Note:  This trailhead was not plowed on this day and may not be the best spot to park a vehicle due to the narrow shoulder.  There is probably a better pullout along the east side of the highway about a kilometre to the south.  From there, another 150 metres further south is the start of Plewman Road which can be followed northward to access Elgood Creek drainage although this approach is longer.

From our parking spot, we immediately crossed Elgood Creek and headed north along a road which parallels the highway for about half a kilometre before intersecting another road running north to south.  Turning southward, we followed this second road a bit too far and missed our turnoff up Elgood Creek drainage which is the access point for Not So Secret Hut.  Instead, we ended up in a vast cut block and made a rather rash decision to abandon the road and just head uphill.  Unfortunately, we ventured into thick forest high on the ridge south of Elgood Creek, and worse, we were wandering into some very steep terrain which was making it difficult if not impossible to get into the Elgood Creek drainage.  We finally bit the bullet and side-slipped down a steep and narrow gully next to a huge cliff band.  Somehow, we all managed to get down safely without a scrape, and once we reached the valley floor, we resumed climbing up the drainage at a more moderate angle.  Ironically, the Not So Secret Hut was pretty secret after all since we completely missed it on the way up and even later on the way down.

	The parking spot at the trailhead is uncomfortably close to the highway. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	The east ridge of Mount Lepsoe is visible in the background as the group heads north along a road that parallels the highway.
	After missing the turnoff to Elgood Creek drainage, the group leaves the second road and climbs up a cut block.
	Eda ducks under a fallen tree while trying to get back to Elgood Creek drainage. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Eda ventures into some difficult terrain high above Elgood Creek drainage.
	Sonny watches from above as Eda carefully side-slips down a steep and narrow gully. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Eda and Zosia resume more normal skiing along Elgood Creek drainage.

Eda, Wendy, Zosia and I eventually reached the head of the valley and stopped there for a frigid lunch break.  At this point, we were still unsure about where to go next, and admittedly, I would not have been opposed to turning around and calling it a day.  However, everyone else seemed willing to continue a little further--to where was still a mystery for all of us--and we started climbing up an open slope beyond our lunch spot.  After squeezing through another thick grove of trees, we came across some other skiers' up track, and an irresistible urge to follow it swept over everyone else.  I dutifully tagged along, but unlike the others, I was starting to feel quite fatigued perhaps as a consequence of trying, unsuccessfully, to stay up until midnight the previous night (New Year's Eve).  More alarming was the steepness of the terrain we were climbing up, and more than once, I wondered if there was a possibility of the slope sliding or if I would be able to ski back down.

Thankfully, the snow was remarkably stable with nary a sign of sloughing, and we managed to gain the crest of the ridge above the head of the valley without too much difficulty.  At this point, we realized that we were only a short distance from the top of Mount Lepsoe to the north, and it would have been remiss of us to forego tagging the summit before commencing our descent.  As such, we climbed the remaining 65 metres or so up to the flat and largely viewless summit before removing our skins and turning around.

	Sonny and Wendy try and figure out where to go next. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Eda disappears into a thick grove of trees.
	The up track that the group is following climbs up increasingly steep slopes. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	The trees just below the summit look radiant in sunshine.
	Wendy, Eda, Zosia and Sonny rejoice on the summit of Mount Lepsoe (2183 metres).
	Sonny strips off his climbing skins in preparation for the ski down the mountain. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

After all the hard work to climb up Mount Lepsoe, we were due for a long and glorious descent back the way we came.  My earlier doubts about skiing down some of the steeper sections quickly vanished as the fluffy snow proved to be very forgiving and was actually immensely fun to ski.  While it was tempting at times to just keep skiing, we all stopped regularly for each other to make sure everyone was getting down safely, and we moved down the mountain as a group.  Lower in the Elgood Creek drainage, we began encountering more deadfall and choppy snow which proved to be a bit more challenging to ski through, but we ultimately made it down without any catastrophes to reach an unforeseen road.  This road, we would learn, connects with the aforementioned second road we were on earlier in the day, and although we probably could have taken a short cut by continuing down alongside Elgood Creek, growing darkness prompted us to keep things simple and stick to the road.  Following the various roads, we easily cruised back to the highway without any trouble.

Despite a tentative and problematic start to our trip, this turned out to be an incredible day of skiing and a fantastic way to kick off the New year.

	Zosia and Eda try to find a gap between some tightly-clustered trees on a steep slope.
	Wendy looks for a good line to ski down.
	Wendy watches Eda carve a few turns through this glade.
	Zosia makes some wide turns down the steep, open slope.
	Sonny dodges a few branches sticking out of the snow. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Late in the day, the three ladies make their way back to the trailhead along the road.
	The last obstacle of the day is climbing out of snow-covered Elgood Creek near the highway.
	Total Distance:  10.0 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  6 hours 19 minutes Net Elevation Gain:  649 metres GPX Data