typically doesn't stop until Summer officially starts here in the Kootenays in July. This year was no exception, however it feel like it has been better than most years. Our May rainfall was 160% of normal this year smashing records from 20 years ago. This even takes into account the sunny 30°C respite we had the first week of May which did indeed feel very summer like. Turns out it was just a tease and we went right back into rain, rain,… and rain.
(click for larger view)
You can't let the weather get you down though and it's a good time to go hiking on trails close to home so that when the rain showers do move in (as they typically do by mid day) you are not too far from the trail head and town. Last week we decided to put in a quick lap on arguably Nelson's most popular trail which takes you up 1000' to to Pulpit Rock and then an additional 1000' on up to the Flag Pole. Yes, there actually is a flag pole with a Canadian Flag waving at the top of this trail. My partner in crime on this walk was my 9 year old son who was game for what ever the weather threw at us. After all he has been hiking these trails since before he could walk and he first completed the 2,000' climb when he was 5 coaxed along by promises of candy and riches at the top.
On this day sun gave way to rain after about 45 minutes of walking but we pressed on. We had very little in the way of views at the top however hiking in stormy weather is one of the more memorable things for this hiker. No crowds, layered stormy views and if you are prepared for the weather then it can be an all around not uncomfortable experience.
The rain was a welcome friend on this day as I was also completing some testing on a soon to be released product review for Backcountry Skiing Canada. On this day it was the Mile High Mountaineering Salute 34 pack, the video review is already completed and can be found over here. The pack itself comes complete with a built in rain cover so this was the feature that I was hoping to test out and sure enough, tested it was.
If you ever find yourself in the Kootenays of British Columbia Canada be sure to check this trail out, it typically has great views of the city of Nelson directly below the mountain and is easily accessible from the trial head just a few kilometres out of city limits.
Now that it's June 8th it looks like the June rains may have ended or at least kept at bay by this ridge of high pressure we are now enjoying, or is this just another tease from Mother Nature? After all July is still three weeks away.
