Coal Hill on the Snow

Coal Hill on the Snow

Doug Smith  December 12, 2024 at 9:00 am

On a cool winter day I hiked from the upper area of Aberdeen to the top of Coal Hill.   there are several routes to the top, but the shortest follows double tracks, winding up through the open forest and grassland slopes to the upper area.    Single tracks provide routes to the top of the hill where there are wide views.

There was a few centimeters of snow on the double track.    It was okay for hiking boots, but I put on microspikes to avoid slipping.  This is a north-facing slope so most of the route up was in the shade, but there were some open sunny spots along the way.

Double tracks go east and west along a grassy bench halfway up the hill.    A branch turns uphill onto the douglas fir forested hill.

At a handful of spots we can see north and east across the hills.

Near the top, the trees were covered in hoar frost.    The sun shone through the frosty witch’s hair lichen.

Snow and frost covered everything at the top of the hill.    The grasslands stretch west toward the forests of Greenstone Mountain.   Chuwhels Mountain stands to the southwest.

The sun shone through scattered clouds to the south.    The grasslands stretch past the Goose Lake Road and Edith Hill to the slopes of Hull Hull and Ridge Mountain.

From another spot on the hilltop, there were views to the South Thompson River Valley with Harper Mountain rising above the hills.


This was one of my favorite hikes of the year.    The sun, the hoarfrost, and the snow on the hills made this a special 4.7 km hike.   On the way down I stopped to talk to a man who was climbing up on snowshoes.    I will return to do the same later in the season.

 

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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.ca/

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