Three Peaks, One day (Alpaca Peak)

July 31st

Zupjok - Llama - Alpaca Ridge

As you drive eastbound through the Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area, at a glance, you might only notice Yak and Nak peak, but have you ever wondered about all the beauty that's hidden behind them? Maybe you haven't, and I don't blame you, the marvelous granite slabs of Yak peak make it hard to think of anything else. If you're "unfortunate" enough to be stuck on the passenger side of the vehicle, you may get to witness the aptly named Needle peak, which is also a sight to behold. 

As an adventurer (self-proclaimed), I've wondered many times of the adventures that await beyond nature's "walls" on each side of the highway. Luckily my friend Google Earth came in handy and I stumbled upon Alpaca peak. A peak just North of the Recreation Area, that gives you a refreshing perspective of the surrounding mountains. A quick online search of past hikes in the region and voila, I've found a route; a stunning ridge walk starting at Zupjok peak. This hike had me so excited, I felt like I was in a fairy tale. The 360 views on the ridge were breathtaking. 

What really catches my eyes in the Coquihalla Summit Area is its unique landscape. Many of the surrounding mountains feature large, smooth and cracked granite slabs. This feature is quite evident in the picture of Yak peak below.

The previous two pictures were taking by Stella on her hike up Yak in 2015. She was kind enough to lend them to me for my little geology lesson. ;)

This phenomenon is called exfoliation. Exfoliation happens when rocks that were formed at great depths reach the surface due to progressive erosion. The large compressional forces that once acted upon the rock at depth have now subsided and the rock now wants to expand. As we know, rocks aren't flexible, therefore they can't expand, so they fracture to relieve tension. In this case,  they fracture parallel to the surface. Once fractured water enters and the process of chemical weathering begins. This enlarges the cracks and leads to the rocks detaching from the surface. Ancient glacial activity is another cause of exfoliation. It too added great pressure to the rocks. Now gone, glacial rebound is in full progress, bringing us back to the rocks' will, but inability, to expand.

Whether or not you're interested in the scientific reasoning, we can all enjoy the natural "architecture" this process leaves behind. Honestly it leaves me dumbfounded. Luckily, as you make your way to Alpaca peak you'll see many examples of exfoliation.

I chose Alpaca peak because it's a less traveled, isolated area. I wanted to be a part of the few people that have ever visited this area.

How do I get there?

As I've made it quite obvious in my intro, Alpaca peak is found near the Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area. The trailhead begins at the Zopkios Rest area (Exit 217), about an hour from Chilliwack, BC. On the North Side of the highway, where the merging lane begins to head westbound, there's two gravel clearings. If you park in the first one, at the back right corner of it, you'll find the old deactivated Ottomite Mountain Road. This is where your journey on foot begins. 




Here's a rough estimate of our route. A total of 18-19km round trip.

Follow the Ottomite Mountain road for approximately 20-30 minutes as it slowly winds through the valley to Zupjok's shoulder. You'll eventually reach a distinct cairn that identifies the start of the single track trail that climbs up to Zupjok's peak. At this point, you will get off the old mountain as it continues off to another destination. If you pass two old wooden log bridges on the old mountain road, you know you're heading in the right direction.

The parking area - The trail begins to the right.

The overgrown Ottomite Mountain road.

First log bridge crossing.

A base for the avalanche cannons.

Second Bridge crossing - With a high clearance 4x4, you can drive up to this bridge and park here. That's if you don't mind a bit of BC pin striping. I chose not to risk it since it only saves about 20 minutes of walking.

Another picture of the Ottomite Mountain road.

The cairn marking the trailhead! From here on out, it's a single track trail, in the bush until Zupjok peak.

Once on the single track trail you'll have to drudge through wet trails for a bit before you enter the thick bushes and start to climb. From past reports that I've read, some people deem this trail to be a bushwack, but personally I didn't find it bad at all. It was well marked with a fairly easy to follow trail. I therefore assume, a kind hiker did a bit of work marking it anew. Thank you very much to whoever that may have been.

In just under 2 hours, we reached the first summit of our journey, Zupjok Peak. We took a gamble and decided to put all our trust into the weatherman for this hike. He said, cloudy in the morning and mix of sun and clouds in the afternoon. Hence why we started at 10am. At this moment, our gamble wasn't paying off. The clouds were so thick we couldn't see more than 20 metres in front of us, so we decide to sit there, eat lunch and wait to see if the clouds would start to part. It only took one glimpse between the clouds for me to make the decision to keep going (Stella didn't really have a choice, but shhhh don't tell her that).

Pretty much what the trail looks like until you reach Zupjok. Fairly well marked the whole way.

We've made it into the clouds, views were limited at this point. It was a cool experience to see the clouds moving around us though.

A tricky little spot right before the summit of Zupjok. Just follow the treeline on the rocks and you'll see some marking tape near the top.

Watch your step!

It just wouldn't be right if I went a whole blog with flowers pictures...

Following a faint trail, we started our trek towards Alpaca. At some points the trail disappears and becomes hard to follow, but don't worry, just follow the ridge, it's hard to get lost. I always study the area with Google Earth or maps before going, therefore I have an understanding of where I am all the time just by looking at my surroundings. Another trick is to make sure you have your Google maps loaded while you have cell service and just keep it on. Your phone compass will keep your position on the map. Here's a few examples of the compass keeping track of my position:

The ridge is quite spectacular. Large slabs of rock (lots of granite) cover the ridge, which gives the hike quite a cool feel as you walk from slab to slab. The forces of nature are evident when you observe the rocks more closely. Weathering and erosion have taken their toll on the rock surfaces.
The ridge goes up and down, 2-3 times as you pass by Zupjok's sub summit and Llama before reaching Alpaca. At this point the clouds started to lift and our first views started to pour in, I can remember my excitement as I skipped along to every high point so I can get the best view possible. The view of Ibex and Steinbok Peak to the West was by far my favourite.

Onwards into the clouds soldier!

Stella not trusting her footing.

When it comes to ridges, it doesn't get much better than this.

First glimpse of what's to come - Ibex, Steinbok, etc.

The clouds are finally lifting!

Some of the many awesome slabs we got to walk on. It's something you don't get to experience on many hikes in the Fraser Valley. The landscape is just so different here.

Stella looking back at where we ate lunch on Zupjok peak. (the bump to the left)

A tarn at the bottom of one of the bumps on the ridge. The rocks tumbling down the slope due to erosion and exfoliation formed a moraine at the bottom, allowing a tarn to form.

Nearing Llama peak, we can see Zupjok in the distance. We've already come such a long way!

An hour past Zupjok's peak, we reached the top of Llama peak. We weren't going to summit Llama at first since it was easy to bypass. It was chilly and we were starting to tire a little while wanting to reach our destination, but we summited anyway. We did however bypass it on the way down to save time. The view was the best to that point, but it did get better later on, so it's really not necessary. I just get to add a peak to my collection. hehehe. 



The view from Llama peak - Our destination, Alpaca peak to the right.

The "Shark Tooth", Vicuna peak, aka my next adventure in the Coquihalla.

A measly 45 minutes from the top of Llama and we made it to Alpaca!  It's highest point of 2083m, in a total of 4 hours and 15 minutes, with multiple breaks including a 30 minute lunch break. By this time, the clouds have finally lifted and the sun was fighting its way through. A full 360 degree view was available at this point, it was breathtaking. Looking around from this vantage point added multiple hikes to my to-do list, specifically Vicuna and Guanaco peaks.

A view of Alpaca - So close, yet so far.

Looking back at Llama peak - A beautiful example of Exfoliation on it's northern slope.

"Watermelon snow", also termed snow algae is caused by Chlamydomonas nivalis, a species of green algae that contains astaxanthin, a red pigment. It is cryophilic species, therefore thrive in cold temperatures.

Another look at the snow algae, it was quite common near the summit of Alpaca.

Panorama at the summit of Alpaca. A view to the South and West.

Alpaca's northern slope - Another example of exfoliation.

Stella gazing out into the distance, admiring the views. We actually found some rock climbing hooks in the rock near where she is standing. Must be a challenging climb up Alpaca's north face.

This picture intrigues me. Gives me a bit of vertigo looking at it. I really like how you can see where the water funnels down into the valley.

Another summit pano - North to South East view. Vicuna and Guanaco Peak to the left. 

Me staring at the "Shark Tooth" aka Vicuna Peak.

Another awesome angle of Vicuna and Guanaco peak. They're quite the photogenic pair.



View to the west and possibly my favorite. Ibex, Gamuza and Steinbok peaks amongst others.These peaks and Yak define my love for the Coquihalla Summit Area.

Added another peak to my collection. In my happy place.

The sun was shining bright on the way down, and warmed us up quite nicely. It also aloud some wildlife to show themselves, as numerous families of grouse now filled the grassy areas on the ridge. When we got back to Zupjok we realized the view we had missed while being in the clouds in the morning. Little we knew that our lunch spot was so beautiful.

Time to say goodbye before heading down.

A family of grouse enjoying the beautiful sunshine. She had 7 babies, some of which were still hiding in the shrubs.

I'm examining the formation of the tarn at the bottom of the picture. I sat there wanting to learn more about this structure (which I did when I got home).

The view from our lunch spot earlier in the day. I'd say it looks a bit better without the clouds. ;)
Markhor peak to the left, Needle peak in the center and Flatiron peak to the right.

We got back to the car at 6pm, making it a 8 hour long hike in total. Having hiked Needle peak before, this hike gives a whole new perspective of the area, and in my opinion it's 110% worth it. It's a bit longer than Needle Peak, but slightly easier, no exposed scrambling is necessary.

As I've said before, Yak and Needle peaks are the staple of the Coquihalla Summit area, most hikers have hiked them or know about them. Zupjok-Llama-Alpaca Ridge is lesser known and less traveled, but in my opinion, it's beauty is unrivaled.

GET OUT THERE, EXPLORE AND HAVE FUN!

PS. let someone know before you head out there, as it is less traveled.

Thanks for reading, don't be shy to leave a comment or questions. All criticism is welcomed.

Until next time,
Eric "Mountain Goat" Boudreau