Capturing the Art of Nature
Foley, Airplane and Centre Creeks
Driving to the headwaters of Foley Creek was one of my earliest back country trips and I have wanted to return for years, so we tried again today.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2011
Click on image to view gallery
Today the weather was cool and cloudy so I didn’t want to chance a hike but at this time of the year one wouldn’t get far in to explore a new area. So I decided to try to drive the Foley Creek FSR once again, and see if I could reach the headwaters. Ethan arrived early so we got off to a decent start and made our way through Abbotsford and Sardis picking up fuel and lunch and of course a good coffee. Then it was onto the Chilliwack River road for the long drive to the start of the Foley Creek FSR. The drive went without incident and the weather seemed quite constant for the duration of the drive.
Once at the FSR entrance we started up the pothole covered road passing a few campers with trailers parked along the river. The number of people was low as camping would be a bit uncomfortable this week-end. Soon we were rambling alongside Foley Creek as we made our way up the road. We actually didn’t meet anyone driving the road our entire way up. Soon we were up to the lake where we decided to park the truck and hike down to the river just downstream of the lake. The ground was damp but not overly wet and the heavy moss covering trees and rocks made for a very richly coloured environment to enjoy. Once we reached the river I noticed that we were further from the lake then I had expected and so we would need to return to the truck and drive up the road further. But while here I gathered a few river level shots.
At one point, while taking a few shots from a rock out a bit from the bank I looked down to find my radio on the river bed under 6 inches of water with the battery detached! Not an exciting find! I quickly grabbed the radio and battery and shook the water off thinking well it was only a $60 radio. But when I snapped the battery in the unit turned on and it was working just fine! I doubt my more expensive Ham radio would have done as well. We returned to the truck and drove up to the lake where we explored the west end of the lake, we were still a bit before the main camp area and so had more swamp to work our way through but that was a fun challenge, picking our way around the deep mud. Once done with the lake we continued up the road hoping to reach the end. Unfortunately, not far beyond the lake the upper road was blocked by a new slide and we could go no further. So once again I didn’t reach the headwaters.
We returned to the lake and drove along the lower road to the creek on the east end of the lake. But here we encountered snow and couldn’t make any progress. As it was now past noon, we decided to stop and have lunch. While we were stopped we finally saw some other explorers, they were on ATV’s and were returning from having made their way further in along the lower road, I did envy that a bit. Once done with lunch we decided to back track and drive up the Airplane Creek FSR.
The initial section of road was clear of snow, it was on this early section that two years ago we got the Pathfinder stuck and had to dig ourselves out! Today we sailed past and on up the road for quite some distance. We noticed another recent vehicle track and so followed it up a fork eventually reaching the SUV where a couple had parked and were taking some time to enjoy the area. We stopped to chat with them and locate our position on a map for them. They were scouting the area so that come summer they could return and hike the Cheam Range. It was too cloudy to see the peaks and so they didn’t get as much done as they had hoped, but at least they got a better feel for the roads. After chatting, we continued up the road to its end but soon found ourselves in cloud with no view. We decided to head down to the main fork and try the other branch which is where the couple had gone. We soon caught up to them as they were stopped by deep snow. The snow started much sooner on this section of the road as it wound around the north side of the slope. We chatted briefly again and then set off for the entrance.
We made one stop just before we left Airplane Creek, near the start of the road there is a fork leading east, it only goes a short distance as the bridge over Airplane Creek is not usable except for foot traffic. There I was gathered a number of photos of the creek rapids. Once done with the creek we decided to return to the Chilliwack River road but not head home quite yet. The last time I was in the Nesakwatch area I noticed that there was a growing path around a locked gate leading to the Centre Creek area. That was an area I have wanted to see for many years. So I thought a quick look at the condition of the gate and bypass would be worth the time.
We arrived at the gate only to discover it wide open! Well the opportunity after 10 years of denial was too much and we decided to drive though and explore the area. The initial section travels parallel to the Chilliwack River through swamp marshes and Salmon breeding grounds. It is for this reason the area is kept gated. We drove on through and soon came to the start of the Centre Creek FSR which we started up. Unfortunately we got in only about a kilometer before we were stopped by a fallen tree. Had it been earlier in the day we would have cleared the tree but we only had about 10 minutes of time to explore so we opted to drive further along the river to see where that road went. We did manage to reach a cleared section with a lovely view of Williams Peak to the north. The clouds were shrouding the peak at times which made for an interesting display of the mountain as we watched the sun dip lower in the sky. But our time was up and we wanted to get back to the gate before too long lest it get locked on us.
The gate was as we found it earlier so we had a lovely short visit to this ‘protected’ area. I do hope the gate remains open later in the season so we can explore the full length of the Centre Creek FSR but I have a feeling it was unlocked by mistake and that would soon be corrected. The drive had worn out my driver so we switched seats and I took over for the drive home. After a quick stop in Sardis for a booster coffee we made our way along the freeway for home. Though it was another dull day, we did get out and see a few interesting sights and had a good time exploring nature.