Norrish Creek

The first peak we drive past on the way up Miracle Valley en-route to Stave Lake is Dewdney Peak. The map shows a road along the top ridge line and it has intrigued me as a place to visit. I was hopeful that we would be able to get up to the ridge and see what views were to be had. The main concern I had on starting this trip was the notice of the new gate that was put in at the 9km point to protect Davis Lake and environs as it is a watershed. I wasn’t sure if the gate was before the access road to the side valleys which I hoped to explore today. So when we made our way in and came to the first side road well before the 9km point I was quite relieved.
The first side road went west and it was into an active logging area so the road was quite decent for the first section. Once past the logging area it was still quite passable as it made its way up to the ridge. At the point it reached the ridge the road forked north and south, since the southerly direction was shorter on the map and led to Dewdney, we elected to explore it first. Not far along we came to a lovely marsh which offered a number of interesting views. I would have liked to gather more photos of it but I didn’t have boots so my access was quite restricted. The road continued through a narrow section once past the marsh and then climbed a bit before ending in a fork. One side was blocked by a berm the right-hand branch descended the west flank of the peak. We decided to follow the right branch. It was passable for about 150m before a swampy area blocked the way. The road continued past the dip and we decided to get out and hike it to see if there were any views from just across the narrow gully.
Upon reaching the far side the road ended at a spot with a lovely westerly view of Miracle valley and the Fraser valley beyond. It was a great spot to enjoy the sights. Ethan was picking out some large buildings he could see way off in Langley! The site would be a decent location for a radio repeater – good view, easily accessible, good elevation. Once done enjoying this view, we returned to the truck and back to the fork where we hiked the other branch. It didn’t go as far but did offer some nice southern views looking across at Sumas Mountain. 

We again returned to the truck and drove back to the first fork on the ridge, this time heading up the northern branch. It was looking promising but very soon got to a steep narrow area that would be passable to an ATV but not us. So that was a bit of a disappointment. We returned and dropped down off the ridge where we came across an enterprising brown squirrel that allowed me to get a number of photos of him before he ran away. These native browns are no longer found in the low areas as an introduced black squirrel has pushed them out. We then looked over the area being logged before returning to the main line along Norrish Creek. 
We continued in to the 9km point where the gate was located. It was a very fancy setup – electric controlled with remote management! It was open! But the next side branch was this side of the gate so we set off up the side road. Though this area was littered with numerous branches and further roads, most were not passable for us in the big truck. We were able to make our way far enough along one route to a place with a lovely view of the valley where we enjoyed a late lunch. Then it was back down to see the gate again. But on the way down Ethan didn’t see a pothole and when we hit it the bounce knocked me hard enough that my neck was in spasm. So we decided to call it a day and start our way out.
Not too far out we spotted a van down a small side road that was having trouble getting back up to the main line and we offered to winch them up which the readily accepted. Once they were safely on the main road we continued out, stopping only for a waterfall photo along the side of the road. Though my neck had settled down somewhat by this point, it would get much worse over the next two weeks before it was fully recovered. The trip was a decent one. There are many more roads to explore this side of the gate and I think we could get access beyond it by contacting the right people.