January 23, 2021
The trail begins behind the washrooms of the Zopkios Rest Area.
A gradual climb makes this ideal for snowshoeing or backcountry skiing/split-boarding.
Markhor Peak (1995 m) is a rocky massif located northeast of Needle Peak.
The trail follows an old road that has degraded into a double-track hiking trail.
Many of the place names on the Coquihalla originated in the mind of the Kettle Valley Railway’s designing engineer, Andrew McCulloch, who loved the works of playwright William Shakespeare.
Portia, Shylock, Lear, and Juliet were stops on the railway — as was Othello, named after a play that mentioned Ottomites, or Ottoman Turks.
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking people of the Ottoman Empire ( c. 1299–1922/1923).
Napoleon inflicted the greatest humiliation in Ottoman military history.
On 20 May 1799, Napoleon laid siege to the port of Acre (Israel).
His army of around 4,500 fought an army of over 30,000 and not only won but sustained just two fatalities.
The lesson, numbers don’t count for everything.
Back to the hike, around the three km, there is the option to head to Zupjok, Llama, and Alpaca Peaks to the right, Iago directly ahead, or Ottomite to the left.
Ottomite is not bare but still offers nice views of the surrounding mountains.
Here you will be greeted by deceptively cute Canada Jays.
Highly curious and always on the lookout for food, they don't have issues landing on your hand to grab a raisin or peanut.
Yak Peak (2039 m) is a steep granite peak and is the highest summit on the Zopkios Ridge.
