Capturing the Art of Nature
East Harrison Highlights
The east Harrison FSR offers so many view that I never get tired of exploring the area. Today we visited only the first few kilometers of the FSR.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2009
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It was mid-winter and I desperately needed to get out to see some sights and gather some decent images. I was certain that the east Harrison area would give me many sights to enjoy once again - I was not disappointed. My goal was to capture some shots of Slollicum Creek (Upper Rainbow) Falls and then explore Cook's Cove before it got crowded with campers. So we set off for the FSR and the sights we might stumble upon.
As we arrived at the entrance to the FSR we noticed a number of trucks parked along the side having delivered their loads of ATV's. it looked like a busy day for ATV's along the road, we'll need to keep a sharp eye out for them. The road was wet and muddy which made it slippery but at least the dust would be minimal. When we arrived at the first viewpoint of Harrison Lake we got out to get a few images of the lake and northern mountains. It is truly a lovely sight from there.
Our next stop was the bridge by Rainbow Falls. The falls were looking very nice today and I was hopeful they would produce a few quality images. So we drove over the bridge and parked. No sooner had we exited the truck when we were greeted by the first of 15+ double unit dump trucks. They zipped past us in groups of three. It would seem that just after I carefully made my way through the deep mud to the centre of the bridge another group would appear on the road forcing me to get back off the bridge for safety. Then I would try again only to have to get back off. It wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for the 2 inches of wet slippery mud all over the bridge. After several on and offs I eventually finished getting my photos of the Falls. Once done on the bridge and back in our truck I never saw another truck! It would seem they were there just to get in my way!
We then made our way to Cooks Cove. But on arrival we noticed that there was a gate across the entrance. That was most annoying, when the road was first opened the access was freely available but now that it has become a popular campsite, they have done several sanitation improvements and locked it off! I really do prefer it when the back country is less popular as it seems that as more people come fewer things are left available. Fortunately, it would seem that others were also confronted with the gate and made a path around it, so we followed the rough path around the gate and drove down into the main area. I suppose that they will block it off even more next year, a shame really as it shouldn't be needed.
The beauty of today's visit is that we were by ourselves. Half way through our stay a small boat made its way in and dropped off two people for a short visit, and as we were heading back to our truck a dirt bike came down the road for a quick look. So it was very quiet and pleasant for photo gathering.
The first area we explored was along the western edge of Macs cove. This edge leads to a point that I had wanted to reach on previous visits but it wasn't an easy traverse. As the lake level was quite low this time of year, the path along the edge was much easier to walk so it was a good day to make our way along the edge out to the point. We quickly walked out over the exposed and hence dry rocks to the point where we could look back at the cove and campsite area. After collecting a number of shots we stopped to eat a bit of a snack and then set off back along the rocks to the main beach area. Our next area was to walk out along the main jut of land that separates Macs from Cooks cove. I have been out here each of my prior visits but the narrow sliver of rock has always presented me with lovely sights to capture. I really love the thick moss ground cover as it makes walking quite gentle.
After a number of stops along the outcrop I reached the end and settled down to enjoy the view for a few minutes. It really is a lovely sight. I also worked a repeater with my hand-held radio to see how reception was from here. It seemed quite usable as I chatted with Carolyn at home for a few moments. We then made our way back and continued east along the main area of Cooks Cove. I decided to not go any further up the beach for today's visit and so after a few shots from the beach we set off back to the truck to eat lunch and then head out.
On the way out we decided to try a side road to see how far up into the hills we could go but we didn't get very far. The road quickly became impassible due to snow and ice. So we returned to the main FSR and made our way out. We stopped at the small park on the side of the lake just below where the FSR starts and gathered a few more shots from lake level of the town of Harrison and some of the homes and islets nearby. After that we drove into town where Ethan booked a stay at the Harrison Resort. I felt a bit out of place as our truck was covered in mud and we weren't exactly in the best of attire, but the hotel staff accepted us as we were and gladly took the reservation. I did sense a sigh of relief from their valets as we drove off!