The Tzouhalem hike went ahead thanks to a couple of last minute participants under somewhat unsettled conditions. We met at the Maple Bay marina and decided to head up the Teapot trail to the summit as that trail is fairly sheltered from the wind when it is wet -unlike the other two alternatives. The teapot was spotted by one of the sharp-eyed participants. The final stretch of this trail has been relocated - either that or the teapot has been relocated off the trail. The trip leader is not sure, relying only on his fading memory for this. On the way up there were one or two unplanned detours as there are quite a few social trails in this area and certainly nothing official about any of them - see above for fading memory problems…Upon reaching the summit area we had a quick lunch and opted not to continue down to the cross, as that edifice was recently removed from the hill by parties unknown. However, we did return by a different route, down the mainline to E-Rd and then down that to the powerline trail before taking the “Inukshuk trail” down to Shore Pine Close, and eventually our waiting cars. The larch that have been planted in a clearcut near the top of Tzouhalem were just starting to change and one of the participants returned more recently under better weather. So, you don’t need to leave the island to see the Western larch!
