Fairview Mtn Off-Trail hike on 26-Oct-2026

This was a beautiful trip but had one unexpected group management challenge: Sim dropped her microspikes while delayering, but didn't realize this until almost half an hour later. Donna was a star and offered to accompany Sim on the quest to retrieve the lost items, and the two of them walked probably an extra 300m of elevation gain! Meanwhile, the rest of us moseyed upwards and enjoyed two long breaks standing in the sun talking, trying to give the two of them a chance to catch up again. Eventually we started the big climb from Saddleback pass up the mountain for lunch, and shortly after we could see Sim and Donna reach the pass. So all was well and we were reunited at the summit with enough time for them to eat and for me to spend even more time admiring the views. Donna was grinning when she got to the top because she appreciated the extra tough workout!!

The other notable thing about this day was that there was NO WIND. Like, ZERO. What a bonus because it meant that we didn't get cold waiting. There was just enough snow to make the views extra stunning without impeding walking; some people wore spikes but some of us were fine without.

Add in hearing several pikas and lots of chickadees, and you really couldn't ask for anything more to improve the day. Sorry I didn't take more people pictures, but I was too enamoured with the scenery. :)

Thanks to everyone for their patience and for a really fun time!
Participants: Sim, Bill, Alda, Jane, Vi, Donna, Ingrid, Lilianne, Rick