Big piece of Evan Thomas Trail washed away
October 29th Wednesday 2014
Old Baldy Knoll, not to be mistaken as Mt Baldy and Baldy Pass. This hike starts from Evan Thomas Creek pullout on Hwy 40. The trail initially follows the wide road. As you can see from the above photo there is a lot of flood damage but the trail has been rebuilt and re-routed. Continue for close to 2.0 km looking for cairns on your left. Do not take the first trail only the one with the cairns. Follow the trail,flagging and cairns, through some damaged areas looking for another junction on your right. Although the trail continues straight ahead I don’t know where it would lead you and is a hike for another day. At this point follow the damaged trail up McDougall Creek.
June 13th 2016
Returned to check out the route that goes straight ahead instead of into the creek. See a hike for another day. This route is a well worn trail that misses the creek and follows up the spine through the trees. Eventually the trail comes to a large talus rock bed. Work through this following cairns and tape angling right. Coming out on the lower ridge with the creek below. The going is now easier through the thinning trees with great views into the creek. Then comes the final push up a steep grassy slope to the summit ridge. Although a steep hike it does give the advantage of staying out of the creek and made a loop by returning down to the tarn and back through the McDougall Creek. Since I was last there in 2014 the washed out trail has become more established and easier to use. The lower photos show the June 2016 route
The trail now winds its way through this damage
A few hours up McDougall Creek
The trail was on the right before the flood and does continue later on as the next picture shows.
Room for one on this part of the trail
Looking down the watershed
The picture above shows the route up the watershed going left at the junction to the tarn route. The tarn route is the most worn and a small cairn points the way through the tight trees to this more direct route.
Through the treed meadows to Old Baldy Knoll
The high point is to the left.
Old Baldy Knoll ahead
From the top looking into Skogan Pass
The broad summit of Old Baldy
The dry Tarn below
Climbing up through the woods to the Lower Ridge of Old Baldy
Entering the talus rock bed
Rocky ridge after talus rock bed
Old Baldy Ridge
Dropping down to the Tarn from the col
Distance return 13.0 km (June 15.0km ) Time return 6:30 hrs( 7hrs ) ( inc 30 min lunch ) Elevation Accumulated gain 900 m (955m ) Elevation to Summit 900 m Summit height 2406 m
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