From Highway 3, turn north onto Paulson Detour Road 20 kilometres west of the junction with Highway 3B or 30 kilometres east of the junction with Highway 395.  Follow the paved road for 2.6 kilometres to a 5-way junction.  The Columbia & Western (C&W) Rail Trail--part of the Trans-Canada Trail--passes through here, and there is a large pullout with an information kiosk next to the section of trail heading north.  Drive north on the C&W Rail Trail (good 2WD gravel) for 6.7 kilometres and veer left at a split (drive cautiously as the C&W Trail is very popular with cyclists).  Drive another 10.0 kilometres and make a sharp left turn onto another 2WD gravel road.  Ignore all uninviting side roads and drive 4.5 kilometres to the first of four major junctions along this road.  Stay left here and drive another 1.2 kilometres to a second junction.  Keep straight (right) and drive 1.6 kilometres to a third junction.  Keep straight (right) again and drive another 350 metres to the final junction (49.37269, -118.19827) with a significantly rougher road branching off to the left.  Park here (about 27 kilometres in total from Highway 3).  A vehicle with high clearance and 4WD capability could probably continue up the rough road, but saving about 600 metres (one-way) of walking and 70 metres of elevation gain hardly justifies the extra punishment on the vehicle.

From the final junction, Zosia and I easily marched up the rough road to where a downed log effectively blocks further access for most normal vehicles.  Even without the log, it would be pretty difficult for a vehicle to continue further because the road is almost completely reclaimed by alders past this point.  We could still follow remnants of the road by pushing through the vegetation, but I was feeling disheartened by the fact that we were already bushwhacking even before going "off-trail" or gaining much elevation.  After advancing another 375 metres past the log, we abandoned the road and simply headed uphill into forest.  For the next 70 minutes, we muddled our way through typical British Columbia bush ranging anywhere from acceptably annoying to utterly odious.  Adding to our misery were relentless mosquitoes and the fact that we were both suffering from different illnesses which sapped much of our energy.  Somehow, we eventually stumbled out of the forest onto the east ridge of Mount Faith, and we made better progress here with more open terrain.  The ridge still undulates a fair amount, and although this normally would not have been a big deal for us, the extra ups and downs felt more wearisome than usual since we were both physically operating at less than 100 percent.  After rambling for about two kilometres along the ridge, we briefly re-entered forest and encountered some lingering snow patches before reaching a small tarn.  Fortunately, the snow was still generally supportive and did not hinder our progress.  The tarn--nicknamed "Cowpaddy Lake" by the Miros couple--is little more than a forgettable snowmelt puddle, but its outlet creek provides an opportunity to replenish water bottles.  Beyond Cowpaddy Lake, we climbed up semi-open terrain to a narrow col separating Mount Faith from its southeastern outlier.  We stumbled onto a trail here, presumably the same one that originates from Lynch Creek.  Unfortunately, the trail was of little use to us as we soon began scrambling up steep slopes below Mount Faith's south ridge.  Some route-finding is necessary to avoid more technical terrain, and veering to climber's left seemed to work best for us.  The angle of the slope relaxed significantly once we gained the crest of the south ridge, and the remainder of the ascent was straightforward.

When Zosia and I reached the summit, we were astonished to see swarms of ladybugs everywhere both on the rocks and flying through the air.  We had seen large aggregations of ladybugs before on many other summits; they apparently gather to mate and enhance their collective survival.  However, what we witnessed on Mount Faith was several orders of magnitude bigger than any ladybug gathering we had ever seen before, and the flying swarms were definitely something new to us.  It was impossible to step anywhere around the summit without crushing many ladybugs, and some of them responded by biting us--another first.  Perhaps it was appropriate that Mount Faith would provide us with something of biblical proportions, and the ladybugs proved to be overwhelming for us mere mortals.  We paused on the summit only long enough to snap a few requisite photographs before retreating down the south ridge.  Only when the clouds of ladybugs finally dissipated did we stop to take a short break.

When we resumed hiking, Zosia and I essentially backtracked the way we came with a few minor route variations.  As expected, climbing back over every undulation along the east ridge was tiresome, but knowing that we were on our way out somehow made each bump easier to surmount.  Although I was dreading the bushwhack at the end of the ridge, descending is always easier than ascending, and our route-finding was also more efficient on the way down.  As a result, it only took us about 37 minutes to drop from tree line to the reclaimed road.  Following a final thrash along the road to the downed log, we enjoyed a gloriously unencumbered stroll back to our parked car to wrap up a physically-challenging day for us.

	Zosia hikes up a rough road to begin the hike.
	The rough road is almost completely reclaimed at this point.
	After leaving the reclaimed road, Sonny bushwhacks through some pretty awful terrain. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	After a rather miserable bushwhacking ascent, Zosia finally breaks free of the forest on Mount Faith's east ridge.
	From the ridge, Zosia spots a small portion of Lower Arrow Lake in the distance.
	Zosia gets her first glimpse of Mount Faith from the ridge.

 

Here is an unobstructed view of Mount Faith.

 

	Behind Zosia is Mount Faith's southeastern outlier (unofficially known as "Hope") which is almost as high as the main peak.
	This small tarn below the southeast face of Mount Faith is known unofficially as "Cowpaddy Lake".
	Zosia approaches steep slopes below Mount Faith's south ridge.
	After a very steep initial climb to gain the south ridge, Zosia enjoys more moderately-angled terrain for the remainder of the ascent.
	Zosia stands on the summit of Mount Faith (2281 metres), the highest point in Gladstone Provincial Park.
	Mount Faith's northern outlier has a "green rocket" and is unofficially known as "Charity".
	Here is a more comprehensive view of "Hope" to the southeast.  Also visible at distant right is Mount Gladstone.
	Total Distance:  13.4 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  8 hours 5 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  759 metres GPX Data