Capturing the Art of Nature
Slesse, Centre and Nesakwatch Valleys
We travelled the three valleys today and actually explored new road we hadn’t seen before
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2015
Click on image to view gallery
It had been a few years since I last spent time exploring the valleys south of the Chilliwack River. Most are gated off thanks to the poor back country etiquette of the crowds that visit this area. This has left us with little interest in the area but lately I have felt a desire to see if anything was open and interesting. So off we went for our regular few stops before reaching the highway. We made good time through Sardis and onto the Chilliwack River Road.
As we made our way past the Borden Creek Bridge we spotted a large firearms sign which caught Geoff’s attention; so we pulled off to study it. It seems that with the heavy usage of the area by campers, hikers, fishers the setback area for shooting has been increased to 800 meters. Not a huge amount but it was interesting to see how many were not following the rules. We continued on up the road and zipped past the DND training facility and the entrance to Slesse FSR. I glanced back and noticed that the gate was open and so we turned around and started up the FSR. I was glad to get in here as it is normally locked. The road was in good shape and we quickly made our way along the high fenced training ground and into the deeper back.
The road had a few gated side roads and only one route was open, basically a direct line to the Sleese Mountain hiking trail. We continued up to it and found a pair of trucks parked alongside the main road blocking the way forward to a rougher section of the road, why people do this is beyond me. Fortunately there was a fork here and we were able to continue of the slope along the route of the trail. We made it to the end of the spur where we enjoyed a nice view of the valley. Here the trail continued over narrow ground suitable only for foot. Once done with photos and exploring the immediate area we drove back to the parked trucks and started on our way out. It was around here that my ham radio started squawking on the frequency used by 4x4 groups, we could hear no audio but it was picking up some strong signal that seemed very odd. The drive back was uneventful and we were soon back on pavement heading for the Nesakwatch.
When we drove in the Nesakwatch entrance we looked east and noticed that the gate which is normally locked was open. This road provides access along the river and on to Centre Creek. Being open, we b-lined for the opening and made our way along the river. Here we noticed some interesting structures in the creek and we stopped to explore them. It looked like some fisheries related items but didn’t seem to be functional anymore. Back to the truck and soon we were starting up the Centre Creek FSR. I had been here once before but got in only a short way due to a fallen tree, so I was hopeful today we would do better. We encountered a small amount of loose rock but nothing blocking the road. It felt great getting to finally explore this road. We made our way south but didn’t really get too far before the road narrowed to ATV only. But here at our end we had some amazing views of Mt. Rexford and the Illusion Peaks. We also took time to do a bit of shooting. I still want to get back further and explore some of the southern area as the map shows extensive road areas past where we got to.
We made our way out and switched over to the Nesakwatch valley and started up the road. Now this road I have done a few times including two hikes up the eastern slopes of Mt. Slesse to see the plane crash monument. My more recent drives encountered washouts which stopped me short of the drive I made on my first attempt back in 2002! But today the road seemed decent and we made our way in. We passed a number of rough washout areas but all were quite well driven and on we went. Soon we arrived at a fork where the lower one once formed the start of the Slesse hike. I hiked it from this spot but the bridge across the creek was lost a number of years back and this spur has since overgrown and is no longer drivable. Last time here the left fork was rutted with some deep trenches making it impassible but today the road was fine and so up we went and soon passed the new trail head for the hike. There were a couple of vehicles parked here as well. We continued south along the road and before long we were past the furthest spot I had driven 13 years ago. Back then we were stopped by a logging operation. Today the road simply was getting rough and we actually found a bit of snow!
We had no trouble continuing along the road as the snow was only a few inches deep and only in short patches. The views of the mountains became ever more interesting as the valley narrowed. Soon we were met by an approaching atv, a father and son were on their way out. We continued in a few Km more and eventually came by a fork, the branch up the slope looked better than the one the ATV took following the river. So we headed up slope and after a few turns and some elevation gain we reached a wide terminus area where we parked and ate our lunch. This spot offered a nice view north along the valley and I was able to gather a few photos.
Done with lunch we returned to the fork and continued up the road. It was getting quite overgrown and I doubt we would have continued if the trees were in leaf, but with them bare it makes seeing the way much easier and we were able to push our way through. We did have to clear one larger tree that was across the path. Eventually we came to the place where the ATV had turned back but we continued on. The road went for another 750 meters before stopping in a major washout. Here we stopped and I marveled at the southern view of the valley. By this point we were only 1km north of the US border. The valley continues south for a couple Km further and one day I would like to explore it on foot. Well we went as far as we could, saw new sections of road and enjoyed the feel of the steep slopes. Light was starting to fail as the cloud cover was thickening and with the sun below the western ridge, it was time to start back. As we made our way back we came by one side road that the map showed crossing the creek, so even though the road was being used by a stream and the trees were over growing it, we decided to drive it. We got a few hundred meters before the overgrowth got too much and we then noticed a serious steep drop a few dozen meters ahead. So we turned ourselves around, it is in spots like this that having strong steel bumpers on both ends makes life easy. We had to push our way over a few trees to make way to turn but it actually didn’t take too much work to get reversed even with the stream rushing wildly beneath the truck.
Well the climb up to the main line now went quickly and the drive out went without much to report. We did pass one slow moving SUV that was likely full of returning hikers. They at least pulled over to let us pass. They were very soon well back of us. All too soon we arrived back at pavement where we switched back to rear wheel mode and made our way along the road in the traffic! Well at least we had a decent day in the bush without much getting in our way except for nature. The slow drive west left us needing a caffeine fix in Sardis, so at the first Starbucks we pulled in and got the needed supplements for our drive home.
I enjoyed seeing some new areas but the day still left me feeling a bit down. I think the dullness contributed to the mood but perhaps the amount of area blocked off bothers me the most. I guess I will need to hurry up and pick up an ATV and visit some of these areas again with a vehicle that can get into tighter spots.