We ride bikes a lot. We ride long days, big jumps, technical sections, we gain elevation day after day and after a while our bodies and our minds start to get exhausted and we need a rest. Yes, we do yoga, we stretch, we try to eat healthy food and to get as much good quality sleep as possible but we still get tired. We also love being outside. We love the mountains, the unique flora and fauna, the wilderness, and we love a good adventure.
We were exhausted and needed to take a day off from biking so we planned to take a hike, naturally we wanted to spend our rest day in the wild. We had done a few small treks into the mountains to swim in a lake or check out some waterfalls but we were looking for something a little bit longer. FX wanted a full day’s hike. Tanya had her eye on a hike for a few years and thought this might be a fitting challenge. She saw the Black Tusk, a massive pinnacle of volcanic rock, when she first came to Whistler in 2015. You can observe the Black Tusk from the Top of World trail in Whistler Bike Park and she always thought it would be an incredible experience to hike up to it.
The thing is… Tanya is not a hiker. Neither is FX. We prefer to ride bikes, but that isn’t to say that we are completely without hiking experience. Tanya has done a few short day hikes, portage and backpacking trips in Ontario, and FX hiked a few years ago in France. As mountain bikers we are fairly fit and both have experience with remote backcountry trails. So, we thought it would be a pretty amazing activity to enjoy… for a day of rest.
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| Start of the hike |
Formed tens of thousands of years ago, Black Tusk is located in Garibaldi Provincial Park and reaches 2,319m at it’s highest elevation point. We combed a few trail reports and reviews, inciting anticipation as we perused the numerous epic photographs. Multiple reports rated the trail as difficult, with a 28km out and back distance and approximately 1,750m of elevation gain. It was suggested that hikers allow 9-11 hours to complete the hike. Many people recommended doing the hike as part of a multi-day backcountry adventure, stopping to set up camp at Garibaldi Lake or Taylor Meadows and hiking out from there. We only had one rest day.
Cautiously underestimating our ability, we planned on 10-12 hours with plenty of time for snacks… Tanya loves snacks. We ground our coffee the night before and went to bed early, trying to sleep through the nervous anticipation of the big hike. We woke up at at 4:30am, made coffee, boiled water for oatmeal, and prepared our lunch. With our hiking boots on the trail by 5:50 we began the long climb with sweaters and light jackets in the chilly morning climate.
We hiked the first leg of the climb fairly quickly; a very smooth double track trail that gracefully wove switchbacks through the colossal stands of western red cedars and the towering Douglas fir. Although this part of the climb is technically easy, the steady incline and elevation gain meant our heart rates gradually increased and our bodies warmed up. The early morning light made the trail feel slightly eerie and as we were warmed by the briskness of our walk, we were surprised to arrive at Taylor Meadows with the icy dew still on the leaves of the mountain meadow flowers.
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| Flower: Castilleja |
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| Flower: Purple Monkey |
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| Flower: Bigleaf Lupine |
At Taylor Meadows the landscape drastically began to change from the dense forest to the open alpine and we were ecstatic to have our first views of Black Tusk. We stopped briefly at the next trail junction to eat a sandwich and enjoy some trail mix. As we gazed upon the Black Tusk and the loose volcanic rock we knew the last few km would be the steepest. We could see the Black Tusk getting closer as we hiked and our adrenaline and excitement grew with each step. As did our appreciation for the serene alpine landscape, the fat marmots that crossed our path, and the sound of the tiny waterfalls that travelled down the mountain.
The BC Parks hike technically ends at the Garibaldi park sign but this is also where the real climb begins. The accent from the park sign to the base of the Black Tusk is comprised of loose shale with multiple footpaths sinking in to the scramble. We trekked up and enjoyed our lunch amongst the spellbinding 360 degree views.
We began our decent, content with the success of our summit, refreshed by the windy mountain air, and excited to enjoy another sandwich on the way down. For us, the decent proved to be more difficult than the climb with the steep terrain putting continued pressure on bike-worn knee joints. We finished our hike in 7 hours and 57 minutes and were overjoyed to rest our legs in Rubble Creek. Hanging out around Rubble Creek or in the parking lot is not really recommended as the land is geologically unstable but we couldn’t resist a few minutes in the icy cold stream. We escaped the landslide risk and headed out to find something to refuel our spent calories. 
The following day we were really exhausted – we could barely move without wincing. We soaked our muscles in the Squamish river and as we sat on the river rocks chatting about the beautiful hike, we heard a twig snap in the bushes behind us and noticed that a black bear had ventured along the trail about 10 meters from where we were sitting. Clearly overstaying our welcome, we left the rivers edge for the bear to enjoy in peace and we decided to head back to Whistler... but that’s a story for another day.
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| Snacks! |
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