July 26, 2020
Many hikers do Skyline I using a car system, leaving one vehicle at Strawberry Flats and one at Spruce Bay.
If not doing a loop, I recommend starting early from Spruce Bay.
You have more views but it comes with a price, do not expect much shade.
You can see Long Western white pine cones along this part of the trail.
From the woods came a short, burry song and long, chuckling call note.
It was a quintessential woodland denizen in the summertime, a Western Tanager.
The trail follows an old fire access road, which leads to the Skyline Trail junction.
For approximately 1.25 km, the effects of the 1994 forest fire are apparent.
After a rain, it is refreshingly green with an amazing display of lichens and mosses.
Picturesque and possessed of phenomenal regenerative powers, wildflowers provide a technicolor experience.
Thistle is one of those edible plants you can find while hiking.
The roots are supposed to be edible, but it gives some folks gas. I thought you’d like to know ahead of time.
Also, daisy leaves can make a tasty addition to salads (they're closely related to artichoke and are high in Vitamin C).
Manning Park is home to over 100 varieties of alpine and subalpine wildflowers.
By mid to late August, the summer bloom is over, and the trail is obscured by the leaves and flower heads of the dying plants.
Frosty Mountain is the highest summit in Manning Provincial Park. The peak has two summits: the lower east summit 2410m and less than 1 km away, a higher west summit 2423m on map)
Thunder Lake, the western-most lake in the Lightning Lake chain.
Hozomeen Mountain is a double-summited rock peak on the US side. It is notable for the large, steep drops from both of its summits to the surrounding terrain
The trail generally stays 180 m below the ridge crest on the south side but rises to the top of the knolls which offer good views in either direction.
The Gibson Pass ski area is visible in the valley below to the north, while Blackwall Peak, the Cascade Lookout, and the Three Brothers area stretch to the northeast.
From the east summit of Frosty Moutain, a loose and steep climb leads to the higher west summit about 60 minutes further on. That part of Frosty doesn't see many visitors.
The hike ended by admiring one of Canada's most iconic species.
With their tendency to work tirelessly, it’s easy to see why “busy as a beaver” is such a common expression.
