Capturing the Art of Nature
Norrish Creek
It was to be a visit to Dewdney Peak, but a locked gate blocked the way
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2020
Click on image to view gallery
I
was hoping for a quick two-point summit for Sunday afternoon and as I hadn’t been to Dewdney Peak this year, I decided to give it a try. Most of this summit is gained by driving and only the final bit requires foot work at least for me. Some hike the trail from the bottom in a trail that has been named the Dewdney Grind! It is a travelled trail with several groups attempting it on the weekends but that is for them, me, I will drive it as far as possible. So, with that understood, Nick joined me, and we set out in my truck for the Norrish Creek Forestry road. We made good time to its start and then switched the truck into 4x4 mode for the gravel.
The road up Dewdney branches off the main line a bit over 2km in and we soon arrived at the fork. There we were greeted by a closed gate, well in the past that meant nothing as it was closed but not locked. So, this time I parked and walked over to the gate to open it but instead I found it was indeed locked! So very annoying, well that ended our goal for reaching the summit. During our short stop at the gate I noticed a steady stream of vehicles pass us heading up the road. That seemed a bit odd as the road is gated at 8Km. After a brief moment to regain my composure over the gate I decided to head up the road myself and see if the McNab road was also still gated.
I drove up Norrish creek and soon arrived at the 8km point with the locked gate, but there was a whole string of vehicles past the gate and it was open. MacNab was still locked. I drove back to the main gate that was open and walked over to the driver of a vehicle on the far side of the gate. He was talking to a chap in a car mid-way through it. He explained that you need a code to come through and that the guy would be wise to back out lest he be stuck up here. Once he was done talking, I chatted with him and learned that the 4x4 association members can get the access codes, so I guess I just need to pay the 30 dollars and join. It would be a good investment as they do maintenance work on many sites.
Not today however, on our way in we passed another logging road the climbed the slope of Pattison Peak, so we retreated and made for that side road. We zipped in and soon passed an open gate and then a large forestry machine that was parked. We were able to make our way well up the flank of Pattison fording some quite deep cross-ditches. We eventually made it up to 720m before the road stopped and there, we had a nice view of the Norrish Creek valley, as it was past noon I decided to stop here and eat lunch. It was a nice spot and the road a short but still interesting drive, there were a few side roads one could try but we weren’t in the mood for that today.
Once done lunch I gathered a few photos and chatted with some fellow club members in the ham club that were hoping to work me from the summit. Then we started back down the road to the main line. I stopped for a few more photos but we were soon off the slope and driving back to the start of the FSR. It was a disappointing turn of events, but we still had a chance to enjoy some back-country and gather some photos. I guess I will need to find out who controls the gate and borrow a key.