I completed the Cove to Cove Highline over the August long weekend. We had planned to start Saturday, but with the weather looking uncertain, we pushed it to Sunday.
The route is a serious challenge, and it definitely put us to the test.
Ray Barrett and I started from the water at Porteau Cove at 9:00 a.m Sunday. We ran 2 km along the highway before joining the HSCT, which was as beautiful as ever but still tough. It was a long day to Cypress. From there, we took the road to Hollyburn, then followed BP past the powerline, through the neighbourhood for a stretch of pavement, and back onto BP to Cleveland Dam before climbing the road to Grouse. We finished day one there after 11 hours. Stacey picked us up, and we headed to her place to shower, eat, and sleep.
We were back at the trailhead just after 4:00 a.m. and started at about 4:15. We went over Grouse, down Hanes to Lynn Creek, up Coliseum, and down Paton to the Seymour Valley Trail. Ray called it a day there at 1:00 p.m., after 9 hours. I continued on, pushing up to Vicar Lake and then to Seymour. At Seymour my watch was out of power and I switched to my phone for tracking and navigation. From Seymour, I got a little turned around before taking Cyndi Lopper to Perimeter, then Old Buck, BP, and finally Panorama Creek Trail into Deep Cove at about 9:30.
Overall, it’s a demanding route, but I’m sure someone could complete it in a single day—likely under 20 hours, if it hasn’t already been done. Who’s up for it?