A pleasant walk out.
Day 7 August 5, 2025, Turbine Canyon CG to Upper Interlakes TH, distance 16 km, elevation gain 147 m, elevation loss 631 m, 4 hrs 50 min.
After Bent’s innocent miss step yesterday and the resulting injury to his knee we made the decision to forgo the Northover Ridge Alternate and just head out to the trailhead and back home. A quick SPOT message to Ken confirmed that he and Chris could meet us at 12 noon to drive us home. While I was up early for breakfast we were not in a rush to leave as it was an easy mostly downhill day on very good trail and we were figuring we could keep up a good pace all the way back to the parking lot.
After a relaxing breakfast we hit the trail just before 8 am. The weather was perfect out with blue skies and just a few scattered clouds.
Bent and I took the opportunity on the good trail to do a deep dive sharing our background stories and family histories which helped the time pass quickly.
The trail is very flat and very fast after leaving Forks Campground. On this stretch of trail the original trail builders even laid down landscape fabric to keep the vegetation growing on the trail. We stopped at Nomad Creek for lunch and were entertained when a large group of very fit young people ran past as we were eating. They were from a US based cross country ski club and were running back from training on the snow at the Haig Glacier Canadian Cross Country Ski facility located just a few kilometers from Turbine Canyon CG.
As we were closing in on the end of the hike Bent’s knee was starting to give him a little trouble. While not a positive outcome in any way it did confirm we made the right decision is hiking out and ending the trip early. This would mark the fourth time I had planned to do Northover Ridge and was thwarted in my attempt. The other trips were interrupted by either fire or weather.
We learned the following year, 2026, that the Interlakes TH is not actually the end of Section C. Section C meets Section B at Elk Pass TH. So the following year in 2026 when Bent and I hiked Section B we finished by walking all the way back to Interlakes TH. This gave Bent the distinction of actually finished two sections in one day, Section B and C!
On the way home we stopped for ice-cream at a gas station on Hwy 40 near Fortress Mountain. After getting home Bent and I cleaned up and went out to dinner to celebrate the end of the hike with Ken and Chris. I treated myself to a desert, cheesecake.
I took Bent to the airport the next signally the end of the adventure. The hike ended up being a big of a mash up but everyone had a good time and went home with plenty of stories to tell and plans are already in the works for Group Hike 2026.
