31-Jul-2012 -- I was in Vancouver for a conference, and had a day off, so I decided to rent a car for a day, to visit this nearby confluence point.

I knew I had misjudged the hike to the confluence point when I arrived at the Cheakamus Creek Trailhead, and found that I was still 4.5 km ('as the crow flies') from the confluence point - farther away than I has expected. (I really need to start reading previous visitors' reports more closely!) However, the thing that I misjudged the most was the elevation gain: 721 metres - from the Cheakamus Creek crossing (820 m elevation) to the Helm Creek Trail near the confluence point (1541 m elevation). So, what I had originally thought was going to be an easy hike turned out to be a non-trivial hike that took an entire afternoon.

After a hike of about 9.5 km along the Cheakamus Creek and then Helm Creek Trails, I found myself in a meadow just 400 m East of the confluence point. With the help of a downed log, I found a way across a small creek that I (at first) thought was Helm Creek. I soon discovered, however, that the real Helm Creek lay ahead - just in front of the confluence point. Unlike the previous successful visitors (on 31 July 2009: three years ago to the day!), I was not able to find a downed log across this creek, which was flowing much too swiftly for me to consider crossing on foot. However, I was able to get within 57 m (+/- GPS error of 3 m) of the point; enough for a successful visit.

This was a wonderful hike through a beautiful forest, with beautiful views of nearby mountains.