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Campbell River, BC
Canada
759 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 3:37 PM
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Waterfalls and Mountains
The Base of Spahats Falls
At one time Spahats Creek Provincial Park existed as a separate entity but now it is incorporated into Wells Gray Provincial Park. Back in 1985, I did a hike to the base of Spahats Falls and always wanted to go back and do it again.
The trail is not too well known and this keeps the crowds away. In addition, parts of the trail is rather hair raising as it descends steeply 800 feet over a distance of 1.6 km down the narrow confines of the canyon. The narrow footpath starts past the viewing platform at the end of the chain link fence where a sign warns hikers that there is no fence beyond that point. The path is level for a short distance as it skirts along a steep slope which drops away. There is some exposure here. Soon the trail drops down steeply then doubles back in the direction of the falls. Hiking down requires concentration and careful placement of the feet so I was glad there was no mosquitoes to pester me. The path then heads down towards the creek along a ridge. There are small trees along the way to grab onto to slow my descent. The dirt path is rather loose and I found taking small steps and walking down sideways easier. This gives the Vastus leg muscles a good workout.
The roar of the creek becomes more audible as the summer melt continues. There is a lot of exposure where the trail skirts along the top of a cliff with views of the creek below. It heads down steeply at that point and care is needed not to trip. The route then heads up a slippery moss covered slide then along a conglomerate wall of rock which has eroded away leaving chunk sized rocks beside the trail. A slip here can put me into the creek and risk being swept away. Not too far from here, the trail ends near a big tree above the roaring creek. During late summer, the creek width is reduced and this makes it possible to scramble down the bank and head up to the plunge pool for a closer look at the falls. I had to be content where I was today. The force of the falls hitting the plunge pool creates its own draft with mist drifting towards me; this makes it a challenge to photograph without getting water droplets on the lens.
The photos don’t seem to do justice in showing how fast and turbulent the waters of Spahats Creek are; let alone the deafening sound of the water.
1. 2. 3. 
1. 250 foot Spahats Falls. The falls appear to sit a little lower down from the canyon rim compared to 25 years ago as the creek continues to erode the soft volcanic layers of rock. Maybe the falls aren’t 250 feet high anymore.
2. The steep path into the canyon
3. The trail skirts the edge of a cliff as it heads down steeply to the left of me.
4.  5. 6.
4. The trail along the cliff edge. The super wide angle lens causes some distortion and makes the trail seem less steep.
5. A closer look at the upper part of the trail. Don’t stumble or trip on tree roots here as one can go flying over the cliff to the creek below.
6. Down in the canyon the sun doesn’t stay long.
7. 8. 9.
7. A small rockslide in the forest. It’s always damp here.
8. An eroded section of the trail above the creek. Don’t trip here or you’ll end up being swept away. Spahats falls can be seen through the trees.
9. Looking towards the falls. I can’t go any further as the creek is overflowing. The slow shutter speed has blurred the creek giving it a tame appearance. Late summer and fall, it is possible to scramble up the creek bed from this point to the rock pile to the left of the falls and stand beside the plunge pool.
10.  11.  12. 
10. Downstream section of the creek.
11. Even though the falls are hidden (upstream) behind the canyon walls, the fine spray drifts downstream from the draft it creates.
12. Back up at the canyon rim looking down into the canyon. The falls are to the left. The clear rocky area to the right beside the creek and at the foot of the forested patch of trees is where the trail comes out of.
Mountain Ramble
I had planned on heading over to the Trophy Meadows again but a rockslide has blocked the road so I drove past the turnoff and headed up towards Silvertip Falls. I had never driven this road before and came across some nice mountain scenery.
Often times, I enjoy heading off on trailess hikes to escape from the crowds and explore around. It was a chilly 5*C at 6 am and the morning sun was hitting the mountains at a low angle producing nice lighting. There was a nice pool of water at a marshy area just off the road and this reflected part of the mountain beyond. I have no idea what group of mountains this is but it sure looks rugged. There was a park boundary sign posted here so the mountain is just outside of Wells Gray Park.
The area which I hiked through was very marshy with small tarns. The air was calm so the water captured reflections on its glass surface. I tried walking along the edge of the forest hoping it would be drier and did some light bushwhacking to avoid the water logged ground. The ground looks solid but my boots sank in and soon it was completely soaked. I arrived at a small lake which was quite shallow. I can see a lot of downed trees at the bottom. Past this first lake, another lake sat near the base of the mountain. The water was calm enough for a nice photograph of the reflected mountains. In the other direction were some forested mountains. I wasn’t sure if they were part of the Trophy mountains. I walked along the snow slope above the lake and headed over to a roaring creek then hiked up the snow to some exposed boulders and heather. Near the boulders were cavities under the snow which caused me to suddenly sink up to my thighs. I found it easier boulder hoping up the mountain to some exposed heather and shrub patch. The slope was steep but I found it easier grabbing onto branches to haul myself up. About half way up I crossed a steep snowfield to some boulders and rested here. Grey clouds moved across the sky and I thought it might rain.
This is a great area to explore but best done when the snow is gone. The slope is quite steep and without an ice axe it could be a long slide down. While resting on my perch, I saw an animal run up the snow slope at the far end of the lake which I had crossed earlier.
It was quite distant and ran at a good clip before entering the bush so I couldn’t identify it.
When I headed down to the creek, I passed some old bear prints in the snow. They were quite huge. I crossed the cold creek which numbed my foot; it felt almost painful. I circled the other end of the lake and found the area less marshy. I thought I was home free until I met up with the creek again. I felt lazy to take off my boots so I crossed at a small log jam which was slippery. Dark clouds moved across the sky and the mountains looked ghostly.
13.  14.  15.
13. Mountain reflection on a pool of water taken at 6 am.
14. Nice marsh environment
15. Cloud reflection on a little pond.
16.  17. 18. 
16. Another small pond in a marshy area. Walking across the marsh, which will probably dry up somewhat in late summer, sure beats bushwhacking through the forest.
17. One of the first lakes to encounter or maybe it’s a large pond?
18. The second lake gives a more clear shot with a nice reflection.
19.  20.  21. 
19. Looking back across the second lake where I skirted along the shoreline on the right and circled along the left side.
20. A roaring creek which flows into the lake.
21. A bird’s eye view of the lake below and mountains beyond. Could those be part of the Trophy Mountains?
22.  23.  24. 
22. Taking in the views of some nice mountain peaks.
23. A nice place to explore around.
24. Back down along the left side of the lake.
The Base of Moul Falls
I have often bypassed this hike in the past but decided to do it today. The parking lot was empty as I expected since I am an early riser. I headed down the trail around 5:30 am. The trail starts along a gated road which parallels the main Clearwater Valley road then veers off into the forest. The creek below becomes more audible as the trail descends. The trail reaches Grouse Creek which is the source of Moul Falls. There is a footbridge with a metal grated floor which heads over to a private property. There is a sign which lists additional hikes in the area.
On the main trail I continued down to a viewpoint which overlooks the canyon. From here a narrow foot path leads to some footsteps. A sign here states only 2 hikers allowed at the falls at a time. I rounded a moss covered wall and saw Moul Falls for the first time.
The falls are 110 feet in height and like other waterfalls in the park it drops from the lip of a volcanic rock into a canyon. It’s a beautiful waterfall and with less effort than the Spahats hike to get here. The falls are very noisy in this small canyon and the constant draft and fine spray makes it challenging to photograph. I got soaked when I got close to the falls; a good place to take a shower. It’s an amazing spectacle to see the power of water pounding away at the plunge pool.
I next headed over to Helmcken Falls and later when I drove back I saw the entrance to Moul Falls parking chained off with a sign that the trail is closed. I couldn’t figure it out. When I got home and checked the BC Parks website a notice was recently posted that a “Dangerous and aggressive Bear in area, Moul Falls Trail is Closed until further notice” I read that an incident had occurred the day before but the parking area was open when I arrived and there was no warning signs of bear activity. I didn’t come across any bears; only a deer stomping around in the bush.
25.  26.  27. 
25. Grouse Creek. A footbridge is upstream.
26. Wooden steps along a moss covered rock wall.
27. Moul Falls framed between tree trunks
28.  29. 
28. A wide angle view of the falls and canyon
29. A closer shot of the falls.
Helmcken Falls Trail
The sign says 3 hours return hike but I don’t recall that it took that long before. It was years ago that I did this hike and it’s one of those hikes that you want to get over with fast as the trail through the forest is boring and the mosquitoes will eat you if you stop for a break. I saw 5 piles of separate bear dropping near the start of the trail. After that, nothing.
I hiked at a fast pace and reached the viewpoint in 50 minutes. There are no fences here and just a small clear area along the edge of the canyon rim to see the falls. I was worried about the ground being undercut beneath but it seemed to be okay.
Unlike the conventional viewing platform on the opposite side of the canyon, this view gives a more direct and closer inspection of the falls. I always thought that the falls were 450 ft but I see it’s listed as 463 feet in height. The plunge pool is thought to be almost as deep as the falls are high. The average width of the falls is 75 feet and between 5000 and 25000 cubic feet of water per second spills over the canyon rim.
It’s hard to photograph here as the constant spray and mist floats around. It takes patience waiting for it to clear but then suddenly it would ‘fog’ over again hiding the falls.
30.  31.  32. 
30. Reputed to be the fourth highest waterfall in Canada
31. Two rainbows. One is quite faint.
32. A superwide angle view
33.  34. 
33. Stretching my neck to look down at the base of the falls.
34. Shrouded in mist
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 Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 4:26 PM
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Very beautiful still lake and water photos. Nice colours and layout.
K |
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
301 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 11:17 PM
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That looks daring! I doubt I would be able to stand even that close to the edge. |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2041 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 11:26 PM
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| Beautiful shots!! |
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Powell River, bc
Canada
2534 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 11:44 PM
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| ^ AGREE BIG TIME!!! Beautiful places,thanks for sharing these! That last falls must be what Brandywine must have looked like before all the fences. |
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1448 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 12:22 PM
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just amazing shots
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1087 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2010 : 4:56 PM
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Reminds me of how you got the shot of the tarn with Needle Peak in the background, which I think made the CT calendar. That was another early morning start.
There are so many TR's and other threads going on lately, sometimes a report like yours gets lost in the shuffle. |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2010 : 5:01 PM
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| Fantastic pictures. |
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Campbell River, BC
Canada
759 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2010 : 6:34 PM
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quote:
Reminds me of how you got the shot of the tarn with Needle Peak in the background....That was another early morning start quote:
Yes...that is the "trick"....the wind is usually calm early in the morning. |
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Topic |
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Waterfalls and Mountains
