Capturing the Art of Nature
The Snowless Western Harrison
The West Harrison was clear of snow and ready for us to enjoy the beauty of the area on the first day of the New Year.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2014
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It had been over a month since I was last out in the back country and I was in desperate need of a fix of freshness from the hills and Geoff and I haven’t been out together since September and so it was well past time for us to get out together. Being January 1, I wasn’t sure where we would get the best chance of avoiding snow so we chose the West Harrison area. We needn’t have been concerned, the season has been so mild so far that we barely saw any snow the whole drive!
Our day began a bit slowly as we had to check our gear and load up the truck with the requisite equipment. Once ready we set out for coffee, gas and the start of the FSR. We even tried a new route on the way out, it worked quite well and likely saved us a few minutes of travel time. Traffic was light and we made good time to the back country and in fact we encountered very few people out there, I guess most were recovering from their parties the night before.
Though a dull day the road was inviting and we zipped up the initial segment and soon found ourselves looking down on the grey waters of Harrison Lake. It looked cold but still the layers of cloud against the peaks across the water were as scenic as ever and so we stopped to switch the truck to 4x4 mode and get our first breathes of clean air. Geoff was still looking for some ducks he could shoot as he had hoped to get one last week-end but thanks to a friend falling out of his boat into the cold water they had to abort their adventure. So today he was looking for a suitable spot, unfortunately we never did find any ducks until we were on our way home and they were not in a place he could shoot!
We continued up the mainline for some distance as we both had thought of the small lake we had explored earlier this year, it has access from two ends but only the northern one is easy access. Our prior attempt at the south side resulted in damaging our truck mirror. Still we took the side road the forms the start of the southern road but kept to the major route and headed up into the slopes away from the lake. Last time we were having engine issues and the truck had no power, today we had no loss of get-up –and-go. We decided to check out a bridge that was just being constructed back then, today we sailed across it and made our way along a couple of branches the first was following the old road into the hills. We tried to follow it a ways but it got too rough and narrow for us and so we reluctantly quit before the road end, so sad. A second branch brought us by a small waterfall and then to a tree which blocked the route. We cleared the tree and then continued up the gravel road. Unfortunately it ended not much further along but we did find a spot for a few lake photos.
We then back-tracked to the mainline and continued up to the other entrance to the small lake. The road was easy travel and we soon pulled up to the camp spot overlooking the small lake and near the old cabin that sits on the north tip of the little lake. The makeshift raft was still tied up and we both stepped onto it. The lake had a thin layer of ice and when the waves from our motion made their way along under the layer a lovely crackling sound was created. We tried a number of wave patterns and intensities until we got bored with our musical instrument. I continued to capture photos of the water and various trees while Geoff walked around the area and looked over the cabin. When we had our fill of this spot we continued up the mainline enjoying our potato chips yet feeling a growing hunger. So we decided to continue to 20 mile bay and eat lunch there.
The road continued to be completely free of snow and we made good time to the recreational site. We still hadn’t seen others on the road yet but we did hear some 4x4ers on their radio frequency. When we arrived at the camp ground we found all the gates open even though other campsites were gated off. This surprised us but we took advantage of the treat and parked in our favourite site – number 7. We took a few minutes to unwind after the drive and then we setup our burners and cooked our lunch. It is so nice having a warm meal after a long drive in the damp outdoors. I gathered a number of shots of the lake and surroundings. While here we did encounter the first of others out enjoying the day – pair of ATV’s driving the beach, a jeep touring the campground and later a couple walking the beach.
As it was now getting later, at least for winter, we decided to start back but slowly, taking our time to explore a few side roads. We took one short spur that led off towards the lake and offered a bit of a view of the lake. It wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be but still it gave us something to see. Continuing back we came to a side road that heads up slope to a lake above the road which we had never seen. The road was rough and had a sign saying it was maintained by a 4x4 club. Just past the sign the road got narrow and very rough but it still looked drivable so we continued to follow it up and across a stream. We rounded another bend but there we could see that the road was heavily eroded and too rough for our long wheel base and low clearance. We reluctantly decided to not push it. It will demand our attention when we get a better truck for this.
After turning around and finding our way back down the narrow road and across the stream we were soon traveling the mainline. The access to 10mile bay was just ahead but as we drove we only saw an overgrown side road with a heavily trenched entrance. This didn’t look right so we continued passed looking for the entrance but soon it was clear we had missed it and so we back tracked and came to realize that they had closed off the access to the bay. Now this is a travesty as it offers a number of excellent camping spots along Harrison Lake. I think they blocked it as the garbage that was being left behind down there was creating a huge volume of trash piled up in a big ugly mountain. So I guess forestry had had enough and just closed it off. I just wish people wouldn’t be so selfish and clean up after themselves.
We continued along to another wooded side road which we followed in a short distance, it didn’t go far but did come to a nice secluded spot surrounded by moss covered rocks which were covered in intricate displays of numerous types of mosses. I got out and walked across the various rock faces capturing a number of interesting images of the various textures of the mosses. Meanwhile Geoff had spotted a wrecked car down slope from where we were parked and he went down to look it over. It was well hidden from the drivable road and had been there enough time that there was no obvious route that it had taken to get down there. Well, the light was starting to fail and so we continued on our way south and soon were making our way out the final segment away from the lake. Here Geoff pulled off to get some air and I took a few last photos of some lovely trees which were covered in a dense layer of moss.
It was a short trip but it sure felt good to be out there. The dull days this time of year tend to limit the photos but I still was able to enjoy capturing a number of great scenes and some close-ups of various plants. I look forward to the next excursion to somewhere out there.