The Pinnacle

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The excitement today was an incredible hike in the Grampions National Forest to a place called the Pinnacle. It is a steady climb of 280 m over a distance of 2 km, but fortunately the weather was great - sunny and about 12 to 15C. The local area has "old" hills, with lots of errosion on the rock, so the views and terrain are incredibly interseting to walk through. Rock formations are similar to the Alberta badlands, or Arizona, but on a smaller scale.

The starting point for the hike is a parking lot which you get to by driving up a steep winding mountain road, about 1 km west of Halls Gap. We hiked/climbed through a steep ascent portion called the Grand Canyon, and another small gorge called Silent Street. The trail in these areas is a combination of hand laid boulders for stepping stones, and man-made stairs where it is extra rough. A group of school age kids were learning to climb and rappel on a natural rock face of about 30 or 40 m height. We also saw two other groups of kids (looked like school class tours) do the hike up and down, and notcied that there is less problem here with overweight kids than back at home - probably a connection in there somewhere.

As you climb up the trail you are either in one of the rock canyons, or in a wider valley of forest, with the birds and lots of interesting flowers all around. Still haven't seen any snakes, so that is good. At the very last 30 m of the trail, you crest a ridge and see a much larger valley laid out 400 to 500 m below you, including the town of Halls Gap. After such beauty even during the hike, the scene from the top is incredibly beautiful. The viewing platform extends out over cliff face so you feel completely suspended over the valley. You sure wouldn't get me out there on a windy day!

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Photos

Out of Breath
Near the summit of the "Grand Canyoun"

Student Climbers
Insurance waivers aren't holding these kids back.

Halls Gap Below
No hand railings here.

Ann Trying for Liftoff
Even with railings it's plenty scary when you're out there.