Capturing the Art of Nature
Silver - Skagit Road - take two
After exploring the upper section of the valley last month, today we explored the middle section.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2010
Click on image to view gallery
A month earlier we were getting quite a distance into the various side branches along the Silver Skagit valley but today it seems that the snows had more time to arrive and clog up the roads. So though we tried a number of side roads none allowed us much access. The snow got in our way in almost every road we tried.
Our first stop was at Silver Lake, I quite enjoy this small lake and the amazing mountain views one has while resting on the massive rock that juts out into the lake. The peaks around the lake are quite majestic and offer an endless variety of sights to explore. I need to figure out how to get in closer to each of them somehow. Once I had captured some reflection views off the lake and a few shots of the water grasses, we set off down the road to find a new side road to explore.
On the way down I thought we could try a side branch of the Cantelon again. Last time we got up to a nice area with great views up and down the Silver-Skagit valley but snow stopped us from getting higher. I was hopeful that a month later might allow us to get further. Alas, we did get past the point we were stopped at last month but only by 150 meters! So no new views were available to us. I guess we'll just need to do it one more time, probably not until June. So back down the road and across the bridge that crosses Cantelon Creek. On the way up there had been a large group of late teens hanging around the bridge with a number of ATV's, this time it seems like they were off exploring the area.
We next tried Hicks creek but were blocked by a closed road very early, then on the east side of the valley we explored some new roads just being prepared for fresh logging later this year. We stopped for a snack on a bit of a ridge overlooking the valley where I setup the cross-band radio's vertical antenna so I could reach the Hope repeater - it worked well despite it being hand-held. Back to the main road and our next side branch was the Silverhope Creek FSR. This road forms part of the trans-Canada trail and one can follow it to Chilliwack Lake. We were stopped by a rock slide this time - passable by ATV but we didn't try as we could see snow not much further up the road. On our way back to the main road we stopped to enjoy a small beaver pond . It was a lovely little pond, a couple of makeshift campsites beside it confirmed it as a popular destination for some solitude. Back on the main road we spotted a small Grouse on the side of the road. As is common, it just stood still while we drove up to it and stopped next to it where I grabbed a few photos. Then once we started driving away it finally ran for cover!
Moving on further we came to an old abandoned granite quarry where we found dozens of huge rectangularly cut blocks of granite. They were all numbered and ready to ship - at-least at one point. Today they are over-grown and obviously abandoned in a granite grave-yard. The blocks were quite impressive as a group, all organized in rows. Leaving the granite we tried one more side road for the day - the Maselpanik. Again we didn't make it very far before being stopped by snow but on our way out we tried a freshly made road parallel to the main Silver-Skagit road and discovered a large excavator parked across the road. It was waiting for a better day as its bucket had been ripped apart I guess from a large rock. Then we returned to the main drag and decided it was time to head out. After bouncing along some rough potholes for awhile, we definitely felt like we had been bounced around enough for one day. A little past Silver Lake we spotted a lovely moss covered tree that was catching the dropping sun just right to show off the moss in a neat way. So we stopped for a few shots before heading to Hope and the Blue Moose to relax over a cup of espresso. An interesting day but I found this middle section a bit less interesting that the first section of the valley, possibly due to the little distances we were able to make into the side roads. It does deserve another visit in the summer when snow will no longer be a limiting factor.