Capturing the Art of Nature
Garnet Creek in the Winter Sun
It felt so good to be out in the hills after so long a gap
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2020
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D
ue to Covid and all the restrictions, this year has been a slow one for doing any back-country exploration and hiking. I did manage to get out for a number of hikes with my son but not the number I would have liked if I had been able to go with others. Driving in the hills with my other son has also been limited for related reasons. But here we are in early December and both Geoff and I were feeling a desperate need to get out and breathe some fresh mountain air. So, when Geoff suggested we head out on the next Saturday with his two older boys I jumped at the chance. We are fortunate in that my wife and I are already looking after the boys during and after school so we would not be violating any separation requirements.
We wanted to pick a spot not overly difficult to reach as we would be going in Geoff’s SUV not my truck for this adventure. There are a number of close-by roads but in the end, we opted for Garnet Creek. This is a decent road and allows one to tuck in behind a string of hills without traveling too far. It is the route of three transmission lines so they would be the bigger challenge if I wanted to do some radio activity. The forecast looked good and so we planned for an 8:30AM start.
Come Saturday morning the boys arrived, Henry was to stay with his granny and the rest of loaded up Geoff’s car with my radio gear and we set off for – well one can only guess – a coffee, then fuel and of course a visit to Davis Meats for a pound of beef Jerky, that alone make or breaks a trip. We then made good time along the highway to Agassiz, there we picked up a few final food items at the gas-station store before the final stretch to the logging road. The day was shaping up to be great one for being outside.
Turning off the highway we started up the Garnet Creek FSR. It was in good shape and we made decent time heading in, though I did notice that Geoff seemed much more careful driving his SUV then my truck. The one section that hugs a cliff face had some recent support work done and was now safe from sliding into the river far below. No ice was clinging to the rock this trip as it was just too warm. We soon came by a newer fork, both the upper and lower routes looked current but by the map the upper looked better so we set off along it to a view point. From there I was undecided about the choice as I could only see a minor road continuing up the transmission right-of-way. The main route was hidden from me so I mentioned to Geoff to head back and try the lower fork.
We back-tracked and drove down the lower route soon crossing two bridges and a number of deep cross-ditches but by now it was clear we were headed in the wrong direction. After turning around Geoff mentioned that he felt it was the upper road and that I had missed the continuation when deciding. So back to the top fork and past the place we turned back. Sure enough, we kept heading in the right direction and before long crossed the creek and then reached the fork where the American Creek FSR joins the Garnet. We turned up it and started climbing for some more open spaces.
We soon arrived in the upper valley and turned off the mainline for a branch to an open area. This road had a cross ditch that was presenting some challenges for the car. Eventually we just turned off the traction control and forced the beast to comply and we were very quickly over the ditch – so much for computerized aids! A short way past the obstacle the road opened to a wide clearing with a lovely view of the valley to the south-west and east. The sun was warm and the place perfect to stop and just enjoy the air. Geoff parked the car and we got out to explore the area. The boys spotted some snow in the distance and they set out for it. Meanwhile Geoff got out the camp stove and I scouted for a mast to raise my antenna with. Soon water was heating and Geoff was helping me lift a long thin log into a natural grip formed from some roots. It worked well and I soon had the antenna suspended in the air.
The boys enjoyed checking out the area and after we ate lunch we just rested in the warm sun. I was able to chat with a few other radio stations, one in South Dakota another in California. I heard a number of others in Quebec, Manitoba, Minnesota … but they had large groups trying to contact them so my signal didn’t get through.
Around 2pm a cold breeze started up which chilled us a bit and we decided it was time to start packing up. We took our time and by three we were starting back down the road. We saw only one other group out there today so it was very quiet and peaceful for us. As we started along the highway the sun was offering some lovely colours on Mount Cheam which demanded a few photos be taken. The rest of the drive went smoothly and we arrived home having quite enjoyed the day in the hills.