We did check out the small foot bridge that crosses the river. I remembered it from years back when the boys had fun crossing over on it. The Skagit river itself looked quite lazy and unexciting at this point just above the lake. Though the few fallen trees we could see would make canoeing a bit if an exercise. After a bit of a walk around we started back just as another intrepid driver was arriving to be disappointed by the locked gate. As we reached the snowy section we were greeted by a heard of deer running across the road. We wcould watch them peering out at us from behind some under-growth 150 feet from the road. I guess they were surprised to find us there so early in the season.

We crossed back over the Skagit and immediately turned into an open camping area where we found three sites occupied. We stopped to chat with one of the groups- a family with late teen kids. They told us how they woke up to find themselves in a snow storm and watched it pile up as they enjoyed breakfast. But it was already melting rapidly and the snow wouldn't be around much longer. We continued north and soon were out of the park where we could drive some of the side roads to check out the region better. Though still cold and dull we did make a few stops where we could explore some of the flat wider sections of the valley. We were hoping to locate a small side road that we found years back that led to an old cabin tucked into some trees beside a stream. Though we tried a number of promising spurs we did not find it.

We continued north and were heading out when we discovered a side road just north of Silver Lake that we hadn't seen before, so we decided to give it a go and see what it would offer. It did seem to be leading to a vantage point over-looking Silver Lake but we were stopped short of a good view - perhaps another try when we have an ATV. So it wasn't the most successful of trips and we will need to retry it this summer, but still we saw a few items of interest that made it worthwhile.

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.

We ate a bit of lunch and then returned along the road - we took a branch that forked off near the start of the FSR and explored some logged areas unfortunately the views from this area were not that inspiring so we didn't remain here very long. As it was too early to head home we decided to explore the Alexandra bridge close up. So we zipped up the highway a ways, crossing the replacement bridge for the old single laner and soon were making our way down the old road leading to the bridge. Near the bottom a tree had fallen across the road blocking access to the final 150m so Geoff took the opportunity to use his chain saw on it and clear the way.

We parked the truck close to the end of the road and organized our camera equipment. I setup the cross-band repeater but we weren't getting into the Hope repeater that well from here and I didn't feel like putting up the larger antenna so we mainly just chatted simplex between us as we explored the bridge area. The bridge is quite interesting and offers some good insight into the engineering capabilities of the early 1900's. It's a shame that the bridge has been neglected for many years and is rapidly deteriorating. If they don't do some basic stabilization on some of the cables and the western support pillar it will soon be unsafe to walk across. That would be a shame as it is a neat experience to stand over the river and stare down through the metal grating to look at the water flowing past.

I gathered a number of shots of the various poses of the bridge and then switched to my close-up lens to get some detail of the cables and decking. The close-up shots were rich in patterns and detail but a few of them did expose the decay creeping into the bridge structures. While we were exploring the bridge another couple came by and took a number of shots as well. They had been here many years previously and commented on how much it had degraded since then. We both got interested in the numerous graffiti writings that had been scratched into the paint all along the bridge. There were some with repeat visits - each marked with the date. Another was listing lovers when they visited together and again years later stating they were still together! I thought it would make an interesting study to come back and shoot all of the graffiti and put them together in a book of some kind.

Once done with the bridge we hiked back to the truck and set off for Hope and a coffee at the Blue Moose Bistro. Though a bit wet and dull, the day was fun and I quite enjoyed exploring the bridge. I definitely will be back to reshoot it and try to collect some of the graffiti though I think it would be a fairly long task to get it all!

Food gone, we continued along the trail and up onto the wooden walk that carried us past a particularly steep section, then it was down to lake level where we crossed the creek to a grassy section. There we met a small group of photographers enjoying the area and taking a number of photos of their small campfire. It seems like they were looking for some specific photos that centred on the smoke of their campfire. While I grabbed some shots, Ethan lazed in the sun and drew underwater patterns in the sand. I shot from a few locations along the shore here and took a number of bracketed shots but the reflections off the water were moving enough that it made for a funny looking HDR image. So I will need to try a different approach to getting wider dynamic range when water is involved. Once done at the lake I wanted to walk up the trail a bit further to a spot I remembered which had an interesting look to it. It was before the next rock slide so the distance was short and the trail easy.

The area was as I remembered it and I took a number of creek and log shots to wrap up our furthest point along the trail. I would have liked to hike in further but the time I went to Greendrop the crossing of the rock slides greatly tired me out and I just didn't feel up to fighting them any more today, I still had to get back over the few along side of Lindeman. Besides, the sun was getting lower which significantly reduces the available light up here. Midsummer with the sun more overhead, the time available with enough light extends much later but such is not the case in early March. So we back tracked along the trail gathering a few more images. 
I forgot to mention that the handheld radios worked very well up here, we had no trouble reaching the truck and then on to White Rock where Carolyn was waiting with another handheld to talk with us. The technology definitely works well and I was pleased with the setup. A few people asked about the radios and antennas and were interested to learn about the emergency support we could provide.

By the time we reached the main campsite the sun had dropped below the hills and the forested sections were now quite dark. It was surprising at just how dim things were in the forest with the sun below the horizon. When we finally got back to the road and the truck I was surprised at how bright it still was out in the open. Taking down the antennas and mast went quite smoothly and quickly and soon we were back on the road heading home. We stopped one final time to get a few shots of Mount Edgar which had some nice late sun light on it.

A lovely hike to open the season with, it did show that I still have a ways to go with my exercise program, but generally I did quite well and should be able to do a few peaks again this year.

Passing a number of short spurs that led back to the river and to a small campsite at the head of Eaton Creek trail, we slowly made our south down the road. Though interesting, none of these spurs offered much of a view to enjoy. Eventually we arrived at the Cantelon Creek FSR. This side road looked more promising being the longest so far this side of the lake. Once past the bridge over the Cantelon Creek we chose the left branch and set off up the valley. The road looked down on the creek which was still covered in deep frost and looked so wintery compared to the bright sunshine and lush greenness all around. Unfortunately it wasn't long before we encountered a slide, picking our way carefully over the loose rocks we soon came to a second slide. This one was just too deep in loose rock for us to get over - a route available only to an ATV. So we returned to the fork just this side of the bridge and made our way up the slope overlooking the Silverhope creek. It was a lovely view of the valley and the various mountains on the east side. But at the 950 meter point the snow once again stopped us. - At least the view of the peaks was worth the trip on its own!

Back down and across the bridge over the creek. We came upon another side road which we decided to explore and soon we discovered that we were travelling along the Cantelon creek headed for Yola Creek. We were on the Yola creek FSR and traveling through that deep frost valley we viewed from above! it was an absolutely amazing scene here. The ice and frost seemed so strange when just a few feet up the slope it was sunny and green. We eventually came to a frost covered campsite where we got some amazing images of ice crystals on branches and rocks. The road continued on but the snow was getting deep and there was a water crossing ahead with some steep edges which we decided to not try due to the partial snow cover. So this road will definitely need a second visit come summer.

We returned to the main road and decided to head out, a bit disappointed that we didn't have a need for the winch - obviously we didn't push ourselves hard enough today. But not much before we reached Silver lake we spotted a problem. There on the side of the road was a pickup with the driver side wheels on the road and the passenger side down a steep drop on the shoulder. The road here had been graded and the road gravel ended abruptly at the shoulder two feet above the natural ground level. The truck was stuck- bottomed out - in the loose gravel on the side of the road. The guys in the truck were trying to get help but so far no one stopped to help them - it was our chance. Though we likely could have used a recovery strap to pull them out, using the winch seemed so much more fun. So we hooked them up and pulled them onto the road. They dropped off a 20 in thanks. So we did get to do some winching after all. We made our way out without further incident and felt that we had had a full and successful day, and already planning for a return trip to explore the next section of the valley.

We drove by a side road and decided to follow it to Stave lake. The first section of the road was quite passable but soon we encountered some very steep sections - bending our right running board as we continued on. We finally got down to a small creek bed which we drove along a short distance. We had been here once before in the Pathfinder but couldn't make it up the far side bank. That was a few years back, today the climb up the far side was quite worn down by ATV's but it would have required us to winch ourselves up and in the worsening weather it was not something we long considered. So it was back up the road where we again bottomed out on the dips that challenged us on the way down. We drove up another short spur where we enjoyed a view of the lake while we ate lunch.

Back to the main road and on up to where we could get a view of Salsbury Lake from above. Unfortunately the trees had grown quite tall and there was no good view of the lake. We did finally get a glimpse of Salsbury from a little way past the lake but the weather was rapidly deteriorating and after capturing a few more images of the cloud covered lake and mountains we decided to call an end to the day and head back home. I thought we could try a few of the roads that exit out onto the paved roads along Miracle Valley but each one was blocked by private residences and offered no access to the back woods. This was most disappointing. We did come across one gated driveway with some serious keep out additions. They really were pretty serious at keeping people out. Later I learned that it was a legal grow-op of some size so the strong gates made a lot of sense.

Though the weather was not that good I did discover a new area with a lovely waterfall, and a possible hike to do come summer. The trip also re-emphasized just how desperately I need to get into an ATV to explore those many areas just out of reach for our truck.

Back on the pavement we soon passed the start to the Lindeman Lake trail, there were cars parked up & down both sides of the road, it seems that it was a popular destination today. We would have been one of them if Ethan had been up to a hike today, hopefully next trip he will be feeling good enough for hiking. Soon we were past the entrance to the Chilliwack Lake Park and on the lake road. It is so terribly bumpy, I am certain that they leave it this way just to discourage people from driving it. We found a number of lovely views of the lake and the peaks around it. The water level was low so I was able to get a few shots from the rocks that form the sides of the lake. 

We continued to the small beach area that forms part of the Paleface Creek delta. I fell in love with this spot on an earlier visit as it has amazing views to both ends of the lake and has a neat rock formation that juts out into the lake. As we arrived we noticed another truck parked near the trail that leads to the beach so we knew we had company. Once on the beach we spotted a chap with his dog fishing off the rocks and tending a small camp fire. It added an extra dimension to a few of my shots. We chatted for a bit while I took some more photos as the sun dropped below the western peaks. His dog was quite friendly and seemed to enjoy our company. 

As we chatted we got on to the upcoming Olympics and he mentioned that he thought it a bit ridiculous that they were having to truck in snow from Manning Park. I hadn't heard that but it did seem odd to me. I kept shooting and once the sun had dipped down we returned to the truck and started our long drive back to the pavement of the Chilliwack River Road. It seemed even rougher on the way out - perhaps because we weren't stopping very often. It sure felt good to be back on pavement and a smooth ride. Tonight we opted to travel the highway on the way home rather than the country roads. So we inched our way through Sardis and got on to the freeway. we weren't on there long when I spotted a pair of double car dump trucks hauling stuff west. I couldn't believe it! We actually came upon some of the trucks hauling the snow to Cypress! It was quite funny but there they were. We heard some truckers commenting on the whole project on the Ladd frequencies as we drove which made for some interesting listening. It seems to have made quite an impression - this need to move snow.

The trip was a lovely adventure, not new ground, but places that can be visited repeatedly and always give new sights. I do hope to try the Nesakwatch area again but next time I will have an ATV.

After that we returned to the higher section of road which led south between Davis and Stave lakes. It was easy driving here and soon we saw that we were within a quarter kilometer of the edge of Stave lake so we decided to park and take a hike out to the lake. The first section of the hike was through low growth and brambles and then a narrow strip trees, we quickly got to the place marked as the edge of the lake by the GPS. Funny but there was no lake, it seems that the low water level had exposed this area and it was now mostly grassy patches with criss-crossing troughs of water throughout. There was only around 150 feet of ground to cover before a slightly higher forested section could be reached so we thought we would give it a try and see if the lake was on the other side of the higher ground. We had to make a small bridge out of fallen logs at one point but after a short while we had worked our way across and were now in the forested section. It didn't take long to cross this small patch of trees but there was still no lake at its far edge. 

We did find soft sandy ground leading far out to the true edge of the lake. Now we could actually see the lake and all the thousands of tree stumps left behind as the lake filled. We slowly picked our way across the sand trying to avoid the softer sections that sank who knows how deep. Soon we came to a small finger of water where we stopped to gather photos. We decided to not head out further as the scenery here was quite amazing with all the stumps. After resting a bit and taking a variety of shots we started back to the truck. We made much better time on the return, I guess we knew what to expect and what we were doing. As we neared the final treed section a number of loud gun shots went off to the south of us. The shooters were doing some target practice but it was far enough away to not be an issue, but we did head to the truck as quickly and directly as we could.

Once back we gathered our breath and decided to head to McDonald Falls. This trip I had my tripod and I could get some slow shutter speed shots of the water. After a few images of the falls from a number of locations we returned to the truck and set off home. The weather had worsened by this time and we were actually getting a few drops while shooting the falls. So it was a good time to be done and set off home. It was a fun trip but we covered very little of the area so I do feel a third visit is in order in the near future.

While working on the chain we heard the convoy talking about ever deepening snow and needing to pull each other. So we made a decision to not go any further today. We returned to the fork and took a run at the other branch, as it was a steady rise we only got a half kilometer before we were starting to slip - and that with chains on! So we stopped there and had lunch with a lovely view of Lady Peak. After lunch we started back down and when we reached a broader flat section we stopped for a bit to gather a few photos and Ethan tried a few shots with his bow. A number of ATV's came by heading in, we chatted with them briefly.

Soon we were back on the way out and before long we were on the Bench road. We decided to try the loop backwards to see how far up the south slope ofThurston we could go. Not too far in we came by a lovely viewpoint where I gathered a number of shots of the peaks along the Chilliwack River Valley. Then it was back to driving up the narrow road. At around 1300 meters we finally hit the snow level and very quickly we were stopped by it. We backed down a short ways until we reached a slightly wider section of the road where Ethan did a 12 point turn to reverse his direction! It was a bit challenging in the narrow space we used. We tried a few more short side branches on our way down but before long we were back on the bench road headed out to the pavement.

It was a lovely drive, full of adventure and impressive mountain vistas. We didn't succeed at the loop again this trip but I didn't really expect to do it mid-winter. Maybe in a well equipped ATV! Which I will have one day. The drive home was blessed with some lovely views of the Cheam range and then just before home, we saw a exquisite cloud formation in the sunset. It was interesting enough that I had to find a clear spot to grab a few shots. We turned onto 184th and noticed another photographer taking some photos on the side of the road. So we parked near him and I joined him in capturing the sunset.

We continued along the trail until we reached the rocky point on the south-eastern end of the park, this area is named – Eagle Point . I really quite enjoy this section of coast and when we arrived we were quite alone but as we ate our lunch several other groups came by to enjoy the view. I took a number of shots of the rocks and tidal pools. There were quite a number of boats crossing the bay from majestic sailboats to fast noisy power boats. I really would like to get out on the water again.

After lunch we continued along the trail to the main camp area of the park where large crowds were gathered. I took Nick to the traditional view point looking down on the Lighthouse where I took a single picture of it. Then it was off along the Shore Pine Trail to Jack Pine Point (also called Shore Pine Point). We arrived at the point and made our way to a section of the rock with a great view of the lower rocks and the entrance to Howe Sound. It really is a spectacular location. I noticed that many of the Arbutus trees were showing severe stress due to the lack of rain this year. Some had died or at least they looked like they had. It is a shame as they seem to be fairly slow growers as they cling to the rocks. We stayed here a while as we rested from the hiking so that we could get a good dose of the beauty and fresh air. 

After we had our fill, we set off along the trail for Juniper Point where I have taken many amazing photos over the years. Along the trail we met an overly energetic dog which the owners had to keep calling back to them, I’m sure it did the hike a dozen times to their one. Soon we came to the Juniper Point trail and shortly into it Nick pointed out a tree stump that when alive had grown in some very interesting shapes. Once at the point we joined a group of visitors and rock climbers. It really was far too popular for my liking. But then it is good that so many are now enjoying the great view from the rock cliff.

We took a short rest here and I gathered a number of additional shots. My favourite tree was still perched on the rock face looking much as it has in the past. It sure would be a shame if it was gone as it adds the character to the place. Once done with the photos we returned to the trail and continued on to the truck. Nick was definitely glad to be back, he had reached his limit for the day. It took only a short while to pack up and then I had the opportunity to drive us home. The drive actually went very smoothly - only the one slow-down between Cassiar and Boundary roads, but the other direction was not so fortunate. Once home we unpacked and relaxed. It was a nice trip and I enjoyed the return to the park. It was the lighthouse radio week-end so I guess I should have done some HF work from the lighthouse but I wasn’t really prepared for that and will need to plan for it next year.