Hunchback/Lusk ridge traverse Off-Trail hike on 8-Aug-2024

Hunchback hills and Lusk ridge seem to be interchangeable names for a horseshoe shaped ridge across from Cox hill. The west ridge is a lovely hike starting at the Lusk Pass trailhead. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the west ridge summit with its expansive views in all directions.

Crest of west Lusk ridge

Summit cairn of west Lusk ridge

Francisco admiring contents of geocache on west summit

By following the ridge down in a northerly direction then skirting a clearcut, we eventually went up a small pointy peak where we had lunch 3 hours after starting the hike. This makes a nice turn around point for those who do not want to do a car shuttle. Since this trip was a partial traverse of the ridges, we continued on.

Pointy peak lunch spot with fireweed in the clearcut we walked around

Lunch break on pointy peak

We descended our lunch stop minor peak and hiked up the steep end of the north ridge to where it flattens a bit then gradually rises. A faint trail exists which at one point branches to the left and also continues straight. We went straight until we intersected a bike trail which we followed to another minor peak along this ridge. This is where we descended to complete the traverse.

There is a trail of sorts leading from this minor peak to the valley bottom and then to Sibbald Meadows Pond parking lot but portions of it are still under construction. It is long and sometimes steep as it descends about 400m to the road. The first half of this traverse ending at our lunch spot is very pleasant with varied terrain. The second half is mostly in the trees and not particularly interesting. There are other descent routes than the one we took and one of them may have been a better choice for today since that trail is in much better condition than the one we took and not as steep.

The projected sunny day with minimal clouds didn’t materialize as clouds soon moved in but the temperature was good for hiking and there wasn’t much wind. I thank my fellow adventurers for their interest in doing a traverse which was new to most of them and for becoming familiar with the west ridge and its wonderful views. Distance 11km; up approx 800m; down approx 900m.

Participants: Rosanne,Philip,Yolande(c/s),Francisco,Shirley,John,Clifton,Teresa,Cathy,Lenard,Jo