Hiking Mt.Collins

Len Gurski was our guide as we hiked up Mt. Collins, the 2nd highest peak on Bowen. The trail head started over by Hood Pt. West off of Smugglers Point Road.

Note: Dana Mar was the photogragher on all but one of the below photos.

The route followed an old logging road lined with Alders. As Len explained, "When the loggers clear cut the forest of Cedar and Hemlock, the opportunistic Alders sprouted up like weeds."

The Alder and Maple trees created a cool shaded canopy as we hiked.

The trail was lined with blooming Foxgloves.

About 2 hours into our journey we reached the old growth forest of cedar and hemlock. I am not sure of their height, maybe 100-200 feet tall, but I know that they stretched straight up into the wind stream and swayed in unison with the breezes. The forest floor was a spongy ancient bed of needles and leaves. Just Beautiful!

The summit of Mt. Collins is 1350 ft. and we were close to the top. The return trail was steeper and came out near the top of Cleator Road. The hike took a total of 3 hours and we can't wait to do it again.