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The Hudson's Bay Company Trail

August 7, 2010


Hike 12 kilometres over the Cascade Mountains, from Jacobson Lake to Sowaqua Creek, on the most spectacular section of the historic Hudson’s Bay Company “Brigade” Trail.  Fur trade historian Ken Favrholdt will accompany us, sharing his knowledge of the people and events that reveal the vibrant life of this historic route.


Completed in 1849, the HBC Trail was built to link the Fraser River at Fort Hope with Fort Kamloops and other important forts farther north to Stuart Lake.  For more than a decade, the HBC’s fur empire in Western North America depended on this trail.  Brigades of up to 400 horses and men regularly pounded over the Cascades from July to October, bringing furs west to the coast and carrying food and equipment inland to re-supply the forts.  The HBC Trail played a key role in the early history of British Columbia, and before that, was a hunting trail and east-west trade route for First Nations such as the Stó:lo and Upper Similkameen. 


Today, the trail offers hikers and horseback riders stunning mountain scenery, rolling wildflower meadows, and clear blue tarns.  You can still find 160-year-old blazes on the trees and thousands of HBC pack animals have left a visible impression upon the land.


With funding support from National Trails Coalition and New Pathways To Gold Society, Hope Mountain Centre has been working in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts (MoTCA) and various outdoor enthusiasts to clear and flag the trail so that people can travel it again.  This scenic day hike on August 7th will mark the trail’s rebirth.


Highlights:
*  Have lunch at “Palmer’s Pond,” a beautiful tarn named after Lieutenant Palmer of the Royal
      Engineers, who hiked the trail in 1859.
*  Cross the “Cascade Divide” on the slopes of Mt. Davis, where a watershed boundary divides
      the Fraser and Columbia rivers.
*  Visit Encampement de Chevreuil – an important overnight camp for the brigades, where the
      grandson of Simon Fraser was killed by a felled tree in 1855 (Fraser was unpopular and
      some say it was no accident!).
*  Panoramic views of dozens of peaks in the North Cascades.


Physical Demands:
*  All hikers must be in moderately good shape and able-bodied.
*  Total trail distance: 12 kilometres.
*  Elevation gain from Jacobson Lake to Cascade Divide:  350 metres
*  Elevation loss as we drop down from Mt. Davis into Sowaqua Creek is 900 metres over a
      distance of 7 kilometres.


Trip Leaders:


  Ken Favrholdt (lead instructor)
Ken has a long interest in the history of the fur trade in British Columbia.  He has a BA and MA from UBC and teaching certificate from SFU. He worked for Parks Canada (Fort Langley and Fort St. James) as an interpretive guide before teaching elementary school up north for a couple of years and then finally settling down in Kamloops. He was formerly Curator of the Kamloops Museum and also the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park and has taught Geography for many years at Thompson Rivers University.  His interest in First Nations cultures and historic trails has taken him across BC and the Pacific Northwest.


  Kelly Pearce
Kelly is a Hope resident and Program Director for the Hope Mountain Centre.
He has taught ecology and human history in the North Cascades for 16 years.


  Kelley Cook
Kelley is a Princeton resident and forest recreation sites and trails contractor.  Kelley has a passion for historic trails and has played a leading role in re-opening the HBC Trail in recent years.


Cost:
$100 per person. 


Price includes:
*  Round-trip bus transport from Hope
*  Lunch
*  Three experienced guides
*  Map, historic information


You can quickly and safely pay by credit card via this Web site--just click the “Register Now” button on the right side of the page and follow the instructions.  If you prefer to send us a cheque, please make sure to pre-register online, selecting "Manual" payment.  This will ensure a spot is saved for you!  Contact us at 604-869-1274 or by email at info@hopemountain.org if you need more information.


Schedule:
  7:00 AM – Meet at the Owl Street Café in Hope (see map)
  7:30 AM – Bus departs
10:00 AM – Bus arrives at Jacobson Lake, hike begins
12:30 PM – Lunch at Palmer’s Pond on the HBC
  2:30 PM – Encampement de Chevreuil on the HBC
  5:30 PM – Meet the bus at Sowaqua Creek
  6:30 PM – Bus returns to Hope


What to Bring:
You must be prepared for changing mountain weather.
*  High-energy snack food
*  Water (at least 2 litres per person)
*  Hiking boots (no runners please)
*  Warm clothes and rain gear
*  Sunglasses, sun hat, sun block
*  Camera, binoculars
*  Hiking poles (recommended)


Reserve a spot now by registering through this website, or call us at 604-869-1274 or by email at info@hopemountain.org for more information.

 

Sep 06, 2010