Picture the scene: Marty and I were out hiking this winter. It had been a while since we got out on any nature trail, so as we ascended a steep(ish) hill, our lack of fitness caught up to us quickly. Imagine our relief to discover this sign just before the final ascent to the summit:
Alas. We should have known it wasn’t a real escalator… it was just a 60 degree incline trek to the summit. False advertising, Cowichan Valley Regional District! FALSE ADVERTISING!
zona pellucida 
I’m so laughing!!!
Well, it wasn’t funny when we discovered the incline that stretched ahead of us, but in retrospect– yes! The sign is pretty funny. 🙂
Damn–wouldn’t that have been convenient! Brilliant post, my friend.
Hugs,
Kathy
I always cringed at the airport/casino moving sidewalks, but I sure could have used a *real* escalator at the end of this hike. Hope you’re doing well, Kathy!
My kind of hiking!
No kidding, Emily. Who doesn’t love an outdoor escalator every now and then? 😉
Ya gotta love it!
Totally, Laurie! Now, if only it were a real escalator and not just a clever nickname…
Oh that is awesome!!
Pretty wicked, hey? Like I said, it didn’t feel awesome at the time, but I couldn’t resist snapping a shot of the sign on the way back down from the summit.
That is a hiking term I had not heard. Seems like someone’s idea of a joke.
But I seriously always wish there was a Starbucks at the top of Mt. Finlayson, and if a sign directed to it, there would be no amibiguity.
That’s why I love the Rocky Mountains, Dean– they have several hikes where you can climb up to an honest-to-god coffee/tea shop at the summit. Lake Louise has one of the best cafes on a hiking route. Maybe you should turn your idea into a franchise opportunity and open Finlayson’s first sbux!
Eeeeheeheeheehee… I’d have been crushed. Did you guys make it to the summit?!? 😀
We sure did, but there was a lot of pain and suffering involved. The other people we saw on the trail were riding horses, so they didn’t have to experience the anguish of the so-called ‘escalator’ quite like we did…
Nature needs to get with the times and provide more escalators if it wants to remain relevant.
I think Nature was going for that tired old ‘nostalgic’ feeling. You know, like “ye olde footpathe’ sort of thing, etc., etc. Yawn.
Grin! False advertising, indeed!
I should take a photo of a sign that actually has more truth in advertising than the sign owners might like to admit. Hmm… an idea for future Sunday Signage post: ignited! Thanks, Kathy! 🙂
Hehe…LOVE it! I love the sign and your response to it 😛
Oh, our temporary sense of relief was sure wiped out when we saw that steep, steep incline around the bend. Sure, we didn’t actually think there was going to be an escalator there, but even a set of old wooden steps would have helped out!
That is AWESOME. Hey, portable escalators you can take with you – I’m gonna patent that!
Can I get a cut of that idea for posting this sign photo in the first place? 🙂 Hope your summer is going great, MJ!
Perfect! Only in BC 🙂
I agree, Christy. I hope you’re keeping well these days!
> Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:29:59 +0000 > To: dana_lupypciw@hotmail.com >
LOL! This has to be one of the best hiking signs I’ve ever seen. 🙂
Hey Robin! I agree that the sign is great in retrospect, but at the time, I was definitely not impressed by it. (Well, maybe I was amused by it on an intellectual, sarcasm-appreciating level, but the realization that I would have to haul my actual butt up that actual ascent was not the funniest moment I’ve ever experienced in my life.) 🙂
You don’t expect any governmental body to have a sense of humor – pretty funny, although I’m having sympathy pains in my calves.
I know, hey? My calves didn’t find the sign too funny, but my brain sure did (after the fact).
That sign is awesome. I would have liked that when I hiked one of the steep hills in Gros Morne a few years back. When I got to the top I was not red but purple. Not a good sign of health.
Yep, purple would have about summed it up for me as well. 🙂 Here’s to our faces stopping at ‘red’ in the future, Lesley!
First-time visitor over from D-Fae … the dragon lady …. great sign. I appreciate those using humor on an official sign.
Thanks, aFrankAngle! Humor can be found just about anywhere, and this official sign is the proof. 😉
🙂