I didn’t feel well that day and was tired physically and emotionally, for some reason. So I remember this trail being very long and annoying to me, especially the last ascent where I suddenly felt really low energy.
But if thinking subjectively, it’s not that bad of a trail. Certainly no worse than Wedgemount lake trail that is almost the same length but twice as much in elevation.
The trail to Saint Marks is a part of the Howe Sound Crest trail, and it splits right from the start, to unite somewhere after Bowen lookout. I haven’t been to the east side of this loop, but according to some folks I met hiking from there, it’s more rocky than the west side.
I chose the west side because I’ve been to Bowen lookout before and knew that at least this part is really well maintained, broad and even. I made a quick detour to eat lunch at the Bowen lookout (why not - lunch with a view) and continued on the trail.
The trail after Bowen lookout is also ok, pretty even, though not that broad. Until you hit the sign “Trail in poor condition. Improved trail ends” and a muddy puddle right next to it 😅 From that point the trail is pretty nasty - lots of roots, rocks and mud. But I would say it’s only about 1/3 of the trail.
There were a couple of small streams along the way, but I wouldn’t count on them for sure.
There is no official camp on Saint Marks (though camping is permitted in this area) - I was aware of it. Also, btw, you don’t have to pay for camping in Cypress Provincial park. What I didn’t know is how Saint Marks summit looks in real life.
I have imagined something like Seymour peaks - with a lot of open space. But it turned out that the summit is covered with woods and there are just a couple bluffs with views and each of them can accommodate exactly one tent. This is to my knowledge, and to be honest, I was too tired to explore further around. Maybe there are more bluffs, I don’t know.
I went on a weekday and saw just one backpacker that said he’s continuing to the mount Unnecessary (love this name haha and really want to visit it one day). I decided to stay on Saint Marks. After scouting the near surroundings I have settled on the second bluff, the lower one. To get to it, from the first bluff, which you will see upon reaching the summit area, keep taking the trail that is closer to the edge each time. There’s a net of small trails.
Anyway, I took my backpack to the second bluff, boiled some water and cooked couscous and had a pretty nice time with a view and different people asking me if I’m going to stay here for the night. The spot Is very popular and was crowded with hikers even on a weekday, but I was hoping that by the sunset I’ll have the place to myself. And then 2 guys arrived and announced that they were to stay there to see the sunset.
My plan was to take a bunch of photos of myself with my tent and other gear and this didn’t involve people sitting in the middle of the frame. Now, I totally acknowledge the fact it’s a public place and everyone can sit wherever they want and enjoy the view. And at that point I realized staying there was a mistake. So I packed my things and took the trail to mt. Unnecessary. Then I thought that at my slow pace it would take me an hour to get there, but it was already past 5pm, while the sunset was at 7pm, So I would be really rushing to find a place to camp and set up camp and also take pics before it’s dark. So I turned back to the bluff.
The guys were still there. Few other people joined for the sunset and I couldn’t even pitch my tent without interfering with people walking around - so small this place is. Finally I decided to do it and realized one of my tent poles is broken. That’s a separate story, but in short - I got it broken from the wind on another trip, fixed it with attaching some hex keys around, which held up another couple of trips, and now this fix came apart.
I knew I can fix it, but the sun was starting to set and I also wanted to take some photos with a tripod. To tell the least - I wasn’t enjoying the experience. My tent wasn’t even close to ready and the sun was already setting. There was kind of a line up to take pictures with sunset backdrop - there were another 6 people on the bluff and little photo-worthy spots. I managed to take some photos (not bad photos actually), but wasn’t really enjoying myself.
The sun has set and I was finally left alone on the bluff. I fixed the tent with some plastic ties and it was fine for that night (although came apart later at home, but now I got some replacement parts so going to fix it for real before next season). I prepared my bed, brushed my teeth, hung my bear bag on some branch a bit away from the camp and watched the sky getting darker and lights starting to lit up on the surrounding islands. It is an amazing place, BC.
This night was my worst night in the backcountry. I was frightened by the thought that I’m actually here alone. Until now I only went camping in popular places and there always were more tents around me. This time it was me and this guy on the Unnecessary mountain. I doubt there were more people in the area, since I would probably see them watching the sunset. I tossed and turned and it took me a few hours to fall asleep. BTW, if you want to know more about my sleep issues in the field and how I deal with them, head to My backpacking sleeping system (sucks) post.
I woke up before the sunset to realize the sun is rising behind the mountain and since I’m not on the actual top of that mountain, there won’t be an epic sunrise. Which was fine with me.
My bear bag was untouched and no animals came visit me during the night. I changed to my hiking clothes and began my day. Which mainly consisted of preparing the breakfast and take enormous amounts of pictures of the process. To my delight, the first people I saw arriving to the high bluff were there at about 10:30am, and the first visitors to my lower bluff camp were around 11am. So I had plenty of time to take many many pics 😁
No more special adventures were on this trip. Only that I was exhausted and the way back felt like forever despite lasting only 1.5 hours.
As I mentioned in the TL;DR section, the only water source near the summit is a big yellow puddle. I was really nervous to drink this water that remained a bit yellowish even after filtering with my
Sawyer squeeze (and yes, I filter even water that looks clean 😊). So I decided to drink half a small cup first and see how I feel 😅. I was fine and after half an hour I drank more. And I still was fine. I guess this filter actually works!
If you want to camp in the woods near the summit, I would say go for it. But if you’re looking for a spot with a view to camp on - I wouldn’t recommend Saint Marks. I’m keen to try and see what’s the scenery like on the Unnecessary mountain, hopefully it’s more similar to Seymour. But on Saint Marks it’s too little space and too little privacy.
That’s it for today. It’s nice to recall of this summer’s adventures… Even if they don’t always go as planned.
If you’re thinking about starting backpacking and not sure how - check out this post with tips how to do exactly that and slowly build your confidence.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions! I really want to make this blog a place for folks to get knowledge and inspiration and would love to know what you think.
Remember to leave no trace (imagine every visitor of Saint Marks leaving behind just one banana peel 😬🍌)
Cheers,
Oless
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