Hiking La Cloche Silhouette
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Silver Peak loomed to the northwest as we slowly made our way northeast along the remainder of the South Ridge before heading down into the valley toward the base of the mountain. The sun began to break though the clouds, offering us some reprieve from the dampness. We were all pretty wet by this point.
After over two hours of tough hiking (much of it climbing, really), we finally made it to the base of the Silver Peak trail. The ascent was not technically very challenging, other than the trail was still wet and the hike to the summit was long and steep. After about half an hour, we cleared the treeline and onto the open expanse of the weathered white quartzite summit. The ever-present whistle of the prevailing winds reminded us that should the weather deteriorate, this would be a foolish place to be.
It is not hard to understand why Silver Peak is considered to be a sacred place by the aboriginal peoples of the area. Standing on top of the old footings of the long-gone ranger tower on the summit was an awe-inspiring experience. In every direction we looked, we saw endless sapphire blue lakes, bony white ridges and the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows of a typical autumn in Ontario.