Senior Centre Access Trail

[psi4ce]

I am back in town and will be looking in to access from the Elsie Lake trail, there is a game trail connecting it to the top of the Senior center. The problem is that it could be a 30-40 minute approach and sport climbers are notoriously lazy.

Anyone have a GPS and interested in helping me wack some bushes?

It would be nice to get the Senior Center into the new climbers guide for the North Shore, and bring the crag back to life.

Rolf

Hey Rolf one of the last times I was bushwhacking around the Senior Centre (several years ago now), I discovered a mountain bike trail that comes down very close to the climbing area, I think near to the creek just south of the climbing area. It was a well-developed trail, probably one of the "secret"-but-popular "Darkside" Seymour mountain bike trails that have trailheads off the Mount Seymour Park Road higher up the mountain.

In theory, this trail could be extended somehow to service the Senior Centre. Certainly that would be easier than cutting or developing a whole new trail. But, that could come with access problems as well since as far as I know use of the "Darkside" trails for mountain biking is illegal--apparently the east side of Mount Seymour Provincial Park is not "zoned" for it. I don't know about hikers using the trails, but I do know parking would be a problem.

One of the fundamental problems is, as you have pointed out, that climbers are lazy. I think you'd have trouble convincing them to use a trail that paralleled the Fire Lanes, let alone one that required them to hike out up several hundred metres of elevation gain. At the very least, I think you'd want to look at making the trail as short and direct as possible.

And I suppose there is also the consideration that mountain bikers descending any trail climbers were using for access could present quite a hazard to the climbers--those guys are maniacs.

--Robbie

P.S. I live in Squamish now, and I'm sorry to say, my interest level in developing a Senior Centre access trail has correspondingly taken a massive nose-dive. But, keep me posted.

[rolfr]

I did a google earth search and the distance from the head of the Elsie lake trail off Mt Seymour road to the crag is a bit over one mile as the crow flys. If you have time one afternoon it still may be worth a try.

[natsdad]

Hi Rolf:

PM sent.

Steve