Capturing the Art of Nature
Day 2 - Beamer Falls
This time I got a few photos from above and then we hiked in from below right up to the Falls for a new angle of the creek.
Category
Ontario Adventures
2008
Click on image to view gallery
I have been to the Beamer Falls Conservation area a few times during my prior visits to Grimsby, but I had never actually gotten to the base of the actual falls for a view looking up at them. So for today’s visit we decided we would hike in along Forty Mile Creek to Beamer Falls and explore what sights we were offered.
We began our day with a quick stop to the observation area overlooking the upper part of the falls and creek. The colours of the trees were quite lovely but with the overcast skies the colours were muted and didn’t scream out with their true vibrancy. The clouds were threatening rain so we were a bit apprehensive as to how we would fair on our longer hike along the creek. Getting caught at the far end with rain coming down and now wet slippery rocks between us and the car were not the adventure we were looking for. But a small amount of spitting didn’t stop us, so after capturing some panoramic shots from the top we got back in the car and headed for the lower entrance to start our hike.
Once we got parked and started on the hike along the creek we were more than satisfied with the beautiful colours and the variety of images before us. I spotted one log below the trail that was covered in layers of brown fungus – the many layers of fungus were quite spectacular. Once we reached the end of the trail and started off along the creek are fears were quieted as the rocks were damp but not wet and slippery so it looked like the hike along the creek would not be too difficult.
We crossed back and forth over the creek a couple of times as we made our way to the falls. The crossings were by far the most challenging part of the hike. A few times I came close to getting a boot full of water! When we finally reached the falls we stopped for a rest and took some time there getting a number of different shots. The flow was quite low so the falls were not as full as they can get, even so they offered a number of interesting angles. As we rested the rain started to fall so we quickly decided to get moving and hopefully get back to the trail before the rain made the rocks slippery. We were fortunate in that the rain only spit at us for the next while and we were safely back in the car before any serious rain came. Our next stop was a local café for a late lunch and some coffee to warm up with.
It was a pleasant short initial trip for this year’s visit to Ontario. Though a dull day, the leaf colours were still quite intense but I was hoping that we would have a better day with some sun before I returned home.