It had been some time since our last visit to the west Harrison area, so we planned to visit the region in early October but weather got in our way. Then I was off to Ontario for a couple of weeks. So here we are in November and finally able to get back out into the hills.  I have explored the southern area many times and even driven the length of the lake on several occasions but very few of the side roads around 20 mile bay and north have been explored by me. So those roads were our goal for the day.

Geoff arrived at my house as planned and we finished loading up the truck and then went to start it. But the battery was dead! Not at all a good start to the drive. It seems that the battery is no longer holding a decent charge and we needed to jump it from an old battery Geoff had on my charger, that worked fine and off we went. We kept the truck running when we stopped for coffee but then when we filled it up we didn’t have a choice, but it should have charged enough by then. It hadn’t! We jumped in our second battery and cranked it, but even that battery barely made it! While driving we decided to just keep the engine running for the day.

We made good time to the start of the roads and then up to the first viewpoint overlooking Harrison Lake. Here we stopped and I gathered a few images. While stopped there we were passed by one of the few vehicles we met during the day.  After a few more minutes we continued up the mainline. From the Mystery Creek area we didn’t encounter any more people on the roads until we were well on our way back home. The area seemed completely deserted which suited us quite well. The one thing we did decide was to not push the driving so far that we would need a winch to get us out.  With weak batteries winching may not have been possible.

As we started our way north, we drove past the gated entrance to the Woods Lake campsite, here we spotted a jeep that was bottomed out trying to get up and over a steep berm next to the gate. He was stuck teeter-tottering but he had his own winch and was busy getting it set up to pull himself over the barrier, so we just had a good chuckle and kept driving. I’m not sure why he was so determined as there really isn’t much to see through there. We made good time up through the Mystery Creek branch and then started looking for a side road to drive. It didn’t take long before we came by one on our left – the upside of the slope.

This short spur gathered a bit of elevation and took us through some cleared areas. The views and colours were not all that impressive but we d id spot some interesting fungus growing on the road and then some constructed wood objects discarded along the shoulder. Towards the end of the spur the view looking down on 20 mile bay was actually quite amazing and I gathered a number of shots. We returned to the main line and continued north. We came by a major side road and turned up it but soon we were blocked by a beaver pond that had formed across the road. The culvert had gotten blocked and the water backed up to overflowing across the road. Meanwhile a beaver had added a number of branches to build the level up even higher. We possibly could have crossed but we weren’t sure how deep it got so we decided to pull out some of the debris and see if the level would drop. It started to drain but it was going to take quite some time so we decided to continue up the mainline.

I woke to a clear blue sky that beckoned to me to come and play amongst the trees. So after some breakfast and a bit of organizing, I set off for the lands to the east. Yesterday I travelled west and though I didn’t see all the areas, I wanted, I only had today left to explore the Sparta area. This area has offered some amazing colour in years past so I was really looking forward to finding some this year.

My first stop was down along the harbour where I could look back towards the lake front homes of Port Stanley. They were nestled in amongst some lovely trees with shades of orange and gold. I also saw where they were building up the embankment with concrete taken from the dismantling of the large grain elevators next to the harbor.  I only took a few photos here and then set off for my traditional shots at Hawk’s Cliff. As I drove up Hawk’s Cliff road I passed a dozen or so cars of people watching the raptors from a field beside the road but I didn’t stop as my goal was the cliff edge. Alas, the cliff has gotten so unstable that there was a strong fence put up blocking access to the cliff. It was most annoying but I accepted the implied wisdom and turned back to look for trees.

I next made for Roberts road and slowly drove east stopping at various sites to capture some images. Though much had already be lost, there were still some lovely patches to enjoy. One day I will need to walk through some of these forested areas as there are so many micro scenes to enjoy. I continued along and eventually found myself at the beach in Port Bruce.

Today was the first day I felt like getting out there and driving the roads looking for colour. The weather had been wet, dark and dreary so far while we were in the Port and the colours looked so dull. But today the sun was out and I was looking forward to seeing what the trees were offering. I had to settle for a late start as Carolyn needed a ride into St. Thomas where she was going to spend the afternoon at the wool shop. So I didn’t get started on my adventure until after lunch and then I had to be back to pick her up at 5pm!

So I set out along the Fingal Line heading west out of St. Thomas and made for the St. Stephen’s church. This small church has been one I have visited most years that I have come out. It felt like a good spot to get inspired for the day. I arrived and read a historical plaque that talked about the war of 1812 and Col. Burwell for whom the area was named. I gathered a few colour shots as the sun poked out from the clouds and started to enjoy being out here. I noticed the old grave marker for Burwell but it was so eroded that I couldn’t make out the words. I snapped a photo of it so I could try some Photoshop restoration to see of it could be read.

After a few more photos I continued along Fingal and Iona Roads and turned down the back road called Erin Line. This gravel road offered some great sights in previous years so I was hopeful I would find some this year. But many of the trees along it were already bare and I didn’t find anything to shoot.  The road ends further down on Fingal where I then backtracked a bit to Lakeshore and drove this short section to the John E. Pearce Park. Here I found a few colour shots which caught my eye and I was able to time them with the sun.  I was now at the park but it was getting close to time for my radio call to Ralph in Vancouver. So I set up my radio and tried the repeater but it wasn’t making it in. I drove up the road to a rise and there I got into the repeater and now I waited for the right time. Unfortunately I wasn’t getting a clear enough signal across to open the link to Vancouver and missed the call.

It looked to be another dull day with limited prospects for finding decent colour. So we really didn’t know what we should do to make the day effective for photography. We also had Mike’s son Luke with us and he wanted to do some hiking rather than just a lot of driving. Thinking of these constraints, I thought that Spencer’s Gorge would give us a nice hike and as the colours were strong, it may just be rich enough to enjoy in the dull overcast conditions. We all agreed to give it a try and so we first stopped for some coffee and a bit to eat for Mike who had not been able to get breakfast due to an early start on a project.

We made good time to the gorge and after paying for parking we started along the trail leading to Tews Falls. The colour was really very full and lovely and at the moment the light was quite bright for overcast. We enjoyed a nice walk through the trees along the edge of the gorge. We quickly noticed that they had improved the trail with a solid steel stairway that provided access over the steepest section of the trail. I’m sure it is well appreciated as the old path had some steep slippery sections to navigate.

The gorge was well used today with many groups making their way along the various paths and taking lots of photos. Camera gear ranged from the ubiquitous smart phone camera to very advanced DSLR gear like our own. People seemed very happy to be here and enjoying the lovely views of the lush colour in the valley below us. Our first photo stop was at the viewing platform for Tews Falls. It was crowded with people so we made our way down beside the platform where we could get a better view of the waterfall. Here I set up my tripod and gathered a few slow shutter photos of the falling water. The actual stream was quite light but still enough to give some nice photos.

Today was promised to be sunnier than yesterday and so we set out with the hope of finding some brilliant colours along the Escarpment. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the clouds. So when we first set out we drove along the Escarpment to the west and looking for some good vantage points of the slope. We found a few but the sun was still in hiding. We eventually had a few short periods of sun and were able to gather some nice photos of a few spots. But the sun was soon covered so we decided to head back up the ridge and into the back roads.

Mike wanted to return to a small pond we had shot at back in 2010 so I looked up the GPS coordinates from an old photo and we drove south to find the road side pond. It didn’t take us very long to reach the spot though we almost stumbled past it before realizing we were there. Checking the co-ordinates, they matched our records, and sure enough the pond was here – sort of. During intervening four years the grasses and marsh plants had swallowed up most of the open water and we weren’t able to find the interesting objects that so enamoured us last time. The clouds had also thickened given a dull look to everything. And we even were splattered with a bit of rain. Mike and I did gather a few close-up photos but not the numbers we were hoping for.

Today was the first of my travels for this year’s adventure in Ontario. My wife’s cousin Mike joined me at 9:30am and together we set off for the fields of colour that the fall season had brought us. The weather today was a bit damp and overcast so we were concerned that we may not get the colours popping out like they would in  the sun, but we accepted what we were given and so off we went.

Initially we dropped down to the bottom of the Escarpment and drove east towards St. Catharines but here we saw only muted colours and nothing all that inspiring. So we decided to head back up to the top of the Escarpment. As we made our way up we passed by a nice vineyard and noticed that the forest in behind had some lovely coloured leaves but the dull sky made them look so insipid that we didn’t even stop to study them. Once on top of the rise we drove a few side roads before we settled on one heading back towards the edge of the drop. Here we found some colour alongside the road and so we parked and began the first of our photo sessions.

Our first location was full of bright red sumac, the strength of the reds was quite spectacular. We spent some time wandering around this spot while avoiding the big farm equipment making its way along the road. We drove a short distance further along this side road and again gathered some photos of the trees just off the road. Soon we were driving along the ridge passing a few beautifully situated vineyards. The sun popped out for a few brief periods teasing us with a glimpse of the colours we were missing.

We continued along for a while a eventually came by a small pull out in a valley with a stream through it. Here we found some nice patches of colour and even had a bit of co-operation with the sun. We decided to descend a short stone stairway to the creek level and there we were soon intrigued by some splashing we saw in the water. We made our way over to get a closer look and discovered dozens of Brown Trout making their way up the creek to spawn. These were big fish and they were amazing to watch as they fought their way up over rapids and rocks to gain elevation. The effort and determination they exhibited was incredible and caught the eye of several others who had come to watch the migration. We wandered back up to the top and found another access point to the creek a bit further upstream. Here there were even more trout working their way up the creek. We stayed to watch for some time.

We found the hike up Mulligan and Anif last year quite challenging in the clouds as the plants were wet which got us soaked and cold. The steep slopes were slippery which facilitated a few slips and when we did achieve the summit the views were very limited thanks to the cloud layer. So we both felt we needed to revisit the mountain on a sunny day. Today was that day. I got myself ready and picked Geoff up at 7am and we set off for the closest Starbucks. Once the essentials were handled our next stop was some fuel and then the logging roads.

We arrived in good time at the start of the Mamquam FSR and stopped to read the road frequency on the road sign but we were greeted with a new channelized number and no frequency! The province is switching over to 40 specific radio channels and the Squamish area is one of the first. So we weren’t able to dial in the road. Fortunately our drive along it was short and the traffic light. We soon reached and zipped up the side road encountering only a single vehicle coming down. So we were very likely to be on our own up here today.

Upon reaching the end of the road, Geoff carefully turned the truck around in the narrow space and proceeded to park on the edge of the road. This left me no way to exit as there was a large mud puddle along my side of the road, after a few shared words he moved the truck back to the middle of the road until we were ready to set off. The initial segment of our hike was along the remainder of the logging road. This section started at a major washout and was now quite over-grown and the road was getting crowded out with Alder.  At the end of the road is a large pile of rotting logs which we climbed up on to survey the next section of our journey.

Upon leaving the log pile we had to make our way up a densely covered valley slope. The route went straight up the slope to the start of a forested section where the path was easy to travel. This slope however was thickly covered in wild flower plants, dried ferns and wild blueberry bushes. One was not able to see the ground so picking each step on the uneven ground was time consuming and tiring. Stepping into a hole or between two logs was all too common. Throughout the slope one could see trails where animals (bears) had made their way between berry bushes. Once we finally got past the open area and into the bush, we stopped to put on our cramp-ons so we could scale the slope easier as it was steep and we were slipping more than desired. The spikes made the trek up to the ridge very easy. I had my new more aggressive set with me today and this was their first use. They looked ominous but they sure do work.

Soon we were past the trees on the slope and in the open meadow where the slopes of Mulligan and Anif meet. Here there is a small stagnant pond where we could see several places an animal had dug into the mud to free up some water. After a short rest we continued up the slope to Anif. Last trip we ventured too far to the right of the ridge line which put us into steep terrain so today we kept to the left as we followed the slope upwards. Not much past the pond one is faced with the first of several vertical walls which would need to be circumnavigated. The easiest route on this first wall was to curve to the right side and then as one gains the elevation above the wall to circle back towards it. Once above this wall we were able to follow a trough up the slope just to the left of the ridge line. This allowed us to get past a number of steep sections we fought over last time. After gaining a few hundred meters the trough leveled off and we needed to get onto the ridge itself and cross over to the other side. Here we had a short steep section to get over but with spikes and grabbing onto many plants I was able to gain the ridge without incident.

Earlier this year we learned about the old Kettle Valley Rail Trestle Bridge over Ladner Creek. The bridge is a relic of the old railway and is not much of a hike off of the Coquihalla highway. The rail bed passes through a short tunnel just before the bridge but it is unfortunately collapsed and so one must hike around it. Though walking on the bridge is strongly discouraged due to the rotten state of the cross timbers, it is still an interesting sight to see. So we felt it a good day to go see it and then spend the day on the surrounding logging roads.

Our drive to the trail head started off slow as our truck battery wouldn’t start the truck, we had to jump ourselves from our second battery – handy! Then after a short drive to get coffee, it once again was still not strong enough. Now on the road, we soon learned that the highway was stopped due to a truck fire at the Mt. Lehman crossing – our crossing. So we took a detour south to skip that area and join the highway on the next overpass. Then just as we were getting close to the highway we were passed by a burned garbage truck being towed! The vehicle on fire was reported to be a garbage truck! Well, excitement behind us, we made good time the rest of the drive to where we would be starting the hike.

The initial segment of the trail is quite steep as one climbs the slope to the level grade of the track bed. Fortunately it was also a short distance. The walk along the track bed was easy being completely level, and we made great time to the tunnel. It was indeed completely filled with rock, Geoff climbed the loose rock to the ceiling to see what was there. He noticed that by looking through some of the gaps in the ceiling cement, he could see a series of rotten beams! Did they line both sides of the cement with wood? Done with the tunnel, we made our way to the path that leads to the far side and the bridge. The path crosses some very sketchy spots with a vertical drop of 100+ feet.  It was not really the safest place to be. There are some ropes and cables in place but none of them are well secured. Descending the far side there is a steep path with a bit of network cable strung out for balance (it sure won’t hold one’s weight). This section has had some major erosion and there are a few spots with only a few inches of path width remaining before the slope takes a near vertical drop for quite a distance. We did make it past this area but then came to a swath of loose gravel on a steep incline. A rope had been tied here but it wasn’t all that safe looking and wet gravel tends to offer little support should one start to slide towards the drop only 30 feet down slope! Neither of us thought it safe enough to cross. So we took photos from the path about 40 feet from the bridge. Heading back up the eroded trail was not much fun either.

Well we safely got back to the level track bed and took a few moments to relax after the unwanted adrenaline rush. Watching for bears as we hiked back now seemed quite anticlimactic! We felt a bit disappointed we didn’t reach the bridge but also felt good that we didn’t push past our level of comfort and experience (at least not too much past). Geoff suggested we try approaching the bridge from the other side of the valley, it might be possible but I found no online guides for that side.