Sun. Jun. 19, 23:45 EDT 2011
Hi Andrew and Jennifer
Just discovered the photos of your Arrowsmith trip. Really enjoyed them.
I hiked up Cokley and Arrowsmith frequently in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. I often stayed at the Klahanie Chalet, about a fifteen minute walk down the road and into the bush from the bottom of the skiing enterprise. My first visits were before the ski shacks and road were put in, so the area was pristine, except for a few narrow trails that wove through a series of small and incredibly beautiful alpine lakes which were destroyed when the resort was installed.
I'd usually go up from the east end of Cameron Lake, sometimes just jumping off the bus to Port Alberni with instructions to the driver to pick me up in a week. The trail switchbacked without mercy through several levels of vegetation, across a log bridge over one of the the Cameron River's many waterfalls and across two or three kilometres of rolling plateau dotted with lakes and red granite inclines.
The Klahanie Chalet was crushed by a heavy snow in the mid-90s, and I haven't been back since. It used to have a log book with photos of the young guys that built in in the 1950s. The cabin was equipped with a wood burning stove, tools, dishes, bunks and sleeping bags in sealed containers. When the road was built in the mid-70s, Roger Whitmee (not sure of spelling - might be 'Whitnee') of Qualicum Beach, who was in charge of building the cabin, took his scout troop up and moved the cabin to the other side of the bluff where it was originally placed to hide it from the skiiers and - unintentionally - from the vandals who frequently devastated the resort during the summer months. I talked to Whitmee once, and he told me the log books were given to the National Archives in Ottawa.
Your photos fill in memories of parts of the mountain I had either forgotten or never took pictures of.
I had many wonderful days on the mountain either alone, or as a tour guide, introducing it to my son or to friends or to lovers.
Hope to get up there again at least one more time. Just hope the knees can take it.
Thanks,
Bill
Tue. Jan. 08, 05:57 EST 2008
Hey guys really enjoyed the pictures and story. Thank you very much for sharing.
Thu. Dec. 22, 21:33 EST 2005
Could I put a link to your wonderful site on my directory?
Please respond to this backwards email address:
ca (DOT) wahs (AT) amaroykot
Mon. Nov. 21, 12:26 EST 2005
Hi Andrew & Jennifer,
Really enjoyed seeing this part of Western Canada. Your parents have a beautiful spot, Jennifer. And did I see that gentleman Mr. Gottfried in some of the family photos? I seem to recall he did some climbing with you in Italy.
Later,
Elvira
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