14th Annual Marathon Shuffle (29 km)

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Participants in the Fourteenth Annual Marathon Shuffle will meet at 8 am on Saturday, April 28, at the Shinglemill parking lot on Powell Lake. There they will carpool and ride to the trailhead at Malaspina Road. At 8:30 am they will hike from the trailhead, back 29 kilometers to the Shinglemill on the well marked and signed Sunshine Coast Trail via Thunder Ridge, Toquenatch, Marathon, Appleton, Sliammon Lakes and Scout Mountain trail sections.

An alternate start for a shorter 21-kilometer hike begins an hour later at 9:30 a.m. at the Southview Road trail intersection three kilometers up from the highway. Over the last couple of months members of PR PAWS, the BOMB Squad, the Trinket Crew and the Powell River Hiking Club have diligently reconditioned, groomed and marked the trail. Members of these organizations will also provide refreshments at the road intersections.

In the past trekkers have taken between six to ten hours to complete the course. Trail runners will finish the distance in a shorter time. The trail is well marked, but hikers participate at their own risk. They need to be in good physical condition, carry raingear, food and sufficient water as well as good, comfortable boots.

This year we will have a cut-off time at the Wilde Road trail crossing. For safety reasons we will ask hikers to take a ride out to the Shinglemill if they arrive at Wilde (Tomkinson) Road after 12:00 noon.

Upon completion of their trek, participants are requested to sign out at the Shinglemill where refreshments will be available.

For more information, and to pre-register (free) call Eagle Walz at 604-483-9565 or email him at walz@shaw.ca. Donations for helping to defray mounting trail-clearing costs will be gratefully accepted, and tax-deductible receipts will be issued.

Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society 1992 (PRPAWS), Box 345, Powell River, BC, V8A 5C2

Wilde Creek Loop Trail

The loop trail is in very good shape except for a couple of wind-falls which are easy to by-pass.