Capturing the Art of Nature
Squamish B200
The second branch off the Squamish mainline offers a lot of area to explore, we spent the day scouting our coming hike up Tricouni Peak and just enjoying the fresh air!
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2014
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Trips to the hills have been a bit scarce this year so far, so for us today it felt really good getting out and exploring some new areas. I have been on the B200 branch a couple times previously but there was still large areas we had not seen and so today we made it our plan to spend the day in this one area and look over as much of it as we could. It was still early enough in the season that we were stopped by snow short of the road ends but we did get up to 1150m elevation before the snow became a problem.
Our first goal for the day was to find the correct roads for our planned hike later this year. I had heard about Sasquatch viewing from the slopes of Tricouni and so I studied the route and felt it would be a challenge but achievable for me later this summer. I doubt we will see any Sasquatch but the views will be magnificent. So with that in mind, we set off for the valley and the B200 side road. It being a long week-end we encountered quite a few cars and SUV’s on the mainline. Fortunately they were likely all camping along the river and once up the side road we saw only two vehicles the entire day!
The one bad thing about campers in the hills is that they kick up a lot of dust on the road this time of year. So we were glad they stayed away from the side roads. Early during our drive in there was one truck hauling an ATV that came racing along the road towards us as we rounded a curve. It was taking the curve wide and got a bit close to us. Some of these guys really need to smarten up on these gravel roads, hopefully he got enough of a scare to slow down around the next bend.
Once away from the traffic jam, life in the hills resumed its sense of freedom and solitude. We made good time climbing the initial steep section of the road as it ascended the slope to the ridge bordering the High Falls valley. While on the mainline, we saw some hikers getting ready for the High Falls. Later as we were coming out we met three pairs of hikers walking down the B200 towards the mainline. They were making good time on the road but still looked quite tired out.
I had loaded the track of our previous trip to the B200 and studied it to see what would be new and where we should go for the Tricouni trail. The map made quick work of our planning and we soon were on the spur to the tail head, it was a new one to us and so we enjoyed seeing some new sights. A bridge across Belia Creek offered a lovely view of a small waterfall just above the bridge. The early part of this road was easy driving but as we gained elevation the brush was leaning in on the road and I am sure once covered in leaves, the road will seem quite narrow. We made our way almost to the end but snow finally blocked our way and rather than push it, we decided to just take a short walk up the slope and enjoy the view. The road-end was just a half km further.
Once done with this spur we tried a short second branch that dead-ended almost immediately but here I continued along what was once a road and made for the point where it crosses over a low ridge. Here I had some nice view of the High Falls valley and Cloudburst peak to the south. A nice spot but I was getting spat on by some rain so I opted head back to the truck in case it got harder. Once back to the truck we drove back down to the main branch road and continued in across High Falls Creek and then we drove a branch that traveled back along the creek but on its east side. Soon it started up the north slope of Cloudburst and we made our way up until snow blocked our path. We turned back to a level section of the road where we had a lovely view of the valley and the Tricouni side road we had been on earlier. Here we set up our gear for lunch and to just enjoy the view. While enjoying the site, we watched a shiny blue SUV slowly make its way along the road we were on, we wondered if they would drive as far as where we were eating but not long after we lost sight of them due to a ridge, they had turned back and were on their way out. So we had the place to ourselves. Done with lunch we started back down, as we started down my friend John, a local Ham who lives just before the start of the Squamish mainline called on the radio and we planned our visit once we were finished with the roads.
We tried another side road but this one ended with a large diversion where a fast flowing stream crossed the road. – annoying as there was still a lot of road beyond this point. Geoff tossed a few large stones in the fast flowing water to give him stepping stones to cross. He was determined to not be stopped by the creek, even if it was just for him. So it was back down to the main side road and back across High Falls Creek to another branch we had skipped past earlier. I had driven part of this one before but it provided some nice views of the Squamish valley so we drove it again to get to the views. One branch which was recently cleared blocked us with snow but the other gave us the views we were looking for. It was right along here that we snapped off our radio antenna on a prior trip, today we were more careful!
Done with this area we returned to the main access road and started down the very steep section leading to the Squamish valley. Here is where we met the first of the High Falls Trail hikers. They asked if we could give them a lift but on learning of the distance back to their cars, they felt they would just carry on. Part way down the slope the road forks with the B220 heading north. Last time I tried it the road was blocked quite early by a small slide. Today we were able to pass the old slide area, I pointed out the huge tree that had been across the road, parts of it were now laying alongside of the road. We got some distance in but eventually got stopped by debris on the roadway. If it had been earlier in the day we would have cleared it but by now we felt it was time to turn back.
Soon we were back down and driving the mainline, here we met up with the couple we talked with earlier, they had almost reached their car. They were moving incredibly fast. The road was still crowded with cars and dust and so we were all too happy to reach the pavement. We drove a km and turned off into John’s yard where we met him out looking over his huge wood pile. We chatted about a number of his projects for the next hour before continuing on our way home. It was a lovely drive and we felt that we were now ready for the hike later this year.