Battle Mountain 1979 – Kamloops Trails
Back in 1979 I did a solo backpack to Battle Mountain. I took some photos with a cheap disposable camera, but lost the photos over the last 40 years. Recently I purchased a device to scan old negatives and found a few images. I did the backpack again in 2019 (link to the article).
In 1979, I parked at the lower parking area on the Battle Mountain Road (the old road needed 4WD) and hiked up the road then the trail to Fight Lake (12 km). I remember the trail as being a long way through wet meadows. I chose not to use the Fight shelter and instead pitched my tent on the lakeshore where the current backcountry campsite is now located.
The next day I hiked over 52 Ridge, stopping to check out the craters on the ridge, then descended into Bull Valley. I continued up Battle Mountain and had to choose the west or the east summit. I chose to hike to the old fire lookout (I haven’t found this photo yet).
I did find a photo of the old outhouse at the lookout, though.
The summit area of Battle Mountain has several rocky hilltops and I made the decision to explore all of the main ones.
Exploration of the summits, Bull Valley, and 52 Ridge was a full day of hiking so I returned back to Fight Lake late. I could see the lake from the top of Battle Mountain. Behind Fight Lake is Fight Meadows, Caribou Meadows, Table Mountain, and the Trophy Mountains.
The third day was just a hike out. i was young enough not to feel the backpack for the long hike. Forty years later was much more difficult, even with a shorter distance.
Having lost the photos for more than 30 years, it felt almost like losing the whole experience. Backpacking it again and then finding some old photos linked up my personal connection to Battle Mountain. I hope to backpack to Philip Lake and then hike Table Mountain in the coming year, probably as a solo venture. More to come…
Doug Smith
Doug writes for Kamloops Trails, a not-for-profit (and ad free) website, offering information on trails, waterways, routes, featured spots, viewpoints, and explorations in the outdoors in the Kamloops area (and beyond).
Doug started exploring this area in 1976 and continues to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, he chose to share this information.
The Kamloops Trails website has a massive number of interesting posts and would be of interest to anyone in Kamloops who enjoys the outdoors. Visit the Kamloops Trails website at: http://www.kamloopstrails.net/
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