Mt Benson - Pleasure & Tragedy - Nanaimo sites & symbols

[Zelley10]

While The Bastion is an important symbol of our HERITAGE, the
Mount Benson site is a natural symbol of The City.
It is an ideal place to hike or climb, or just relax and take in the 360 views

But, it is also a place of tragedy for the lost hiker in the cold winter, or for the folks aboard the plane that crashed with a crew of three and 20 or so passengers.

[riverrat]

Are you talking about the 1951 crash, Zelley10?
Here is a thread where we talked about Witchcraft Lake and the plane wreck above it.

[Zelley10]

Now somebody was talking about forming a work party to look for wreckage - that would be a story itself!!

[joelomite]

I was trying to find that crash site once and ended up getting chased down a cliff by a young black bear mother with a cub. One of the scariest moments of my life. I did however drop something of reasonable importance during the scramble down the cliff and when i went up to find it the next day we ended up finding the wreckage. WHAT LUCK!

There wasn't much left at all. It's obviously been found by many other hikers as well as some probably investigators over the many years since. It's neat finding little bits of the fuselage though.

[Devlin]

It's a shame that's there's not much left. I guess that's a benefit of diving. If there's a wreck there's a smaller chance of it getting destroyed.

I guess at some point I should climb up and see it, although I am pretty lazy, so I'd probably just 4x4 up as close as I could get.

[Nick]

Binoculars do wonders...

[Devlin]

heck, if my house was facing the right direction, I wouldn't even have to move off my couch.

[stanley strazza]

......does anyone have a descent geographical or topographic map (hand draw or not of Benson? The many that I have purchased and tried to alter the contour lines and colours didn't turn out so well. The store bought versions are dead wrong for the Witchcraft Lake slopes. Thanx in advance....

[4byfourbyeIV]

I have many topographical maps, but the official one that you buy in the marine charts store on comercial street is the closest to accuracy that I've found yet. But I agree, when you are in the middle of the contours, it's pretty obvious that they're basic in topoghraphy and there's a lot missing. you might try a geology map as they map the rock types in areas of the ground. But I don't know if that'll help.

[stanley strazza]

thanx 4byfourbyeIV............I suppose maybe I could try SAR, I know that they have actual photo maps of the whole mountain. I've seen a couple and they are clear as a bell.........I"m sure costly toothough.