Manning Provincial Park: Frosty Mountain
British Columbia, September 2006

With all our months of hiking and camping, it was time to take it one step further.. something more challenging. So we decided to climb Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park.

It's a 34km round trip hike. With no help of any sort of vehicle or machine, just our feet and hiking poles, we started our newest adventure.

Kellee and I woke up early, packed our backpacks with 20 lbs each on our backs (water and food) at 10:00am at Lightning Lake which is at the base of Frosty Mountain. The hike is considered strenuous/moderate.. 17km up to the peak of the mountain (34km there and back)... 2408 meters of elevation.

The hike goes through four types of terrains.. forest, meadow, Larch Alpine, then rock. Most people don't make it past the rocks because it's really steep. Out of 32 people we met on the trail only 12 people made it to the peak of Frosty Mountain. And out of the 12 people who made it to the peak only 4 were women.

On the way back down we had run out of water. Desperate for hydration, we had to take water from the stream by the wilderness camp site. Unfortunately, we didn't have purification tablets but we drank it anyway.

We also had to quickly make our way down the mountain before darkness falls. That's the worst part about trying to do a two day hike in one day; once you're in the darkness your vision is limited to your headlamps and the predators come out to feed.

So here's the summary:
Start -- 10:00am -- Lightning Lake -- 0 m elevation -- 0 km
Summit -- 4:30pm -- Frosty Mountain -- 2408m -- 17 km
(Half hour break)
End -- 8:30pm -- Lightning Lake -- 0 m elevation -- 17 km

Note:

• This is not an easy hike and usually takes two days to complete. If you decide to complete this in one day give yourself plenty of time.
• Appropriate hiking shoes with strong ankle support is needed.
• Hiking poles help with the incline and gives added support.
• 4 liters of water or more is required for this hike. Either carry the amount or bring purification tablets, but the only place where water is available is at the wilderness camping site.