On a sunny fall day I hiked an eclectic route through the forested hills above Timber Lake.    Good double tracks go from the Lac le Jeune Road under the Coquihalla Highway and into the hills.   There are many double tracks and a network of motorcycle/ATV trails.  

The first section of the hike was to the top of the Tower Hill.    On the northeast edge of the hill are views out over the grassland hills, Sugarloaf Hill and the valleys of the Thompson Rivers.

From the towers I chose an off-trail route through open forests, but with lots of exploring, bearing south.  

A higher-yet hill offered wider views to the east.  

Once I was back on double tracks, I chose a series of turns to a higher point on the lower slopes of Chuwhels Mountain.    On the way back I followed a series of motorcycle trails back to the start.     In shoulder season, the area was quiet and there seemed to be no one else around.    There were some scats and tracks and the usual squirrels, birds, and deer.   This was a longer hike.     There is always lots to see in the forest, and on this day there was a variety of lichens, mosses, fungi, and dormant perennials to spot and photograph.  

The view to the east from the top of Tower Hill

Sugarloaf Hill to the north

on logging roads to a cutblock

douglas fir forest

witch's hair lichen

Each time I hike in the Timber Hills I take a different route, one I choose while out there.     I will be back in winter to explore more routes, this time on snowshoes.