Saturday was a blast. K and I decided we were going to brave it, and take on the Elk Thurston Trail in Chilliwack.

It was a rough haul. We left early, as the trail is rated to be 4 hours one way - we had decided to only go to the half-way mark (peak of Elk Mountain). The trail is insanely steep - the BC Forestry guide is right when it says it will test even the best hikers' endurance. I often found myself stopping for a moment here or there to catch my breath. But then again, when you're faced with this most of the way, you know you're in for quite the haul. (it's an 800m elevation gain in just under 3.5km - that works out to roughly 750 feet per kilometer... a total elevation gain of 2624.67 feet) It was totally worth it, however. The view, when the clouds cleared, was phenomenal - you could see the entire Sumas prairie, and the surrounding mountains. Although it was extremely windy, raining, and cold, K and I were both very happy to have made the trip. Anything after this hike is going to be simple.