Capturing the Art of Nature
Nesakwatch Valley & Chilliwack Lake
Travelling up the valley we had a great view of Mount Slesse, then in the afternoon we got reacquainted with Chilliwack Lake.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2010
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My previous drive up the Nesakwatch FSR ended abruptly only a couple of kilometers in by a large slide that blocked the road. In coming today I was hopeful that i could get past that slide and that one could get far enough to have a good view of Mt. Slesse. I last hiked to the plane crash monument in the summer of 2004, so I was hoping to find the way open and the possibility of perhaps another hike up to the monument one day. The drive to the start of the FSR went without incident and soon we were bouncing our way along the gravel. I stopped to gather a few early photos of Mount Pierce but we were quickly approaching the wash out.
As we made our way up the rise leading to the old slide I saw that the way was now passable. One group had parked their truck and opted to walk on over it, but though it was quite rough we had no trouble driving across the slide. We slowly made our way along the road grabbing numerous photos of Mt. Pierce, Crossover Peak and Mt. Parkes. They were nicely snow capped and they offered some lovely traditional mountain photos for my collection. I tried a few bracketing shots but wasn't very happy with the results when I reviewed them back on my computer. The contrast range was just too wide for the number I took. I guess I will need to shoot even more shots next time.
We made our way over a few more slides that had once blocked the road but they were all crossable for us though we did come to a slide that scared a few more drivers enough to park and continue on foot. Finally we arrived at the spot where there was a short spur off the road which in past led to the starting point for the Mt. Slesse hike. The road was now over-grown and obviously no longer in use. The trail it seems had been relocated since the natural bridge over the creek had been washed out. Looking up the main road we saw a new problem.
The road now had a huge gaping hole running down its middle and across it to the lower side. it seems that recent water flows had undermined the road in the short steep section just ahead. It was passable by ATV's as was proven by a group of them that were returning having been up the road to the snow line. We decided to park the truck and to hike the kilometer or so to a good view point of Mt. Slesse. Our first task was to set up the cross-band repeater. Since we were traveling only a short distance I decided to just use the dual band whip antenna but this needed a short position change of the truck for us to work the Abbotsford repeater reliably. It is amazing how a few feet can make such a difference out here.
Radio setup, we were off past the washout and slowly making our way along the road. After a short distance we came upon a sign marking the new start of the Slesse trail. Soon we did come to a viewpoint where I got a number of shots but we had an even better spot a short way further along. After a rest we returned to the truck and made our way back to the entrance to the FSR. We stopped to look at a locked gate that led to the Centre Creek FSR. I have wanted to explore that area for years. Though locked there was an ATV path around it and it looked like we could do it as well but I wanted to visit Chilliwack lake so we passed on the opportunity.
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.