Lynn Peak Solo Hike (Nov. 27, 2015)
 

I was finally able to hike Lynn peak on a friday, Nov. 27. Can't ask for any better weather condition than what I had experienced.

As this is my first time tackling something this difficult as I have found out by the time I reached midpoint, it took me 5 hours to complete (including walking from the parking to the bus stop).

I was able to use the flashlight I had brought when I was hiking down. I started late after all, at around 12pm. Reached the parking by nightfall at around 5pm. One of my hobbies is to collect flashlights, so my 860lumen LED flashlight was put to good use as well as my headlamp.

Going down is more of a struggle than I had anticipated. I strained my muscles while going up, particularly around my left knee to the point that I can't bend it without feeling a sharp pain.
You can expect that my experience going down just made it worse, so I had to rely on my right leg to do most of the work.

There are a few spots near the viewpoint that had accumulated snow. I had a cute encounter with one of the local squirrel residents who leisurely went close to me to get some snow to drink/eat.

I wasn't able to take photos of the harder portions of the hike, as I was too focused in completing the hike due to the impending nightfall. Funny enough, when I was hiking down, I met up with a couple of hikers who were going up the viewpoint. Surely, they were prepared with a flashlight or two like I did. I used a Sony Xperia Z1 to take my photos. I didn't bother bringing my larger camera since my focus was not entirely on photography, rather more of the hiking experience.

Had a couple of nasty slips when I was going down, since my legs were not exactly at their best condition by that time. Moreover, I was carrying 20+lbs of equipment in my bag to test the feel of it on my back. Needless to say, I bit more than I can chew, but I still enjoyed it.

If I were to tackle this route again or any similarly difficult route, I first need to strengthen my legs. A lot of reviews indicate that the view is not worth the effort. I say that the effort is part of the experience going up, and that the view is just the icing on the cake.

good stuff, its refreshing to see that you had some items to make your trip safe and complete, like a good lightsource,
Usable daylight is at a minimum right now. Enjoy your next trip out. add a few more pics

One thing I forgot to mention, one of my photos show a fallen tree on top of the trail. I just had enough headroom to move under it since I am short at around 5 feet 2 inches. Judging from the color of the broken portion of the trunk, the tree fell quite recently.

Good job and report.

If you can start out a bit earlier in the day during the winter season it's always a good idea and allows extra time if the hike takes a bit longer than you plan.

I hike a lot on the north shore and often carry a single pole to help a bit with the downhill.....as you point out it's very hard on the knees.

I've done Lynn Peak a number of times. It's a good area for viewing foresty things like mushrooms and fungi, but I'm not a fan of the trail itself. The rocky trail bit is not fun in daylight, nevermind in the dark...
https://forums.clubtread.com/attachme...hmentid=109809

Agreed. Think real reward is continuing further towards the Needles. Nice loop can be done by heading first on LSCR to Hydraulic creek, up to Lynn ridge -- optional ascent of south Needle -- then ridge return down to Lynn parking

https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/356000/356727.jpg

I'll take note of that in my next attempt in the area. I'll probably do a winter hiking at lynn peak in the coming weeks. Anyone know the conditions of the area at this time? Too much snow to necessitate snow shoes, or can normal hiking boots suffice?

The Lynn Peak trail is pretty well travelled, so I think the track would be packed down by now since it has been a few days since snow. I would not bring snowshoes unless you want to venture off trail. Perhaps someone else has been up there that can offer more info.

trail is boot packed to lynn peak, but you will need snowshoes to continue along the needles ridge if you wish to go further. you will definitely need snowshoes to take the hydraulic creek approach though