In September, trekking enthusiasts can hike, scramble and climb their way up a Valemount peak in honour of the 35th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope.
Patricia Thoni, a Valemount resident and Yellowhead Outdoor Recreation Association member who has led hikes up Mt. Terry Fox for the last 10 years in conjunction with the annual Terry Fox Runs in September, said interest in the hikes has dwindled lately but friends encouraged her to shine a light on this year's event.
"A couple we used to know in Jasper lost their son the same way Terry died… and they wanted to do something special for the 35th," Thoni said.
But climbing Mt. Terry Fox, a nearly 9,000-ft. peak in the Selwyn range of the Rockies, is certainly not for the faint of heart — or weekend meanderer.
"Unfortunately, you don't gain any elevation via any sort of road," Thoni said. "You start basically at the valley bottom so before you even get to the tree line, you're looking at close to three hours."
The event actually offers three routes, all of which require at least a moderate level of fitness.
Recreational hikers can hit the viewpoint (4 km one way), a four-hour return trip that includes a 2,600 ft elevation gain.
The Repeater Ridge (7 km) is for mid-level to advanced hikers willing to take on the eight-hour return trip with a 5,800-ft elevation gain.
And clocking in at 9 km is the Summit/Monument route, a serious trek for only experienced hikers who can expect an 11-hour trip and a 6,500-ft. elevation gain to the summit.
(Those who are looking for an even bigger challenge can press on to the monument, expected to take more than 12 hours to cover an 8,500-ft elevation gain.)
"It's really steep and, of course, just to make matters even harder, you have to drop down a little bit, so you lose some elevation before you climb back up," Thoni said.
Donna White of the Terry Fox Foundation's BC/Yukon branch said Mt. Terry Fox, named for the hometown hero in 1981, isn't very well known but will offer people a new — and particularly challenging — way to connect with Fox.
"Terry pushed himself on a daily basis and this will give people an opportunity to push themselves a bit as well," she said.
But that might be an understatement; White suggested a Grouse Grind regular could handle the shortest distance and serious hikers could take on Repeater Ridge.
And for the Summit/Monument route?
"You really need to be fit and in shape," White said. "You truly need to be an expert hiker to get to the summit and to the monument as well. There's bouldering, shaling and scaling to be done. It's not a 'get to the top of the Grouse Grind, sit down, have a beer and take the gondola down' kind of thing."
Terry's siblings Fred Fox, Darrell Fox and Judith Alder-Fox will be at the Sept. 6 event as well (they were helicoptered to the monument site when the plaque was placed but only Fred Fox has completed the entire hike).
• For more information and to register for the Mt. Terry Fox hike on Sept. 6, visit www.terryfox.org.
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